Joy Goldkind Bromoil clip

[Perry Way]

- What kind and brand of tape is she using to tape down the matrix onto the glass before inking? I was surprised to see the tape come of so easily without damaging the paper. Is this is a special tape type developed for this purpose?

Marco

Her tape is white, so I don't know the answer that question. But 3M makes a painter's tape for masking areas for sharp lines in painting. It is a Royal blue color. That might very well work. I know that it doesn't rip paper or cardboard to shreds when you remove it but it does hold somewhat. Its got more stick to it than a Post-it Note but less than regular masking tape.

 

[Perry Way]

I'm using Kentmere fineprint VC fine grain matt (semi matt) - not warmtone.
Also Slavich Matt - grade 2

Hi Gene, What do you think about Ilford MGIV Fiber based Matte? Should that also work? It is cold toned I believe, or at least it's not warm. I've got a ton of this already and my order at Freestyle is too huge right now to add any more papers but I do want to give this a try otherwise. Would I be wasting my time with this paper? Thanks!

 

[Marco B]

Her tape is white, so I don't know the answer that question. But 3M makes a painter's tape for masking areas for sharp lines in painting. It is a Royal blue color. That might very well work.

Thanks, that's helpful. However, I would still like answers to the other questions as well. If anyone has some more info...

In addition, I went to an art supply shop here in town, and noticed they had basically three different types of ink:

- Lino ink, which seems to be water based and therefore is probably unusable.
- Oil based etching ink
- A sort of general oil based lithographic ink

If I remember it well, the owner told me the etching ink was a bit more `sticky`, while the lithographic ink was a bit more ´stiff´. Any pros/cons against using one or the other?

Marco

 

[Perry Way]

Thanks, that's helpful. However, I would still like answers to the other questions as well. If anyone has some more info...

In addition, I went to an art supply shop here in town, and noticed they had basically three different types of ink:

- Lino ink, which seems to be water based and therefore is probably unusable.
- Oil based etching ink
- A sort of general oil based lithographic ink

If I remember it well, the owner told me the etching ink was a bit more `sticky`, while the lithographic ink was a bit more ´stiff´. Any pros/cons against using one or the other?

Marco

Did you see my reply above where I suggested going to Bostick-Sullivan site? They have one of the inks Gene Laughter recommends and whats more is they have it at a very nice price. I saw a British site that has the same exact ink for 23 British pounds. That's like something like 4 times the price when you consider exchange rate. The brand is Graphic Chemical and Ink.

All the books and articles I read say stiff ink is necessary for at the minimum the first layer(s) applied. I've got my order in today, awaiting delivery, so I can't say from experience but hey, all the pro's say stiff ink so.. I think that means something!

 

[Marco B]

All the books and articles I read say stiff ink is necessary for at the minimum the first layer(s) applied. I've got my order in today, awaiting delivery, so I can't say from experience but hey, all the pro's say stiff ink so.. I think that means something!

OK, thanks, that is one point of my list. I still wonder about the possibility to use a ferricyanide bleach instead of a dichromate based one.

I have tried some Google searches on this, but there seems to be very little information regarding ferricyanide bleaches in bromoil. I find this strange, since I keep reading dichromate based bleaches are quite unhealthy and must be used with care, while ferricyanide (as long as not mixed with strong acids), are relatively safe. In addition, if I read it well, dichromate bleaches seem to clear less easy, while thorough washing easily removes excess ferricyanide?

As you understand, I have never used a bichromate bleach before, but have used ferricyanide bleach as part of my two bath odourless thiourea sepia toner.

Lastly, if I would use ferricyanide bleach, is it necessary to "fix" the print before (or maybe even after?) inking? I do know that some part of the bleached image is unstable silverhalogenide, so fixing before inking will change the image, but I am unsure if fixing is really necessary or how big the problem really is...

 

[Jerevan]

The dichromate bleach removes the silver and tans (hardens) the gelatine proportionally. Ferri only removes the silver, as far as I know.

 

[Marco B]

The dichromate bleach removes the silver and tans (hardens) the gelatine proportionally. Ferri only removes the silver, as far as I know.

Ok, that would indicate a ferri bleach might be unusable in bromoil printing, and thus also why there are almost no references on the net, as the tanning seems to be a vital process in the creation of the "matrix".

Anyway, I am not afraid of a bit of experimenting, so I might just give it a try using the ferri based bleach I have and see what happens on a test sheet.

Marco

 

[Marco B]

Another question that came up after reading several articles about bromoil on the internet:

I see that all articles mention a drying stage of the paper after bleaching and washing / clearing the print of the bleach. Now on the other hand, the paper needs to be re-wetted before inking, with some articles mentioning a prolonged soak of up to 20 minutes before inking.

What is the use of drying the paper, if it will be re-soaked in water for such long times before inking? Surely, even with a few minutes, the paper and gelatine will be almost fully saturated with water, so why not continue with inking directly after bleaching and washing?

Or is the drying process done to facilitate the hardening / tanning process of the matrix, so as to have a more robust matrix better able to withstand the subsequent inking process?