Liquid Emulsion on Flash Paper

[Aron US]

Hello

Is it possible to paint liquid emulsion onto flammable flash paper?
Does the flash paper still work afterwards?
Would this be dangerous to do?

 

[koraks]

Welcome to Photrio!

Is it possible to paint liquid emulsion onto flammable flash paper?

Probably yes. Nitrocellulose (flash paper) is insoluble in water. You may have some issues with adhesion, streaking and getting an even coating, but I suspect this may not be a big problem in your application.

Does the flash paper still work afterwards?

Likely, yes. Once dry of course.

However, I'm not sure whether the flash paper will also withstand development, fixing and a cursory wash. You'd have to try.

Would this be dangerous to do?

Handling nitrocellulose is inherently risky. I don't think combining it with a silver halide gelatin emulsion adds anything on top of that risk.

Sounds like this might be a fun project; what do you have in mind?

 

[Aron US]

Welcome to Photrio!


Probably yes. Nitrocellulose (flash paper) is insoluble in water. You may have some issues with adhesion, streaking and getting an even coating, but I suspect this may not be a big problem in your application.


Likely, yes. Once dry of course.

However, I'm not sure whether the flash paper will also withstand development, fixing and a cursory wash. You'd have to try.



Handling nitrocellulose is inherently risky. I don't think combining it with a silver halide gelatin emulsion adds anything on top of that risk.

Sounds like this might be a fun project; what do you have in mind?

Thank you this is super helpful!! Im working on a project that explores change and impermanence in the everyday. It is inspired by philosopher Heraclitus, who often used fire as a symbol of change and transformation. I would burn images after an exhibition, hence the flash paper. Im also using alternative processes inspired by caffenol.

 

[MattKing]

Welcome to Photrio.
The project sounds interesting, but I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when you try to convince a gallery curator to allow you show your work. His/her insurers would most likely be resistant!

 

[koraks]

Im working on a project that explores change and impermanence in the everyday

I was suspecting it might be something along these lines - that's great! Please do proceed (with reasonable caution) with your project, I think it's very interesting. I have good hopes for the liquid emulsion working on the flash paper. I'd it doesn't, you could always print an image on thin rice paper and glue that to the flash paper. There will be more ashes, evidently, but if you use thin paper for the photo, it may be manageable or even interesting.

 

[Donald Qualls]

gallery curator

Perhaps better to go with a rock and roll venue that has experience with stage pyrotechnics...

 

[AnselMortensen]

Probably best for an outdoor venue.

 

[khh]

Old celluloid film base is basically nitrocellulose with camphor as a plasticizer, so it should work. And celluloid film is certainly still flamable. I would be very careful about breathing in any of the smoke, though, silver can be quite toxic.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I burned a small sample of celluloid film a few years ago after developing a non-Kodak "found film" from the 1950s or earlier and concluding it was probably nitrate stock.

Yes, it's flammable; it ignites easily and burns fairly fast, but not the way flash paper does. I'm not sure whether that's because of the gelatin coating(s), or just that a relatively low nitration level was used in films (for cost, manufacturing safely, and product stability).

Besides that, any celluloid film you find now will be a minimum of sixty-plus years old, and if unexposed would be problematic to expose and develop, if it hasn't already started to deteriorate (storing cine reels in steel cans was airtight enough, I don't know if the paper/foil pouch for a 120 roll film would trap gases enough to cause accelerated decomposition).