Digital BW, The Print

Jules,

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There are two ideas that started from this thread. I think mine kind
of went on a tangent and became a MOP (matte optimizer as someone
cleverly put  :)  . Still there are two ideas along MOP, one of
improving dmax, while this one that we are on is about print
protection with minimal loss of dmax.
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I'm sure you'll develop your own technique as you go along but here
are a couple things I've learned.

Don't overdo the initial GAC 500 application. You can use a piece of
clear acetate and hold your airbrush about 12 inches from it, brush
back and forth until you get a fine layer. This is how much you want
to get on your print.

After this the Golden MSA goes on very well. Again hold the can far
far enough away (12 in or more) so the print is just misted. And you
decide how much loss of dmax and how much gain in surface strength is
acceptable to you. 

I'd rather lose some dmax and get a print that can be pulled out from
a stack unscathed. For a smooth paper like Photo Rag you can achieve a
good level of protection with very thin applications (ie. minimal loss
of dmax) but for the William Turner I apply a bit thicker.

As as side note I find the Golden MSA yields a much stronger coat with
 very thin coating as compared to other sprays such as Grumbacher
Picture Varnish or Sureguard Lustre Lacquer. This maybe due to its
being more flexible than the others.

Good luck, and please do share if you discover other materials or
techniques that work better.

--nick

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "lulalake_1999"
<lulalake_1999@y...> wrote:
> 
> Nick,
> 
> Thanks so much for your reply and your sharing of this technique.
I'm 
> going to try this as I have airbrushes. I've used Lascaux and 
> Printshield but this looks good.
> 
> Thanks again.
> 
> Jules