4 Mar 2008
THE Gum Bichromate(athon)
Of Montreal
Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse
Gum Bichromate basically works like this: You take some gum arabic, mix it with some watercolors and dichromate (this year we used ammonium dichromate). Then you spread your goop of toxic orange mess evenly over a piece of hardened watercolor paper. You then place your giant negative over the paper, expose the image in a light box, wash for like a million hours, and repeat again.
Alright, let's go slowly. First you start with the paper.
You want paper that can absorb a lot of water and not fall apart on you (this is key). Once you've found it you have to soak it, dry it, soak it, dry it, and soak it again in really hot water to shrink the paper as much as it can. This part is importan--without pre-shrinking you will be doomed to failure when you go back and put your negative over your print only to find it's a tad bit too small.
Alright, let's go slowly. First you start with the paper.
You want paper that can absorb a lot of water and not fall apart on you (this is key). Once you've found it you have to soak it, dry it, soak it, dry it, and soak it again in really hot water to shrink the paper as much as it can. This part is importan--without pre-shrinking you will be doomed to failure when you go back and put your negative over your print only to find it's a tad bit too small.
Mom said:
What an elaborate process!!
Happy to read up on your activities. Thanks.
Happy to read up on your activities. Thanks.
- user
Dad said:
FYI: Silver nitrate sometimes used in photo developing has been known to cause brain damage... be careful with this one!
Eric Schmiedl said:
Nice stuff, now show me some platinum prints! :)
Also, from our conversation the other day (yes, this is me being pedantic)
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/daghtml/dagdag.html
"After exposure to light, the plate was developed over hot mercury until an image appeared."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daguerreotype
"The latent image was made visible, or "developed", by placing the exposed plate over a slightly heated (about 75°C) cup of mercury. [...] The developing box was constructed to allow inspection of the image through a yellow glass window while it was being developed."
Also, from our conversation the other day (yes, this is me being pedantic)
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/daghtml/dagdag.html
"After exposure to light, the plate was developed over hot mercury until an image appeared."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daguerreotype
"The latent image was made visible, or "developed", by placing the exposed plate over a slightly heated (about 75°C) cup of mercury. [...] The developing box was constructed to allow inspection of the image through a yellow glass window while it was being developed."
Letty Librado said:
Hi Biyeun,
I am so happy to see your success, Thanks to God and TPS for everything and I appreciated your endurance and perseverance in doing this very difficult project you have but you win!!!
Ate Letty
I am so happy to see your success, Thanks to God and TPS for everything and I appreciated your endurance and perseverance in doing this very difficult project you have but you win!!!
Ate Letty
Sandra said:
Hi There!
I just came across this. I've been looking for a while for a class in alternative photo printing (like gum bichromate) in Montreal. Are you hard core nerds still getting together for this? Can I join?
I just came across this. I've been looking for a while for a class in alternative photo printing (like gum bichromate) in Montreal. Are you hard core nerds still getting together for this? Can I join?
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