Bob Carnie
Subscriber
I would hope this thread can be helpful for those wanting to make Unique prints. This thread will be focused on Multiple Gum Printing. I understand that there will be flack from those wanting the site to remain pure, I feel weird even having to say this but , when I refer to separation negatives though I generate them digitally there is a long history going back 60 -80 years of printers making separation negatives the old way.
Since I have fully embraced a mixed digital and analogue workflow please keep this in mind and I would love to see other Gum Printers add to this thread.. specifically before and after images with details on how one got from A to B.
I will start with one of my images that is in my Media Page.
So the original is a 8 x10 negative photographed in my simple studio with hot light and Century Camera.
I made an enlarged negative to 16 x20 of this image on film.
The Paper Hannamuhle Platinum Rag was then coated with a gum Mixture using brush work.
Daniel Smith Ochre 1 unit
Gum Arabic 1.3 units
Ammonium Dichromate 10 % solution 1 unit.
this mixture was shaken over 100 times by hand in a glass container then spread on the paper using Home depot brush with the corners rounded, followed by a final swipe with a very good sable brush slightly dampened to smooth the coating.
the Paper dried for 40 minutes and then the original negative and paper was punched together for registration and the print was put in the vacuum frame with pins and an exposure was made on the Nu Arc.
After the exposure the print goes into tray one (Distilled Water for about 5 min) then into tray two (Water from Tap) for another 5 min. There is some agitation but now much, the print is face down in the water.
Finally the print goes into tray 3 where I have a soft flow of water running and I use the water gently to take any loose pigment away and if required do slight brush work on the print . But for the first coating I usually like to keep the Ochre solid on the print.
the print is dried... then we coat the Print again with the same Ratio of Pigment , Gum and Dichromate but this time I use Thaylo Blue and Red mixture for the pigment.
Let the coating dry and with the exact same negative expose again with the same time.
Water wash out is the same, but this final time we use the water and slight brush stroke to take away some of the blue and reveal the ochre below which creates colour contrast , Density and overall balance.
Since I have fully embraced a mixed digital and analogue workflow please keep this in mind and I would love to see other Gum Printers add to this thread.. specifically before and after images with details on how one got from A to B.
I will start with one of my images that is in my Media Page.


So the original is a 8 x10 negative photographed in my simple studio with hot light and Century Camera.
I made an enlarged negative to 16 x20 of this image on film.
The Paper Hannamuhle Platinum Rag was then coated with a gum Mixture using brush work.
Daniel Smith Ochre 1 unit
Gum Arabic 1.3 units
Ammonium Dichromate 10 % solution 1 unit.
this mixture was shaken over 100 times by hand in a glass container then spread on the paper using Home depot brush with the corners rounded, followed by a final swipe with a very good sable brush slightly dampened to smooth the coating.
the Paper dried for 40 minutes and then the original negative and paper was punched together for registration and the print was put in the vacuum frame with pins and an exposure was made on the Nu Arc.
After the exposure the print goes into tray one (Distilled Water for about 5 min) then into tray two (Water from Tap) for another 5 min. There is some agitation but now much, the print is face down in the water.
Finally the print goes into tray 3 where I have a soft flow of water running and I use the water gently to take any loose pigment away and if required do slight brush work on the print . But for the first coating I usually like to keep the Ochre solid on the print.
the print is dried... then we coat the Print again with the same Ratio of Pigment , Gum and Dichromate but this time I use Thaylo Blue and Red mixture for the pigment.
Let the coating dry and with the exact same negative expose again with the same time.
Water wash out is the same, but this final time we use the water and slight brush stroke to take away some of the blue and reveal the ochre below which creates colour contrast , Density and overall balance.