Carbon Printing - Final Support Paper Issue

[klawless]

Hello everyone (long-time lurker here).

I recently got back into carbon transfer printing after nearly 20 years. And I'm so excited about all the new innovations and ideas out there now. I'm trying to restart my old hobby and have found nothing but headaches. For some reason, none of my final support paper recipes work anymore. I've looked at the variety of new ideas out there and have experimented with a number of them.

Currently, I am using 300 gsm hot-press Arches with a 4% gelatin layer coating, using Sandy King's new method with a Mayer rod (I'm a fan of his, since I bought his old coil-bound book 20 years ago). I used to use Chrome Alum for a hardener, but that doesn't seem to work anymore (don't know why). So now I'm trying King's 1% formalin solution. But I'm getting the same issues. The image is not setting/adhering to the final support.

Both the tissue and the support paper are soaked in cool water (~16°C) for 3 minutes, then squeegeed together, placed under two glass plates and a 4L jug of water for 30 minutes. Then, when it comes to developing it (at 40°C), it just floats away. I've tried using cooler water at ~35°C, but the issue persists. My support tissue is not holding onto its own gelatin layer, much less the image's gelatin.

Would love to get feedback and ideas.
Thanks

(Below is a test strip sample of one of the better prints. This carbon print was more akin to polaroid transfer as it kept floating off like an onion skin, and I had to recapture it multiple times.)

 

[Rick A]

I use fixed out Xray film for temporary support, and fixed out photo paper for final support. I pour my glop 150ml for 8x10 using magnetic tape as a border. Mating bath is between 50-55f for 4 minutes and final transfer bath no hotter than 120f. for 3-4 minutes. I use rubylith tape for my safety edge.

 

[Vaughn]

Try reducing the soak time of the final support during transfer (1 minute or less).

The issue with using watercolor paper as a final support is that the paper can absorb a lot of water. Excess water can interfer with the creation of the 'glue' that holds everything together (the gelatin getting hot in the development bath becomes the glue). Frilling and the lack of adhesion of the print is caused when the gelatin that is suppose to form the glue is diluted by excess water getting between the final support and the tissue during development.

This can happens if:

One does not sufficiently squeeze the water out between the two during transfer.
One bends the mated tissue/final support package too much before development -- this can break the seal between the two, and allow water to get in between the two.
The watercolor paper had too much time in the mating bath and soaked up too much water, thinning the glue.