Clean edges & perfect position pt/pd

In working with the 5x7 & larger negs I coat the paper & often don't get the negative just where I want it so it isn't centered properly. Any hints or easy ways to make a 'jig' setup so it is easy & repeatable?
Coating isn't a problem & for some I want the edge marks from coating, whether a puddle pusher or brush marks. Some images though call for clean & sharp edges. Any one way of doing it that is better, cleaner or sharper than another?

WarEaglemtn said:

In working with the 5x7 & larger negs I coat the paper & often don't get the negative just where I want it so it isn't centered properly. Any hints or easy ways to make a 'jig' setup so it is easy & repeatable?
Coating isn't a problem & for some I want the edge marks from coating, whether a puddle pusher or brush marks. Some images though call for clean & sharp edges. Any one way of doing it that is better, cleaner or sharper than another?

Click to expand...

I have rubylith sheets in 16x20, I cut in the center a rectangle just smaller than the 8x10 negative. I coat the paper, put on the easel, plaxe the rubylith sheet on top, center and then put the negative on top of the rubylith. If you are careful cutting the rubylith with an exacto knife you can get very clean edges, and centering is a piece of cake.

If you want the black border around the negative with straight lines, just cut the rubylith so that the negative just fits.

12x20 is a different animal, for clean borders I use rubylith tape on the negative, and for the black border I use strips taped together....I have not looked to see if they make 20x24 sheets of rubylith.

Dan,

I use Scotch/3M masking tape, #2070 in 3/4" rolls. I have found it at Home Depot in the past. It is a white, low tack tape that will not lift the paper fibers when it is removed after coating. They make a blue masking tape (I think it is #2090) that IS NOT the correct stuff, and may lift fibers.

I make a template of the area that I want to coat out of mattboard, and then place it on the paper and run around the perimeter with the masking tape. Put it down with a good boning tool (or fingernail) and then coat away. Once done coating, you can pull the tape off, and you won't have to mask the print in the exposure.

If you get a little bleedthrough (which I never do with pt/pd, but occasionally do with gum layers) you can throw a small piece of rubylith on the spot, and it'll clear away to a nice clean edge in the clearing baths.

The problem with this method is that it forces you to be dilligent about clearing, because there is no border to easily refer to that will tell you if you have cleared the print enough.

I don't like the brush or rod marks as I think it distracts from the image and is a novelty for most people, so I use this approach on all my prints.

---Michael

Michael Mutmansky said:

Dan,

I use Scotch/3M masking tape, #2070 in 3/4" rolls. I have found it at Home Depot in the past. It is a white, low tack tape that will not lift the paper fibers when it is removed after coating. They make a blue masking tape (I think it is #2090) that IS NOT the correct stuff, and may lift fibers.



---Michael

Click to expand...

There is also a paper masking tape with a very fine line of low tack adhesive that one can use for masking off the edges. It comes in widths from 2" and up and may offer an advantage over 3/4" wide material in some situations. I personally like to protect as much of the non-image areas as possible during coating since little drops of the sensitizer are often kicked up way beyond the boundary of the coated area when using a brush.

The paper stuff is very inexpensive and can be purchased in the paint area of most home supply stores such as Lowes and Home Depot.

Sandy

The #2070 tape I mention is available up to 2" rolls. I use the wider rolls for gum printing, but for pt/pd, I don't find I need any more than a 3/4" piece. If I get a small amount of errant solution, I can use a small piece of rubylith to purge it.

---Michael