Sticky Image transfers?

Hello All,
I have been trying to do image transfers with poaroid 669 but have been having poor results. No matter what i try, wet/dry paper, hard/soft roller presser I still get what I would say are sticky pulls. As I start to pull the polaroid from the watercolor paper i always get stuck and parts of the image pull off. As they pull off they look like gum stuck on your shoe. Should i wait longer before i seperate the 2 parts? I am at a loss. Please help.

Arthur, NYC

When I first starting doing emulsion transfers a few years ago, it seemed that paper made a huge difference in results. After that was temperatures and my roller technique. When I increased roller time greatly, results were more consistent.

I am currently using Fabriano acquarello Artistico Extra White 100% cotton Grana Satinata Hot Pressed paper. This is a watercolour paper. Since switching to this paper, my results have been more clean, and the brighter white helps bring out highlights and colours better.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio

So far I get very poorly reproducible transfers with polaroid, it is quite discouraging. The best result I got was without any liquid or warming or even rolling, I just pressed the film down onto the back (non-printing) side of some inkjet paper because the paper texture appealed to me, and then I peeled it off after a minute or so. Got great results... then tried again later and couldn't get it to work! Must be humidity or something. But in any case you do have to peel very strategically and if you come up to a break, you have to work from another edge. If all else fails, a warm towel seems to help.

For lifts, I only work with fuji fp100c, which definitely will not stick properly to anything. I decided that this is actually a good thing, and so I put the emulsion transfer onto some shiny paper and let it dry and flake off on its own. Then I sprayed it with krylon UV spray, and then adhered it with some glue to the desired surface. So it sort of floats above the surface. Not sure if that's what you want, but it might give you ideas. I know that the polaroid stuff is much more tearable than the fuji.

Are you using a hair dryer?
I use a hair dryer to help dry the images. Particularly if I have very black areas. I also was very impatient and would pull apart the film too early. Now I let the drying process last a bit longer.

Also what paper are you using?
Hot pressed paper I find 'better' than others. Smooth obviously better than textured. I did send out about 50 postacrds for a postacrd exchange using textured Arches postacrd stock - that was a near disaster.

How wet is your receiving paper when you do the transfer?
If your paper is too wet, this won't help you at all. The paper must be 'moist'. I don't how else to quantify that. Definitely not soaking!

Regards, Art.

I don't use a hair dryer. I am trying to do the transfers when I take the photo which is usually outside. The paper I am using is a 140lb hotpress watercolor. I find that wet or dry I always seem to have some sort of a problem. There are a few photographers in Manhattan who do this type of image transfer and all the times I have stopped to watch I have never seen them not get it almost perfect everytime. It is driving me crazy!! Do you feel that wet paper might be the wa to go? What about roller pressure? More or less? My time before peeling it apart is usually a minute or so. Should it be longer?
thanks for all your help.
Arthur

Some people do better with wet paper, though I never had much luck with that method . . . it might be the paper. So mostly I do dry transfers. My roller time with high pressure is around two minutes, done as one minute, wait 30 seconds, then another minute rollering. After that I left the sandwich of negative and paper sit for two more minutes, then I carefully peel apart starting at a corner.

Trying the same technique for Polaroid 690 film requires double the rolling time, and only seems to work under completely dry conditions. There are also a few other weird issues, though the results are crisper and more vibrant than 669 transfers.

When I first started doing Polaroid manipulations, I ruined a few boxes of film just to get a few good results. After much practice, I finally can get about half my efforts to turn out as clean pulls. Anytime doing Polaroid manipulations is somewhat unpredictable, though that is part of the intrigue.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
Dead Link Removed

FM2N said:

Do you feel that wet paper might be the wa to go?

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My paper is 'moist'. My water temperature is also 'luke warm'. Not hot.

What about roller pressure?

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Just 4-5 rolls with 'normal' pressure. Definitely not too much pressure.

My time before peeling it apart is usually a minute or so. Should it be longer?

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My time before peeling, but with a hairdryer, is about 90 seconds.

Sorry, that I can't give you more accurate measurements.

How soon after you take the exposure do you place the film on the paper?

Regards, Art.

Art,
I usually peel at about 15 seconds. Then place and roll 4-5 times and then peel the finished result at about 60-75 seconds total. I will start to leave it longer and see how that works.

Helll All,
I think I have it!!! I let the image stay on the DRY Arches 140 HP for about 5 minutes and it came off perfect.
Thanks again for all your help. I will try to post an image or 2 in the near future.
Be well
Arthur. NYC

Sounds like you have it figured out! I was going to suggest you try to peel it with the print completely submerged in a tray of tepid water - usually this does the trick if you have a stubborn negative.

But since you have managed success with a dry method, I can only look forward to seeing your results.

FM2N said:

... about 5 minutes ...

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Told ya. Use a hair dryer and save yourself some time.

Regards, Art.

terri said:

I was going to suggest you try to peel it with the print completely submerged in a tray of tepid water - usually this does the trick if you have a stubborn negative.

Click to expand...

What? Really? For an image transfer? Not an emulsion lift, right?

Regards, Art.

gr82bart said:

What? Really? For an image transfer? Not an emulsion lift, right?

Regards, Art.

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Yes sir, Art - I do mean image transfer. I struggled a bit when first learning using hair dryers, then came across a passage in a book (maybe Kathleen Carr?) where she mentions doing this if you have "sticky issues". Apply the negative to your WC paper, brayer as usual, then let the whole thing float on top of your water tray for another minute or so - gently push it underneath the surface and peel slowly.

I don't usually care if I lose some dyes when I peel, but if I do want that *perfection*, this is how I get it.

Wow. Kewl. Thanks for that tip.

Regards, Art.

Hello all,
Thank you again for all of your help. I have downloaded some of the transfers I have done in the past week. Please let me know what you think.
Be well
Arthur, NYC

I did look, and I'd say you're off to a terrific start. Keep up the good work!

I tried some polaroid transfer for the first time yesterday and it wasn't so successful. And one thing I noticed when comparing to Arthur's image:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

is the black almost wave-look thing in the bottom. What is that and why has it been like that? I have also got that on my prints.

/ Marcus

I find that when you seperate the picture from the emulsion if they touch or if anything touches the emulsion side it puts those wavey lines on the finished print. One of the hardest things to get right is a good CLEAN seperation of the print from the emulsion. It MUST be clean.
I hope this helps

Arthur, NYC

FM2N said:

Hello All,
I have been trying to do image transfers with poaroid 669 but have been having poor results. No matter what i try, wet/dry paper, hard/soft roller presser I still get what I would say are sticky pulls. As I start to pull the polaroid from the watercolor paper i always get stuck and parts of the image pull off. As they pull off they look like gum stuck on your shoe. Should i wait longer before i seperate the 2 parts? I am at a loss. Please help.

Arthur, NYC

Click to expand...

The perfect way to separate transfers without emulsion tearing or peeling up in stringy gooey ways ( though I like it to peel as it is more artsy).. is, after rolling then to submerge the entire sandwich in a shallow bath of 50/50 hot water & household vinegar. Separate the sandwich under the water carefully and there will most likely not be any tearing.

(tip: Vinegar also always helps brighten transfers even old ones.)

High contrast images ( black/white etc.. and high contrast areas usually are prone to tearing) more mid-tones flesh tones colors like flowers and warm tines will less likely tear.

Peter G. Balazsy
www.pbpix.com