Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Shire,Stanley" 
<sshire@c...> wrote:
> More test results. At Paul's suggestion I laid a few sheets of copy
> paper under the print. Better. Recommended.
> I also tried covering the copy paper and glass with Saran Wrap. My
> thought was to leave the print undisturbed until dry.
> Bad idea. The poly did not dry on the bottom. I removed it and 
dried it
> on a junk matboard. 
> All was well. Print looks great. Printed a second copy, uncoated 
for
> densitometer measurements tomorrow.
> Next try will be to dry the print on a fiberglass screen (I knew 
there
> was a reason not to toss those silver print drying screens.)
>  
> Stan Shire
> Associate Professor/Department Chair
> Photographic Imaging
> Community College of Philadelphia

Hi Stanley;

Not to throw you off on a tangent, but have any of you guys done any 
silk-screening? I mean the manual fine-art type of course. I think 
it may be useable as a way to coat large prints. If  not, let me 
describe the equipment, and why I think it would work.
 A screen-printing frame is a 2"x2" wood frame of whatever size with 
very fine polyester mesh stretched across it (I’m not asking you to 
wear it now!) and a 2inch or so border of wide paper tape around the 
inside perimeter of the mesh, also covering the sides of the frame 
itself.  When you print, the frame is hinged at one end, and 1/8 
inch high small cardboard slivers at each corner keep it of the 
paper until you’re ready to print. When you’re ready to ‘pull a 
print’ you pour a thick bead of ink onto the protective tape border, 
put a flat heavy rubber squeegee behind the ink, press down and pull 
simultaneously all the way down the length of the print until the 
pool of excess ink is all back on the tape border again. As you pass 
down, the screen behind you lifts up off the paper, having deposited 
a smooth layer of ink on your paper, and then pops of completely 
when you release pressure. A second pas in the other direction fills 
in any gaps and returns the excess to the top, ready for another 
pass. Wether or not there is a screen texture in the image depends 
on the viscosity of the ink and the coarseness of the screen, but I 
think that coating materials are all much thinner than ink and would 
lay down flat immediately. I’m quite sure that if it does work, (and 
I think it will) it will work as well for large prints as it does 
for small ones, and the setup costs are way less than airbrush 
spraying equipment,  and of course not spraying it is way less 
dangerous to your health.
 So. My question to you Stan is this: does your College have a 
screen-printing studio? If it does, perhaps you could go by and 
watch someone pull a few prints and evaluate the idea? If not, I 
will eventually try it myself, (I have an old screen around 
somewhere) but it may be a few weeks before I have the time what 
with Christmas and other projects in process.

I look forward to hearing from you

Steve K

http://www.stevekphoto.com

   


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