Not sure I can call myself a Carbon Printer yet, very pleased with my first attempts.

[Ed Bray]

I would like to express my sincere thanks to Jim Fitzpatrick in particular and Sandy King who have both given advice and help on my journey into alternative photographic processes and in particular Carbon Transfer Printing.

I have so much to learn and have been guided fantastically by Jim and his experience and the PDFs he sent me and Sandy and his great document on Carbon Transfer Printing which I have read and digested many times in the last couple of weeks.

I started by making some Glop following the instructions of Jim and then proceeded to make some Tissues (no I didn't have a virus or depression, that is just what the transfer medium is called).

Jim warned against complacency and that there were many pitfalls just waiting to trip me up, but before I began each step I read (and re-read) all the instructions for that step until I had them fully off-pat. Jim was also very vociferous in his demands that I keep full and detailed notes as there are many variables within the processes involved that are just waiting for a practitioner to take their eye off the ball.

Well I started on Saturday with the making of my glop and then coating 4 sheets of synthetic paper with the glop to create my first tissues. This could have gone a bit easier but I did end up with something I could use and left them to dry for a couple of days.

Next came the sensitising and another new process and chemicals to get to grips with, again, Jim helped me through this part and it was completed without too many issues (apart from spending about an hour in an unvented darkroom using acetone and the raging headache that followed), again there is a period of drying before the next stage can begin, which is the exposure stage.

The tissue needs to be sandwiched with the negative (using a sheet of Mylar between them to protect the negative) and then inserted into a contact/vacuum frame depending on the size of the tissue to be exposed. It is then placed under a UV light source and a test strip (or experience if you have it) is made to determine the exposure in a similar way as to what happens when traditional silver printing.

Once the exposure (or test strip) is made the transfer stage takes place, this happens in a cold water bath and the tissue is sandwiched with the final support for the image, in my case this was 'fixed out' RC Multigrade Pearl, the sandwich is then removed from the water and pressed together under pressure which enables the transfer to take place. After a period of time (not less than 30 minutes) the sandwich is released from it's pressure plate and the development can begin.

The development stage is carried out using hot water at a temperature of between 105 and 120 degrees, the tissue substrate is peeled off and the unhardened gelatine is washed away by the hot water, the carbon that was exposed to UV tissue hardens and is not washed away by the hot water.

Once development has finished the print is placed in a cold water bath to set the image.

Anyway, back to my first Carbon Print I am reasonably happy with:

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2837/13252785124_1b88dc9634_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/edbray/13252785124/)
Carbon 3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/edbray/13252785124/) by Ed Bray (http://www.flickr.com/people/edbray/), on Flickr

[Darin Boville]

I love the look of the carbon process...

--Darin

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Eddie, I'll cut you some slack on the Fitzpatrick as I am Irish but from the house of Gerald. Understanding this process take a lot of time. Test wedges and many other test can be used to find your end result. I like to see a print right out of the gate. You did a great job and this print is very nice. It is so hard to judge any work that we see on the web but you are on your way.
Glad I could be of some help.

[Ed Bray]

I'm so sorry Jim, I don't know I called you by the wrong name. Please except my sincere apologies.

[Erik Larsen]

That's a fantastic first print! You're well on your way I'd say. My first print was horrible by comparison, frilling, bubbles and all the other problems you can encounter in carbon transfer:) well done!

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Eddie, no harm at all. It is not the first time that has happened. I'm glad you are on your way!!

[sanking]

That's a fantastic first print! You're well on your way I'd say. My first print was horrible by comparison, frilling, bubbles and all the other problems you can encounter in carbon transfer:) well done!

Lot better than my first carbon print also.

Congratulations, and hope your good work continues.

Sandy

[Ed Bray]

Thanks all, just made my second batch of tissues (5), these are much better (except for one). The levelling frame I made works great and the tissue is much more even.

I have started making another batch of glop too, the gelatine is setting nicely in the fridge. I will keep all the ingredients for the glop the same as before but will add a little Isopropyl to help with the degassing stage. I will sensitise all the tissues at the same time again for this batch, but I will only do the test print when I am ready to spend the time printing, this way it should be more reflective of the actual exposure than it turned out this time.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Ed, great to hear. Keep those good notes! You are developing good habits and I know the prints will get better and better.

[grzybu]

Well my first attempts are not as successful as yours.
My prints have way to much contrast and are completely flat without any trace of relief.
I think I have to use much lower amount of pigment. Will try tonight with much lower pigment load.
Looks like I have some micro bubbles too, but it's not that important now. First I'll take the contrast, then I can go for bubbles.
I'm using heavy scratched negative for test so far. If it will stick to tissue I'll not cry.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/13261292263_41bb50f8ae_o.jpg

[David Karp]

Pretty darn impressive, both of you.

[Ed Bray]

Thanks all for the comments.


Well my first attempts are not as successful as yours.
My prints have way to much contrast and are completely flat without any trace of relief.
I think I have to use much lower amount of pigment. Will try tonight with much lower pigment load.
Looks like I have some micro bubbles too, but it's not that important now. First I'll take the contrast, then I can go for bubbles.
I'm using heavy scratched negative for test so far. If it will stick to tissue I'll not cry.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/13261292263_41bb50f8ae_o.jpg

I used 5ml of India Ink in 500ml of glop along with 25g of Sugar and 50ml of 240 Bloom Gelatine, I also used 9 grams of Ammonium Dichromate in 100mls of water which was then diluted 1:2 with Acetone to give a 3% solution which was then used as a sensitiser.

