Kallitypes, coating advice for large prints???

Kimberly Anderson · Oct 4, 2005

I'm getting ready to make some 12x20 Kallitypes, and am wondering if those who have done large prints can give me some advice on coating the paper.

I did some small prints coating with an acrylic rod, but have given up on it in favor of a wide 1 1/2 inch watercolor brush.

I am using 18 drops of solution for a 5x8 negative. I'm putting 9 drops on the top of the paper and 9 on the bottom. With the brush slightly damp I'm able to get very beautiful even coats that are printing beautifully.

I am worried that with the extremely large print size I am going to attempt, how I can get enough emulsion onto the paper and get it spread quickly and evenly enough before it starts to absorb and leave marks.

So...any advice?

Thanks!

sanking · Oct 5, 2005

Michael Slade said:
I'm getting ready to make some 12x20 Kallitypes, and am wondering if those who have done large prints can give me some advice on coating the paper.

I did some small prints coating with an acrylic rod, but have given up on it in favor of a wide 1 1/2 inch watercolor brush.

I am using 18 drops of solution for a 5x8 negative. I'm putting 9 drops on the top of the paper and 9 on the bottom. With the brush slightly damp I'm able to get very beautiful even coats that are printing beautifully.

I am worried that with the extremely large print size I am going to attempt, how I can get enough emulsion onto the paper and get it spread quickly and evenly enough before it starts to absorb and leave marks.

So...any advice?

Thanks!

I recommend coating with a brush, not a glass rod. And one of the best brushes you can use, whether for kallitype, vandyke or Pt./Pd. is the Jack Richesion 9010 series. For coating a 12X20 I would recommend a 2" brush. The Jack Richeson is not cheap, but it is the best by far that I have used.

To make a 12X20 kalllitype I use about 6ml of total solution, i.e. 3ml of ferric oxalate solution and 3ml of silver nitrate solution. I double coat for an increase in Dmax, but the second coat is diluted 1:1 with water, that is, 1.5ml FO + 1.5ml SN + 3ml of water.

To coat with the Richeson brush, first rinse it in water (distilled better but perhaps not essential in your area), then shake it a few times until most of the water is gone, but not so much that the brush separates. Just pour the sensitizer in the center of the paper and brush it on very quickly. Coat first with brush strokes in the long direction, then in the short direction, and finally on the diagonal. The key to a good coating is, 1) quit coating before you start to see brush strokes on the paper, and 2) don't leave any puddles of senstizer on the paper.

If you double cost, allow the paper to dry for 5-10 minutes, and repeat the coating operation.

BTW, there is a revised version of my article on kallitype at http://www.alternativephotography.com/process_kallitype.html. This is the same article that has been http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Kallitype/kallitype.html for a few years, with some new images and a few minor changes in operating procedures.

Sandy

Kimberly Anderson · Oct 5, 2005

Sandy,

Thanks for the insight. I have not done any double coating yet, but can see the definite advantage with the larger prints. The second coat being diluted 1:1 is an interesting twist.

I'm ordering my 17" roll of Pictorico OHP very soon (if not today...).

I'll get that brush too. My 1 1/2 inch brush is made in a very similar fashion, but I think that the 2 inch brush would be better for larger areas.

Thanks again!

Kerik · Oct 5, 2005

I agree with Sandy except that I would recommend the 4" Richeson brush for 12x20.

Kerik

Kimberly Anderson · Oct 5, 2005

Looking at the brush I have now, it is indeed a 2 1/2 inch brush, not a 1 1/2 like I indicated. I'm thinking that Kerik may just be onto something with the 4-inch brush.

That is a spendy brush though...$125?! Ouch!

tom_micklin · Oct 5, 2005

Michael Slade said:
Looking at the brush I have now, it is indeed a 2 1/2 inch brush, not a 1 1/2 like I indicated. I'm thinking that Kerik may just be onto something with the 4-inch brush.

That is a spendy brush though...$125?! Ouch!

Michael,
You can find them for a lot less money than that.
Try Jerrysartarama.com or artxpress.com
I think I paid around $55 or $60 for a 3 inch version.
Tom

sanking · Oct 5, 2005

Kerik said:
I agree with Sandy except that I would recommend the 4" Richeson brush for 12x20.

