Digital BW, The Print

Richard,

This all sounds painfully familiar.

Let me save you some pain.

After many hours and dollars spent testing alternatives, endless  
problems with bubbles, milky white residue and massive darkening of  
prints with various products, I finally came up with an excellent  
varnishing process.

I described my technique it in detail in message #87508 of this list,  
search the archives.

I use a foam paint roller similar to this:

I mix equal parts ClearStar ClearShield Liquid Laminate Satin and Matte.
I am considering adding a small amount of distilled water to the  
final coat as the air gets drier in the winter (I live in Chicago) as  
the last thin coat can sometimes dry so fast that it leaves roller  
marks if you aren't careful.

Don't forget the adjustment curve step. The varnish will increase the  
density of the print in the mid-tones and throughout the entire  
range. Since the last post I have modified the curve adjustment to be  
a little less aggressive. You kind of have to play with it to get it  
just right, but basically I just lighten the print a bit so that the  
unvarnished print comes out looking too light, and the varnish brings  
it right back down.


I have been using this technique for about 3 months now and it is  
amazingly easy,  forgiving, fast and non-toxic.



For reference, I use a foam roller that looks like this:
http://www.foamtechniques.co.uk/PAINTANDROLLER%20FOAMS.htm

The ones I use are actually about 7 inches long, not like the short  
ones in the picture.
I just buy them at the local hardware store. I think they are usually  
used for applying varnish to woodwork.

ClearStar has a huge variety of products and it can be confusing, so  
here is exactly what I use and where I got it:

WBCSG20LLGL (This is the DTG item number)
Clear Star - 1 Gallon 20 Satin Clear Shield Type LL - Water Based UV  
Protective Liquid Laminate - $66.66

WBCMLLGL (This is the DTG item number)
Clear Star - 1 Gallon Matte Clear Shield Type LL - Water Based UV  
Protective Liquid Laminate - $71.90

Digital Technology Group
Phone: 813-889-0660
dtgweb.com


James Haney


On Sep 27, 2007, at 10:54 PM, Richard Smallfield wrote:

> Hello,
> I've just tried applying a water-based liquid laminate - my first  
> experiment with it.
>
> I first tried with a Hake brush on a lustre paper ... and left a  
> few brush marks and bubbles.
>
> Then I tried with the supplied roller and covered on an old EEM  
> print with bubbles. The result was pretty awful.
>
> My verdict is that this is a quick, easy, low-toxic, costly way to  
> ruin a print. I'm wondering if spraying is a better option - but  
> then there's the expense of buying more equipment.
>
> Any feedback would be appreciated.
>
> (The Lyson Print Guard I tried worked very well indeed - no  
> downside in terms of appearance, but very toxic - I wear a mask and  
> goggles but if I get one whiff I feel off colour (a bit weak)  
> immediately. And I have to question if my (or any) work is  
> important enough to pollute the planet further with yet more toxic  
> chemicals. It really helps with bronzing ... but it would be  
> simpler to stick with matte paper and not worry about this at all.)
>
> Richard
> --
> http://smallfield.vze.com
> http://photos.smallfield.vze.com (Photos web site)
> http://warkworth.vze.com/ (Warkworth photo essay)
> http://picasaweb.google.com/rsmallfield/ (Recent work)
>
> "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.
> It is the source of all true art and science."
> --Albert Einstein
>
>
> 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]