In saying all that, I quite like your image, looks like it could have been taken in the 1800s.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

With carbon printing you have to find the right balance. A lot to read and understand. Take good notes and follow instructions as I did when I was learning this process. Ed, yours looks to be from the early 1900's as well.

[Ed Bray]

Latest batch of tissue poured and awaiting drying.

http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m338/EdBray/Tissues.jpg (http://s332.photobucket.com/user/EdBray/media/Tissues.jpg.html)

[Andrew O'Neill]

You should be very happy with that, Ed. Way to go! Clever stacking system, too.

[andreios]

Thanks for the drying tip. Eddie! :-)

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Nice looking tissue Eddie! This is where it all begins!!

[Vaughn]

Looking good ED! Nice stack of tissues, too! That is how I dry mine, and I store them on the cardboard after they dry -- then I sensitize right on the cardboard.

[Ed Bray]

Looking good ED! Nice stack of tissues, too! That is how I dry mine, and I store them on the cardboard after they dry -- then I sensitize right on the cardboard.

That's pretty much what I did with my first attempts, I have even cut the cardboard to fit nicely in an empty 8"x10" 100 sheet paper box, this way I can store them individually after being sensitised (and dried) without exposing them to any light.

I am currently using a sheet of plate glass (on my home made levelling frame) to set my tissues and I use two pairs of Lexan strips to set the frame, unfortunately these are only 1mm high so is limiting the height of the tissue I can pour. I have some 1.5mm strips on the way and these will offer more options for varying the height of the tissue and can then be controlled by the amount of glop poured rather than the height of the frame.

I just have to remember to expose for a higher contrast negative than I typically do to get the best negatives for Carbon Printing.

[Tri Tran]

Congrats Ed. Not many people has this kind of success for the first time. Keep it up and I do like your workflow. Happy making carbon print. Best. TT

[Ed Bray]

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions.

Solutions for Carbon Transfer Printing (plus copious amounts of water too).

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7363/13325844563_d33f2185c9_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/edbray/13325844563/)
Solutions for Carbon Printing (https://www.flickr.com/photos/edbray/13325844563/) by Ed Bray (https://www.flickr.com/people/edbray/), on Flickr

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Damn, Eddie I need to make labels like that! Wow! Nice!

[Ed Bray]

Latest attempt today from 8 exposures made on the North Welsh Mountains. I liked the fact that the weather was awful (Heavy Mist & Rain) along with the ruins of some very old dwellings and then amongst them I found part of the skull of a sheep. It all seemed very bleak and fitting.

Unfortunately, the digital capture of the image (taken on a DSLR with a long zoom lens) does not do the 5x7 contact print justice.

This was with the same spec glop as before and the tissue was sensitised with a 3% solution of Ammonium Dichromate (mixed 1:2 with Acetone).

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/13766337393_79e7597208_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/mYu5uH)

[Andrew O'Neill]

You made a carbon print, so you are a carbon printer! You should be pleased. Very good for your first attempt. What film did you use?

[Vaughn]

Excellent, Ed! What was your total amount of sensitizer/acetone mix did you use for a 5x7?

[Ed Bray]

You made a carbon print, so you are a carbon printer! You should be pleased. Very good for your first attempt. What film did you use?

Adox 25 at 25. Weather was awful, thick mist with heavy drizzle.


Excellent, Ed! What was your total amount of sensitizer/acetone mix did you use for a 5x7?

Thank Vaughn, to date I have only had one print that has an issue and that was the forerunner to the image posted above where the black surround at the top of the image came away during the development stage, I have no idea why, I did nothing different than before or after.

I used 3ml of 3% Ammonium Dichromate with 6ml of Acetone. Poured on in two steps and used a 1" foam brush to spread it across the tissue. I go horizontal then vertical, then diagonally one way and then diagonally the other way before going back across it horizontally. I then pour the remaining solution and repeat the process across the tissue as previously stated.

My thanks again to Jim for his patience with me.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Eddie, I would go up in exposure from what I see here. Maybe sensitizer as well. Start with exposure first. One change at a time.

[Ed Bray]

Not posted much lately, been a bit busy converting the darkroom to a more Carbon based structure.

Sink now fully plumbed in, with 3 sets of hot and cold (one as a mixer) and an additional cold for a wash tank. The 1 metre wide cooker hood for fume extraction has another benefit, it houses 2x 25 watt tungsten bulbs which give a great 'carbon safelight'. I will be making a short hardwood draining board to fit between the wall and the deep well of the sink. I am also going to mount my CPP2 in the window (currently covered by blackout material but that will be replaced by 3/4" ply. When the Devere 507 eventually goes I will mount an Air Conditioner high in that corner with my film (and tissue) dryer underneath it.

I've just got the soft rubber flooring to install and I will move out the LPL enlarger and mount the UV lightbox in it's place.

http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m338/EdBray/SinkampHood.jpg (http://s332.photobucket.com/user/EdBray/media/SinkampHood.jpg.html)

I took the opportunity to make some more tissue, this time 2mm thick.

http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m338/EdBray/2mmTissue.jpg (http://s332.photobucket.com/user/EdBray/media/2mmTissue.jpg.html)

I might even have a printing session tomorrow :)

[Vaughn]

...Thank Vaughn, to date I have only had one print that has an issue and that was the forerunner to the image posted above where the black surround at the top of the image came away during the development stage, I have no idea why, I did nothing different than before or after...

Actually, that is quite common -- a thin black line with white on both sides can easily be "knocked off". Extra care must be taken to keep it from happening. Your "dimroom" (an alt printer's darkroom) is looking great!