Kerik

Actually I also use a 4" brush for 12X20 prints.

In recommending the 2" version I was just trying to save Michael from too much sticker shock.

Sandy

photomc · Oct 5, 2005

Can also try Dead Link Removed The 4 in Richeson is $65, 3 in is $54. Try a few searches, there are good prices out there, I use a 2 in for 8x10, at $25 is was some of the best money ever spent on DR products.

scootermm · Oct 5, 2005

also heres a little cheaper link for the 4" 9010 brush....
http://www.jerrysartarama.com/art-supply/catalogs/0029128000000

scootermm · Oct 5, 2005

woops.... mike and I think alike... just noticed he has already posted a link.

photomc · Oct 5, 2005

scootermm said:
woops.... mike and I think alike... just noticed he has already posted a link.

We just had the same idea, besides...I like having more than one place to go look for these, lot easier to look at one thread with 3 or 4 different places than doing a Google search

Kimberly Anderson · Oct 5, 2005

There's an interesting swing in the price of art supplies, a good example is that brush.

I'm surfing a bunch of sites and am starting to wonder if someone, maybe Sandy, has done a study on which brushes work well and which don't.

I was told early on that any brush with metal in it would contaminate the solution. I have not noticed any problems with the Kallitypes I did yesterday, in fact they are some of the best I've ever done.

thoughts?

Kerik · Oct 5, 2005

Michael Slade said:
There's an interesting swing in the price of art supplies, a good example is that brush.

I'm surfing a bunch of sites and am starting to wonder if someone, maybe Sandy, has done a study on which brushes work well and which don't.

I was told early on that any brush with metal in it would contaminate the solution. I have not noticed any problems with the Kallitypes I did yesterday, in fact they are some of the best I've ever done.

thoughts?

Michael,

I've tried just about every brush or device imaginable for coating pt/pd prints over the last 15 years. The Richeson wins hands down. There is a reason it's earned the nick-name The Magic Brush. I've never had an issue with the metal ferrule. If it concerns you, some people dip the handle and ferrule in a varnish, or rubberising compound to seal it. But, unless you're planning to dip the brush into a gallon bucket of sensitizer, the ferrule should never come into contact with the sensitizer. Just be sure to clean your brush well and dry the ferrule at the end of your session. This will help prevent the ferrule from rusting over time. I teach workshops and have about 10 Richeson brushes in various sizes with lots of miles on them and they're still going strong.

There is one other brush I've tried that is similar to the Richeson and it's made by Da Vinci. It's not quite as soft and the handle is very short, which I didn't like. And, although it's a little cheaper, not enough to justify choosing it over the Richeson.

Kerik
www.kerik.com

Kimberly Anderson · Oct 5, 2005

Kerik said:
I've tried just about every brush or device imaginable for coating pt/pd prints over the last 15 years. The Richeson wins hands down.

That's all I needed to hear! Thanks!

David A. Goldfarb · Oct 5, 2005

Richeson Miniature Series brushes are also the best spotting brushes I've found. They make a great product.

Kimberly Anderson · Oct 5, 2005

Kerik,

Perhaps this is better for a seperate thread, but I'll approach it here.

I surfed through your site, and it is very nice indeed.

I looked at the student's work, and was curious about the glass-plate negatives that I have seen printed.

I have a stack of 3x3'ish negatives I obtained in Portland, Oregon several years ago. I have very quickly looked at them and they are mostly city scenes and harbor landscapes.

I would like to contact print them, but am unsure as to the best way to construct a contact frame to hold them in for printing.

Any suggestions you can give would help a lot, as these negatives have never been printed as far as I know, and I would like to be able to share them with others.

Thanks!

Kerik · Oct 6, 2005

Michael,

All you need is a heavy enough piece of glass to lay on top of the glass neg such that everthing is nice and flat. An 8x10 piece of 1/4 plate glass should do it. We printed some of those that way and some in a standard contact printing frame. You just need to make sure that the glass in your frame is of sufficient strength/thickness so it won't break.

Kallitypes, coating advice for large prints???

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