Rawlis oil troubleshooting

Ok my first attemp was dismal to say the least: the ink seemed to just go on everything shawdows as well as highlights. So I am trying to decide if my ink is too hard, gelatin not swollen enough(I am tending toward this one) not enough exposure, therefore not enough image. I used a 2% dichromate solution.

I am speaking as the resident armchair expert, so feel free to ignore this. My first initial reaction was that the gelatin wasn't swollen enough. I've seen 3% dichromate solutions being used (in Derek Watkins' book).

no way to know if you don't show the image...

But to me it more sounds like too soft ink. It has to be rather stiff - otherwise it will adhere on everything, regardless of the amount of water soaked by the paper...

What ink are you using, and what do you do to make it stiff enough?

Ink

gandolfi said:

no way to know if you don't show the image...

But to me it more sounds like too soft ink. It has to be rather stiff - otherwise it will adhere on everything, regardless of the amount of water soaked by the paper...

What ink are you using, and what do you do to make it stiff enough?

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Litho ink straight from the can nothing added and it was pretty stiff already. I got the ink from Daniel Smith artist supplies. can't send the image as it resides in the garbage can at this moment.

ronlamarsh said:

Litho ink straight from the can nothing added and it was pretty stiff already. I got the ink from Daniel Smith artist supplies. can't send the image as it resides in the garbage can at this moment.

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dont throw out your mistakes if you want good help.... (we're guessing here)

I don't know the ink you mention, but I have never encountered an ink that was usable straight out of the can!

I use magnesium carbonate (white powder which acts like flour in a dough...) to make the ink stiff (It has to be "very" stiff to work (and you can controll a lot of the contrast in your oilprint/bromoil using this magnesium carbonate (the stiffer the higher the contrast)).

Retry

gandolfi said:

dont throw out your mistakes if you want good help.... (we're guessing here)

I don't know the ink you mention, but I have never encountered an ink that was usable straight out of the can!

I use magnesium carbonate (white powder which acts like flour in a dough...) to make the ink stiff (It has to be "very" stiff to work (and you can controll a lot of the contrast in your oilprint/bromoil using this magnesium carbonate (the stiffer the higher the contrast)).

Click to expand...

I have remade my matrixes; I made four all with the same negative using different times and they appear much better than my first i.e visible relief, so I am guessing that some of my problem was the negative I used on the first coupled with severe over exposure. The litho ink I used is manufactured for the art house I got it from by a company recommended in the book "coming into focus" which i have been using as a guide.
I washed all of my new matrixes but am a little concerned about how the highlights will come out as there is a slight grey/yellow tint that won't wash out. I appears to be the color of the gelatin itself. I am using 250 bloom ossein from bostick and Sullivan.