UltraStable - Permanent, Non Fading Color Photographs . . Color-Carbon Par Excellence

Davec101 · Jun 3, 2011

CMB said:
Here's a link to a brief video of Tod Gangler coating a sheet of magenta:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHLeUm0M_KU

Thanks for the link, really interesting to see the coating procedure, a master at work!

gmikol · Jun 3, 2011

Thank you, Charles for this video.

Oh, so many questions this brings up...

His emulsion must be fairly thin (low gel %). It was not sitting on any heat for quite some time (1:15 of video time, plus at least one cut), and still poured and flowed very easily on what I think he said was chilled glass.

Anyone know what the substrate was?

Very interesting...

--Greg

Photo Engineer · Jun 3, 2011

Those rods are made by a company in Webster NY which is a suburb of Rochester. Mark has a set for his courses. We don't use them for Silver Halide emulsions on paper because they are messy, wasteful and difficult to use on paper. They are excellent for film and plates and for non-Silver Halide systems.

PE

CMB · Jun 6, 2011

Notes on the coating video

1. The emulsion that Tod is seen coating does not contain the UltraStable sensitizer. The sensitizer is quite reactive to light when wet (even more so in the dry power state it comes in) and the normal lighting would be a low-level red safe light.

2. The coating solution was "casually" prepared for purposes of this demo and was probably a 6% solution as compared to the usual 10-12%.

3. The coating (or metering or Mayer) rod used is #200 and lays down a wet film thickness of 18 mil.

4. The highly transparent quinacridone magenta pigment (PR 122) darkens noticeably when the coating is dried.

5. The base is KIMDURA Synthetic Paper.

holmburgers · Jun 26, 2011

Glad to see a link up on the Dead Link Removed page.

holmburgers · Jul 11, 2011

From Bob Pace's "Keeping Pace" newsletter, via David Doubley's website.

http://daviddoubley.com/Documents/KeepingPaceNewsletters/Vol051_Sep91_UltraStableProcess.pdf
http://daviddoubley.com/Documents/KeepingPaceNewsletters/Vol052_Oct91_UltraStableProcess.pdf
http://daviddoubley.com/Documents/K...b96_UsingUltraStablePigmentsInTheDarkroom.pdf

holmburgers · Jul 11, 2011

So in reading the last link, I was quite surprised to learn about "UltraLana Paper", a dye-transfer receiving paper (page 7).

Add this to the long and ever growing list of stuff that is completely unbeknownst to me, and yet, to which I am keenly interested.

CMB · Jul 11, 2011

UltraStable Video

I've posted on http://www.YouTube.com/UltraStableColor a 4-part video of Tod Gangler making a color carbon print. More of a "demo" than a "how-to", the most important feature of the video is its portrayal of how a master printer works with, and thinks of, his materials. Carbon is a simple process when an understanding of its basic principles is grasped. Following (often incorrect) processing steps by rote is the short road to failure.

Each part is 8-9 minutes long, and although severals steps are not included due to time restrictions, its a good presentation of the process (best to view them in the 1-2-3-4 order). More detailed information can be found in the UltraStable Process Instructions.

mdm · Jul 11, 2011

Thanks for taking the time to make theese outstanding videos.

holmburgers · Jul 12, 2011

Amen to that.. fantastic videos. It's such a treat to see this; a real gift.

holmburgers · Jul 13, 2011

Is Tod using UltraStable materials or his own carbon tissues? In the latter case, can I assume he's using diazo sensitizers?

The ability to work in such strong lighting is appealing; I guess those FL bulbs are UV shielded.

Jim Fitzgerald · Jul 16, 2011

Charles, thanks for posting this most informative video. Tod is truly a master. I very much agree with you in that following correct procedure is key to successful carbon printing.

CMB · Jul 20, 2011

holmburgers said:
Is Tod using UltraStable materials or his own carbon tissues?

I guess those FL bulbs are UV shielded.

Tod uses his remaining stock of UltraStable pigment films along with hand made materials which replicate the original UltraStable products.

And yes, the FL bulbs are UV shielded.

CMB · Aug 1, 2011

Albumen Coating

Here's a (very) brief video of Tod Gangler albumen coating a sheet of polyester to be used as a temporary support: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVyfx57Lglg

holmburgers · Aug 1, 2011

Charles,

If the UltraStable process instructions say to use plain polyester sheets washed with Comet soap, what is the pull towards using this dichromated-albumen coating?

