Coating textured paper with a glass rod

[Alan9940]

For all you pt/pd printers out there coating with a glass rod, is there some trick (secret?) to laying down an even coating across a textured paper? I have no problem coating a smooth paper like Hahnemuhle Platinum Rag, but when coating something like Revere Platinum I usually get a "gap" somewhere along the way. It's like the rod is not in contact with the paper for a brief couple of seconds, then is fine. I coat on a heavy sheet of plate glass so I doubt unevenness of the paper surface is an issue.

Am I simply not using enough mix? Should I use Tween, Glycerin, or both? Any insight would be much appreciated. I've coated with brushes for years, but with the cost of materials today I'd like to get skillful with the glass rod using less mix.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

When I tried coating with glass rod on textured paper, I had to quickly brush the sensitiser with a hake brush as it was pooling in the recesses of the texture. .

 

[nmp]

For all you pt/pd printers out there coating with a glass rod, is there some trick (secret?) to laying down an even coating across a textured paper? I have no problem coating a smooth paper like Hahnemuhle Platinum Rag, but when coating something like Revere Platinum I usually get a "gap" somewhere along the way. It's like the rod is not in contact with the paper for a brief couple of seconds, then is fine. I coat on a heavy sheet of plate glass so I doubt unevenness of the paper surface is an issue.

Am I simply not using enough mix? Should I use Tween, Glycerin, or both? Any insight would be much appreciated. I've coated with brushes for years, but with the cost of materials today I'd like to get skillful with the glass rod using less mix.

Just curious....how textured is this Revere Platinum. Is it like a cold-pressed paper or just slightly rougher than the HPR, but still on the smooth side. I was thinking of getting some but if it is much rougher, I might think otherwise.

 

[Alan9940]

Just curious....how textured is this Revere Platinum. Is it like a cold-pressed paper or just slightly rougher than the HPR, but still on the smooth side. I was thinking of getting some but if it is much rougher, I might think otherwise.

I would say it has just a slight "tooth" compared to HPR. Definitely no where near as rough as a cold press paper.

 

[nmp]

I would say it has just a slight "tooth" compared to HPR. Definitely no where near as rough as a cold press paper.

Thanks Alan...that reassures me.

Regarding brush vs rod coating, I am currently going thru the opposite experience from you - I have been a rod coater all this time and lately I am trying my hand at brushing - primarily for cyanotypes where material costs are not an issue. What I am finding is brush coating seems to be much more forgiving in terms of coatability under current dry winter conditions. May be it is due to the mechanical action in brushing that is better able to force the sensitizer into the crevices of the paper and may it is due to the fact that one can go over the paper multiple times to even out the coating. Rod coating on the other hand seems to be more at the mercy of the surface conditions of the paper and wetting characteristics of the sensitizer, hence the need to properly pre-humidify the former and addition of T-20 to the latter. I suspect that is something you might have to try as well. Also, make sure that the there is fully covered bead at the start of the stroke. I also found that slowing down the first stroke also helps in minimizing bare spots.

:Niranjan.

 

[Alan9940]

Thanks for the suggestions. I already use Tween and Glycerin, but haven't tried humidifing the paper before coating. Also, I do think I may go a little too fast with that first stroke.