Digital BW, The Print

I wasn't going to post this because it's a bit long but I've had a request to post 
on the forum so out of courtesy to the person who asked, here it is.

Hi,
Here is what I do.  First of all, let's consider mess.  The Mayer rod requires you 
lay down  a bead which varies according to the size of the paper you're 
coating.  That,  it seems to me is a variable  difficult to be precise and 
consistent with  from print to print.  Next, when you lay down  bead you have  
to be absolutely sure to lay down enough so that you don't run out of material 
toward the end of your print coating.  So, one would normally lay down 
enough and perhaps a little more than enough just to be sure.  This leaves 
this very sticky material on your glass upon which you have placed your print.  
That has to be cleaned up after each print and that means using a lot of water,  
towels, and time, etc.  Then you have to be very careful not to leave even the 
slightest moisture on the glass as that complicates matters.  Between  each 
print you must also clean and dry your rod.  Thoroughly!  If, like me,  you know 
you have paid about $50 for a gallon of Hydrocote you don't want to just throw 
the excess material away so you save it by scraping it into a container: more 
clean-up there too.

For those who would rather try an what I believe to be an easier and more 
consistent method this is my workflow with some caveats:

I use the Satin Hydrocote from 
		
	Hood Finishing Products, Inc
	61 Berry St
	Somerset NJ  08873-3506
	Ph.  732-828-7850
Cost:  $51.94 which includes shipping.

I had my own  compressor to provide the air.  It's a Campbell-Housfeld 5hp 20 
gallon.  I believe you would not need as big a compressor as you only need 
30 pounds of pressure.  I'm no expert on compressors but mine works very 
well .

The biggest problem I had to begin with was the gun.  The one that finally 
worked  was  the Badger Touch-Up gun model 400 with a medium tip.  You 
can find the cheapest one on the net at : http//www.dixieart.com  and the price 
is $74.95.  I was not charged shipping but there was a little delay in shipping 
and they may have waived the shipping charges.

Now the workflow:

I tape two  sides of the print  (top and bottom) to be sprayed to a piece of 
cardboard four or five iches bigger than the print on all sides.  The cardboard 
works fine but one might one to use formica board or something else.  The 
cardboard I've  use bends a little but it hasn't caused me any problems.  
When I first got the Badger,  I read the instruction sheet and adjusted the gun 
to their recommendations.  Works fine.  I take the cardboard with the taped 
prints (or cardboards with taped prints) out into the garage because there is a 
little overspray.  Placing the cardboard with the print taped to it, I spray a first 
coat of material over the print moving from side to side smoothly overlapping 
just as the Badger instruction sheet says to do.  I put a thin first coat and then 
let dry for about five minutes.  If you try to put a full coat onto the print,  the 
material soaks into the print and and causes it to buckle and that occasionally 
causes problems.  I had the same problem with the Mayer rod and the 
problem with the Mayer is you can't just go over it again.  It's got to be the first 
time or nothing with the rod.  But the light coat of spray is not enough to cause 
any buckling or wrinkling.  After it dries, it has now given you a nice 
waterproof coat upon which to put on your second coat of Hydrocote.  I allow 
the second coat another five minutes and then put on the final coat.  Every 
print I've produced so far has been entirely satisfactory.  I'm spraying 13x19 
prints and various sizes smaller.  I have done several at a time which helps 
production.

Caveats:
Use removable scotch tape not the regular tape.
Don't try spraying if your work site is hot, i.e 85-95 degrees.  Comfortable 
temperatures work fine but the material seems to dry a little too quickly in a 
hot garage.
Important!  When you prepare to do your spraying, thoroughly mix your gallon 
of Hydrocote by hand.  There seems to be some settling of some of the 
material and one paint expert told me that failing to mix well could influence 
how the material lays down.  So mix thoroughly.
Important!  Use a water filter close to the Badger.  When I didn't use a water 
filter, I occasionally got little drops of water onto a print and in my opinion 
makes the print unacceptable.  You can see them  by looking carefully.  Once 
I started using the water filter (about $8) I haven't  had a problem. 
Important!  Get some paint filters (they're cheap) and filter your material into a 
clean dust-free container and then pour from that container into the Badger 
container.  
These caveats are important!  Once I followed the workflow above,  my prints 
started to be just what I hoped for:   Prints with a clean beautiful coating which 
substantially increases D-max and improves the quality of the print 
immeasurable in my opinion.  Plus, they are waterproof and tough.  

I need to mention that I am using Epson's Enhance Matte and have no 
experience on any other paper.  

Cleanup is simple.  I just take the badger to the sink and thoroughly rinse out 
the cup.  I leave a few ounces of clean water in the cup and re-hook up to my 
compressor and spray out a couple of ounces of water to make sure the 
needle and other parts are clean.  This whole clean-up takes about two 
minutes.
That's it!

I've spent about an hour or so preparing this and I would be gratified if you 
would let me know what your results are if you try it.  

Joe D.