CMB · Aug 1, 2011

Albumen coating the temporary support is an old technique used to improve adhesion that Tod favors but which I have never found necessary. It does work well and it is mentioned in the video of Tod making a print . I've received questions about it but I've been reluctant to describe it because of my (by now well-known) dislike of dichromate. With all the current discussions of diazo-type sensitizers that can be used to replace dichromate, perhaps this is another area worthy of exploration.

AltGirl · Aug 13, 2011

Has anyone achieved a really successful carbon over palladium print?

I have been trying to get a nice layer of gelatin as a support for the carbon layer but I am getting alot of flaking.

Is the gelatin support even necessary when combining these two processes?

Philippe Berger · Aug 13, 2011

Tod is an excellent teacher, I work excatement like him. Tod told me that it is. But we must understand that I live in Belgium and I do not know have the same ingredients as Tod and Charles. I had to adapt my technique (formula, gelatin, albumin and dichromate, negative) based on my personal process but otherwise the principle of my technique is as excatement Tod explained to me, but I adapted to suit my work. Here is a Simple Transfer Carbon as process of Tod and Charles but with my process adapted.

Jim Fitzgerald · Aug 13, 2011

AltGirl said:
Has anyone achieved a really successful carbon over palladium print?

I have been trying to get a nice layer of gelatin as a support for the carbon layer but I am getting alot of flaking.

Is the gelatin support even necessary when combining these two processes?

Why? One can achieve the look of a Palladium print if one knows their work flow in carbon. The bonus is you get relief!

gmikol · Aug 17, 2011

UltraStable sensitivity to humidity?

Most carbon printers know (or at least should know) that dichromate-sensitized tissues are quite sensitive to relative humidity (or more properly, the moisture content of the tissues), which affects speed and contrast. This is one of the factors often cited against dichromate-sensitized tissues for color printing, the difficulty in controlling speed and contrast from tissue-to-tissue and print-to-print.

Are the UltraStable tissues as sensitive to differences in ambient humidity as dichromate-sensitized tissues?

--Greg

CMB · Aug 17, 2011

gmikol said:
Are the UltraStable tissues as sensitive to differences in ambient humidity as dichromate-sensitized tissues?

--Greg

Changes in ambient humidity and temperature have little effect on the sensitivity of the UltraStable pigment films. Furthermore, Dark Reaction, the spontaneous hardening of dichromate sensitized films, is practically non-existant with gelatin layers sensitized with Azido compounds. Another problem with dichromate sensitization, post-exposure variations in densities if not processed immediately, is also a non-problem with the UltraStable films.

R Shaffer · Aug 17, 2011

gmikol said:
Most carbon printers know (or at least should know) that dichromate-sensitized tissues are quite sensitive to relative humidity (or more properly, the moisture content of the tissues), which affects speed and contrast.
--Greg

Off topic a bit.

Well, I just learned that the hard way. Recently used three tissues I made a few months ago. Had good notes from my initial prints. Used the exact same negatives, sensitizer & exposure times. Now wanting to make the most of my limited time, I exposed & mated all three.

Upon development - No tone/paper white until around what should have been zone 7. OOPS

But I fixed the blister problem

Philippe Berger · Aug 17, 2011

No problem with the use of potassium dichromate to sensitize the Carbon Tissue BUT
I make myself my Carbon Tissue for use in 8 days
I always use fresh potassium dichromate
I do not include potassium dichromate in the formula of carbon tissuer
I cupped awareness but still the same concentration, the same temperature, the same time awareness, the same drying time, the same humidity
I use always the same formula of Carbon Tissuel in eight days of its manufacture
I always use the same kind of digital negative with Software appoints an application that I created for Carbonl
My exposure time is always the same, I confirm

This just to say my personal experience but I'm just practicing as a small amateur photography Carbon

gmikol · Aug 17, 2011

CMB said:
Changes in ambient humidity and temperature have little effect on the sensitivity of the UltraStable pigment films.

Thank you, Charles!!

--Greg

gmikol · Aug 17, 2011

R Shaffer said:
Off topic a bit.

Well, I just learned that the hard way. Recently used three tissues I made a few months ago. Had good notes from my initial prints. Used the exact same negatives, sensitizer & exposure times. Now wanting to make the most of my limited time, I exposed & mated all three.

Upon development - No tone/paper white until around what should have been zone 7. OOPS

But I fixed the blister problem

That's a huge change in sensitivity. I always thought that the influence of humidity/moisture was maybe +/- 1 stop. Not the huge change you saw.

At the risk of going further off-topic, it makes me wonder whether something else changed between then and now. Sensitizer measurement error, bulb aging, etc.

--Greg

PS--Rob, if you want to discuss this further, we could probably have the mods split this off into a separate thread.

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