Print dryers and ferrotyping

iandvaag · Jun 14, 2016

I've been wanting to get into ferrotyping for a while now, but have been holding off due to the shipping prices required to obtain ferrotyping plates. Today someone in my city posted a print dyer for sale on kijiji. I don't know anything about print dryers and ferrotyping. Is ferrotyping possible with this kind of print dryer? What do you think this thing is worth? If the shiny roller is not imaculate, will it be possible to clean it with bon ami and produce an evenly ferrotyped surface? Just seems nice that there's an opportunity to buy something locally.

Also, I am willing to listen to wiser folks who have BTDT and suggest forgetting about ferrotyping. Having never experienced it, I don't know about the benefits in gloss and d-max, neither do I know the gut-wrenching feeling of a print that got stuck and was ruined.

Paul Howell · Jun 14, 2016

If the dryer has a clean scratch free high glossy surface. In the past I owned a commercial drum dryer and I have smaller dryer that I use for ferrotyping when I want a high gloss on a fiber print.

Patrick Robert James · Jun 14, 2016

You don't need a ferrotype plate. I have been using plexiglass for a few years now. Keep it clean and wax it. The static electricity keeps the print flat on it. Cover the print with a cloth to keep it from drying too fast. I suspect you could use glass as well but I haven't tried it.

I have a drum dryer that I could use for ferrotyping but I prefer the plexi.

Hope that helps you.

Ronald Moravec · Jun 14, 2016

decades back we cleaned with Bon Ami and soaked the prints in Pakosol before drying in a 3 foot diameter rotary dryer.

Today you probably need ferro plates and I do not know if the Pako can be eliminated. Last I looked, it was gone from market.

The main point of glossy was for reproduction, not display. Use Glossy RC now.

To my eye, the best surface is glossy , but dried matt. Not shinny or dead matt.

Bill Burk · Jun 15, 2016

And note that you don't need heat for ferrotyping...

Neal · Jun 15, 2016

Dear iandvaag,

Search the forum for ferrotyping. I use Renaissance Wax to polish the plates. There are many informative threads. All I will add here is don't give up after the first few failures, it is worth it when you get it right.

Good luck,

Neal Wydra

AgX · Jun 15, 2016

Bill Burk said:
And note that you don't need heat for ferrotyping...

see here:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Fraunhofer · Jun 15, 2016

Patrick Robert James said:
You don't need a ferrotype plate. I have been using plexiglass for a few years now. Keep it clean and wax it. The static electricity keeps the print flat on it. Cover the print with a cloth to keep it from drying too fast. I suspect you could use glass as well but I haven't tried it.

I have a drum dryer that I could use for ferrotyping but I prefer the plexi.

Hope that helps you.

I've tried chrome, glass and plexi and get very small specks in the final glossy surface where it appears as if the gelatins never made contact with the ferrotype plate, any hints how to avoid these?

Patrick Robert James · Jun 16, 2016

The specs you get are probably dust. You need to be careful. The best thing to do is to submerge the plate/plexi in water with the print. When you take it out of the water, you squeegee it, or use a brayer (my favorite method) and you should be fine. With clear Plexi you can see if there is a problem. That is one of the advantages of using Plexi... The disadvantage of using Plexi is you can scratch it. It does polish though which means you can resurface it which I do from time to time.

nsurit · Jun 16, 2016

If you are willing to pay the postage from Texas, I think I have a couple of ferrotype plates I can send your way. PM me. Bill Barber

Print dryers and ferrotyping

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