accidently soaking paper removed image... recycle?

[djkloss]

I don't know where to put this thread or what to call it so I'll just go ahead with it.

A few weeks ago I left some test strips in water for a few days, and noticed the image was lifted off the paper. what I was wondering is if you could deliberately do this to prints that didn't turn out and re-use the paper by coating it or are there other factors to examine? I have some paper I'd like to re-use, but am unsure how to go about it if it's even possible.

thanks,

Dorothy

 

[Rick A]

I use boiling water to lift the image from RC paper when I shoot paper negatives. Only takes a few minutes, it seperates the coated emulsion layer from the backing paper. I then carefully mount on a piece of glass to enlarge.

 

[djkloss]

and then do you re-coat it?

 

[Rick A]

No need. The only thing left behind is the backing paper, the image is on the coated part of the stock, and comes away as a thin translucent sheet. Its actually fairly durable, but wrinkles easily. I read how to do this on the Alternative Photography site.

 

[Worker 11811]

An emulsion float from RC paper!
I never woulda' thunk it...

Does it print easily?
(Contact, I assume... No?)

To the OP...
That has happened to me a few times. I never thought about recoating. I just cut the pieces up and use them for notes in the darkroom, etc.

 

[djkloss]

I guess then the only thing to do is to try it and see what happens. My intent is to remove the original image from the paper so I can re-use the paper. I thought if I could coat it with something like liquid light I could reuse the paper. It's the original Fomatone Chamois 542. A beautiful discontinued paper which is similar to watercolor paper in appearance.

 

[Rick A]

Is that FB paper? AFAIK, the method I use only works for RC, so it looks like its (fan fare) experiment time! Yippee!--Yayy!!--Yahoo!!!

 

[Photo Engineer]

Yes, you can often lift emulsions off. It depends on the subbing, the hardness and a number of other factors. Trying is the only way to find out. However, if you like the watercolor look or the vellum look or the canvas look, you can buy these surfaces in tablets by Strathmore. They are about 100# hot press papers and coat nicely. Papers with "weaves" though should be coated and printed properly to prevent odd appearances in the final print due to the orientation of the texture.

Your biggest problem in recoating will be due to wrinkling of the paper if you use FB.

PE

 

[wildbillbugman]

I use boiling water to lift the image from RC paper when I shoot paper negatives. Only takes a few minutes, it seperates the coated emulsion layer from the backing paper. I then carefully mount on a piece of glass to enlarge.

Hi,
Interesting. But isn't the image distorted? How do you transfer the boiled image image from the paper to the glass?
Bill

 

[dwross]

Your biggest problem in recoating will be due to wrinkling of the paper if you use FB.

The wrinkling problem is eliminated by coating wet paper.

Soak the paper in filtered or distilled water for as many seconds as it takes to wet through and then squeegee the paper flat onto a piece of sheet glass. If the paper seems delicate, place a piece of thin mylar on the paper and squeegee over that. I recycle old Clear Bags for the purpose. You can reuse them quite a few times. Start with gentle motions out from the center and then increase the pressure of your passes with the squeegee. It'll only take a minute. Make sure to get all the excess water and bubbles removed and you'll be good to go. Remove the mylar, coat, let the emulsion set up, but not dry completely, and then hang to dry. I usually put alligator clips on the bottom corners to prevent curling.

d

 

[Sirius Glass]

When a photograph is sent to Plak-It, they remove the image from the paper, mount it on composite wood and laminate it with a uv filter. I have a place in Rochester New York that I use to mount my photos when I do not want to pay for matting and framing. The cost about three years ago was $15 for an 11"x14"; in Los Angeles the least expensive for exactly the same thing was $55 and a minimum order of ten. This company is much less than everyone else for this service. I use this for photos that I want to hang in the office or gifts. If you are interested send me an email or PM and I will give you the contact information.

Steve

 

[Rick A]

Hi,
Interesting. But isn't the image distorted? How do you transfer the boiled image image from the paper to the glass?
Bill

The hardest part is to flatten it, and push the wrinkles from center to the edge. I havent experienced much distortion, if any at all. Its a simple procedure, and only takes a few minutes in the hot water to start delaminating. Start peeling from the corners, and carefully work around and toward center.