Digital BW, The Print

I bought my Mayer rod from RD specialties several months ago.  I rep
from the company just called me to ask if the rod was OK, and we got
into a 15 minute discussion.  It seems they're working on two things
that might be very helpful to us:

1.  Re-packaging Hydrocote Polyshield to sell and ship in smaller
quantity containers.
2.  A machine that would automatically apply the coating to the print.

With regards to the machine, they're targeting a sell price of about
$500.00.  They also said that they have done some coating of prints
themselves to test things out, and found that the #30 rod most of us
have been using puts too much coating on the print and dulls the finish
(I translate this to lowering the D-Max).  They suggest something like a
#10 would put on a thinner coat without streaks that would not dull the
finish.

I had pretty much given up on rod coating because of the hassle, and
streaks and wire marks I was getting with the PUR I was using (I tried
two brands of PUR from an arts and crafts store - never could find
Hydrocote nearby of in less than a gallon anywhere).  After this
discussion, I might order a few ounces of Polysheild from them, and
maybe a #10 rod and give it another try.  He's supposed to give me a
call with a price on the Polyshield after they figure out how to sell
and package it.

Thanks,
Ed
http://lightandsilver.com