Spraying Hydrocote Workflow
2003-08-08 by davajonj
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.