At $5 in palladium chemistry for the same size print the task was a bit daunting! I decided to “take one for the Gipper.” At the price of palladium today, the testing I completed would cost students $600 in chemistry alone so at the very least my students would financially benefit if I did the testing myself.Īt the end of this next round of palladium paper testing, I modified my original misassumption that all new cyanotype papers and palladium papers are interchangeable. With cyanotype chemistry costing pennies an 8˝ x 10˝ print, paper experimentation is half the fun with little risk. Luckily, I had saved at least one sheet of every paper I had tested for the cyanotype book. Thus began another round of paper testing, this time with palladium. With the palladium process it wasn’t only a question of alkalinity. We tested about ten different papers in the class, and I was quite surprised to find out that some papers that performed well for cyanotype did not for palladium and vice versa. New cyanotype will detect an unsavory alkaline paper a mile away. My thought was that that if a paper performed well with new cyanotype (Ware’s formula) it would be fine for palladium. In a semester-long palladium intensive class spring semester at Montana State University, one of the assignments was a paper testing unit. Of the 136 papers tested, there were close to 100 “keeper” papers that printed right out of the box or worth the acidification. A 10% sulfamic acid paper presoak will remove the calcium carbonate in an alkaline paper, but it is an added processing step that many do not wish to do, especially when there are so many papers that don’t need it. I wanted to differentiate the papers that worked “out of the box” versus those that needed acidifying or even eliminating. When writing Cyanotype: The Blueprint in Contemporary PracticeI included an extensive paper chapter, sharing my results from testing 136 papers with the process. Cyanotype will print dull blue gray and fade in the presence of alkalinity during processing and in storage. Alkalinity is not good for most alternative processes like salted paper, Vandyke brown, platinum/palladium, and cyanotype. AndersonĪlmost all papers nowadays are buffered with alkaline calcium carbonate to make them more archival. Paper for Palladium Printing by Christina Z. The bottom line is to catalyze creative growth in others, and if that means spending weeks testing papers-which for me is really fun-and that research will make someone’s creative life easier, it’s a win-win. My father used to say, “If you can’t explain Einstein’s special theory of relativity to a boy scout, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” My particular “voice” has been to translate my research into terms that will intrigue a college-level student. I never knew twenty years ago I would be a professor one day, but in retrospect it all makes perfect sense. I also love to blab my discoveries with anyone who will listen. I have always loved research, which to me is a treasure hunt ending in understanding and wisdom. Anderson on papers for palladium printing. Today we share the research of Christina Z. 2018 Paradise Campfire printed on Hahnemühle Platinum Rag © Christina Z.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |