I haven't finished my testing yet, but I have found some favorable results with an acrylic varnish made by Golden. They claim is is made with convervators in mind: it is removable, and contains an anti-UV agent.
It is called GOLDEN Polymer Varnish with UVLS. The trick is to follow their instructions about applying an "isolation layer" before proceeding with thicker coats. Be sure to get the Gloss version, since the Satin and Matte lighten the low values in the print.
I have been using it on Pt/Pd prints, and notice an increase in dMax. It's not a huge increase, but it's enough to remove the "dead" look that some can have. Not all Pt/Pd images need this treatment, but it's nice to have it available as another tool.
A helpful trick is to polish lightly between coats, with a plastic "steel-wool-like" scrubber, either 000 or 0000. This will prevent bumps and irregularities as you apply more coats.
The Golden Varnish does much better than any wax I have tried. Of all the waxes, Gamblin Cold Wax did the best, (which was very little) but Mr. Gamblin told me that he has no idea how long or how well that wax would hold up on Pt/Pd prints on fine-art paper.
As Bruce so aptly stated, none of these products will likely give you the fabled "air dried fiber darkroom print" look. My lame attempts have given me a deep respect for the people who developed it.
So far, I have had no luck with turp-based varnishes on watercolor-type papers. They penetrate the paper instead of staying on the surface. Additional coats merely sink deeper, until the entire print is saturated, and dries like a large potato chip, but still no gloss per se.
Shellac stays on the surface, but even the best quality Shellac contains some yellow coloring, and this is objectionable on most prints. On the other hand, when applied and lightly polished between coats, it has given the best coating to date. I can understand why it is used on fine furniture.
If anyone has some helpful information to share, I would be most grateful !
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