Waxing chrome plate

Hi all
I just bought a chrome plate for to add more gloss to some of my prints. I am a bit confused about the process. It seems that you can do it with a cold or hot process. I'm considering to use Renaissance wax to wax the plate, put the wet print on the plate and put them in a Arkay Print Dryer. Is it a good approach? What's about temperature and time? On the paper who is provided with the plate, it's written to use it cold if you desire. Just put the wet print on the plate and after a while, use a fan to dry the print. They don't say if it supposed to be hot or not.

I need advice

Best regards

Normand

I assume you are using a glossy fiber-based paper; that's a requirement. Renaissance wax would probably work (we used to buy a specific ferrotype polish in a bottle), but be sure to rub it out completely so that it appears to be all gone. It's important to lay the prints on without bubbles (start at one edge and lower the print on progressively until it's all down, extra water, photo flo, roll with a print roller). The Arkay drier is a better idea if you have one AND the canvas is clean, because it will hold the prints against the plate. Otherwise, the prints may start drying from the outside edge while the middle is still attached, and this will damage the prints. If I were going to use a hair dryer, I'd probably use it on the back side, not directly on the prints.

Technique which is faulty in any way will certainly be rewarded by failure. You might do one at a time until you work out the kinks.

Do not try to pull prints off before they want to come off on their own! The proper time is how long it takes, obviously.

Eons ago, when I was working on my college newspaper, we had one of those Arkay stainless steel print dryers with the canvas cover. No matter how well I polished the surface, I could never get a clean ferrotyped images. They always had little spots where the gloss was broken. I eventually gave up. Fortunately, I prefer the look of air dried glassy fiber based paper. I wish you the best of luck.

mdarnton said:

I assume you are using a glossy fiber-based paper; that's a requirement. Renaissance wax would probably work (we used to buy a specific ferrotype polish in a bottle), but be sure to rub it out completely so that it appears to be all gone. It's important to lay the prints on without bubbles (start at one edge and lower the print on progressively until it's all down, extra water, photo flo, roll with a print roller). The Arkay drier is a better idea if you have one AND the canvas is clean, because it will hold the prints against the plate. Otherwise, the prints may start drying from the outside edge while the middle is still attached, and this will damage the prints. If I were going to use a hair dryer, I'd probably use it on the back side, not directly on the prints.

Technique which is faulty in any way will certainly be rewarded by failure. You might do one at a time until you work out the kinks.

Do not try to pull prints off before they want to come off on their own! The proper time is how long it takes, obviously.

Click to expand...

Thank you for this complete explanation. It's clear.
Norm

norm123 said:

Thank you for this complete explanation. It's clear.
Norm

Click to expand...

At one time, I dried all of my high gloss prints as you describe with one exception. If you are using chrome on steel plates and the chrome side is absolutely clean, there is no reason to "wax" the plate. in fact it is better not to. If left till the print is completely dry, it will come off the plate with a high gloss or glaze. The secret is to have everything clean including, as has been mentioned, the dryer canvas. This also works on chrome on brass plates also. BonAmi once made a solid block cleaner that would do a great job of polishing the chrome if used very carefully. For gosh sakes, though, DO NOT use the powder. It scratches. I now prefer unferrotyped glossy so don't dry high gloss any more........Regards!

I tried every which way from Tuesday to make ferrotyped prints. None of the ways I tried was 100% successful with most of them horrible. Oystering, stuck prints, surface irregularities. Waste of time!

Forget heat dryers. Forget ferrotype plates too!

If you want a super glossy surface without any faults and a nearly 100% success rate, the best method is to use clear plexiglas and air dry the prints. With clear plexi you can see if there is any dust or bubbles trapped between the surface of the print and the plexi. Keep the plexi clean (of course) and use a brayer to press the print into the plexi after soaking the print in warm/hot water. Wipe any excess water off then inspect the print through the plexi. When it is good, put some fabric over the print to keep it from drying too fast. It is slow, but the static cling from the plexi will keep the print stuck to the plexi. When it is all dry, it will peel/pop right off. You might have to use something to get under it. I use a guitar pick since I always have those laying around. You will also need to use a very tiny tiny bit of wax, the same as is recommended with ferrotype plates. If your plates get scratched you can use plastic polish to renew them. Use a microfiber to clean/polish the plexi before you lay the print on it. You can also put the print on it under water if you have a dust issue.

That is the best way I have found to do it. You can get clear plexi at a hardware store. The only downside is you need to avoid scratching it. On the upside, it is pretty cheap so replacing it isn't a big deal.

Bonne chance!

IIRC we bathed prints in Pakosol before running them through the big dryer with the chrome drum. Glossies came out flawless.