hake brushes

[Fred L]

Plan to get into alternative processes this year (starting with kallitype then probably --> pt/pd). Is there a huge or important difference between pig hair hake brushes and goat hair ?


tia

freddy

[C. D. Keth]

Not for paper coating purposes, no.

You may want to just get in the habit of using a glass puddle pusher from the start. You'll use less coating solution which, when you're doing platinum, can become a big deal. Without it you end up leaving solution, and therefore money, soaked into the brush every time.

[robshepherd]

Not for paper coating purposes, no.

You may want to just get in the habit of using a glass puddle pusher from the start.

I second that recommendation. For pt/pd I still brush the emulsion into the paper a bit once there's just a little left after coating with the glass rod. I find that I can use almost half the number of drops that way.

[koraks]

Not for paper coating purposes, no.

You may want to just get in the habit of using a glass puddle pusher from the start. You'll use less coating solution which, when you're doing platinum, can become a big deal. Without it you end up leaving solution, and therefore money, soaked into the brush every time.
Absolutely. Also, I get much more consistent and even coating when doing salted paper prints using a puddle pusher than I would ever be able to with a brush. So cost is not the only factor.

Having said that, I use a brush for carbon transfer and generally for Van Dyke Brown and cyanotype as well. I use a synthetic flat brush that cost me about €15. It's been working very well for me since I got it a few years ago. I wouldn't know if a genuine unicorn-haired hake brush would be a dramatic improvement; I haven't tried it or ever felt the need to. I did try a few pig-hair brushes and they were absolutely useless for alt process coating. The hairs are just too coarse on the brushes I got.

When you get a brush, make sure to check that the tips of the hairs stick together into a fine edge (a bit like a knife edge) when you wet the brush. If they don't, the brush is useless.

[Fred L]

Not for paper coating purposes, no.

You may want to just get in the habit of using a glass puddle pusher from the start. You'll use less coating solution which, when you're doing platinum, can become a big deal. Without it you end up leaving solution, and therefore money, soaked into the brush every time.


Thanks for the recommendation CK. Is the pusher as simple to use vs brushing back and forth ? guess I'll be googling puddle pushers later to see what videos there are. Using less solution per print can add up I'm guessing and I can imagine the savings if printing pt/pd.

[koraks]

Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy, yes. I always lay the paper on a sheet of glass, clamp one side down with market stall clamps and if it's really curly, I tape down the opposite corners with removable tape. I find it's imperative that the paper is fixed to a very flat and non-flexible surface. Here's a good example of what I mean, especially from about 4m30 onward: https://youtu.be/JBxw3mb9eAU

[andrewch59]

I started with a recommended Hake brush and could not stop streak lines due to the bristles parting, after reading Sandy Kings method I changed to the Jack Richeson 9010. If you wet the brush before hand it does not soak up so much of the sensitizer. After a while it too started to separate, I cleaned the brush, used hair conditioner and rinsed thoroughly and the bristles no longer split.

[tgtaylor]

For years now I have been using el cheapo Chinese made hake brushes that I buy at a local Block store for around $2.50 each.To help prevent the bristles from becoming detached, I apply super glue around the metal furrule. The last one I used for over a year when I noticed black gunk being deposited on the paper so I tossed it and have 2 new brushes waiting. I bought a Richardson but so far haven't used it as well as a puddle pusher which I used once.

Thomas

[Fred L]

watched some videos and using the pusher looks so simple, even I can do that ;) for those who use rods, if you need to coat something wider than the rod, do you coat in side by side passes or do you prefer using a coating rod as wide, or wider than the size of your neg ? I also guess it depends if I want brush marks on the finished print.

thanks again for the replies, it helps very much !

[Denny]

Jen,
Can you compare the Dosa Bake brushes to typical hake brushes or synthetics like Richeson 9010 magic brushes? What makes them special?
Thanks,
Denny

[Denny]

Thanks!

[robshepherd]

for those who use rods, if you need to coat something wider than the rod, do you coat in side by side passes or do you prefer using a coating rod as wide, or wider than the size of your neg ?

I use a 5" coating rod for coating 4x5 and 5x7, and I have an 8" version for 8x10 prints. I've never tried to coat an 8x10 with the smaller rod. I suspect you may end up with artifacts in the finished print. Easy enough to try though!

[koraks]

Yeah, I would always try to coat in one pass to prevent partially overlapping passes. It's just asking for variations in density.
My rod is something like 10" and I use it for both 4x5 and 8x10. A wider rod for a smaller print works just fine; the opposite, I wouldn't even bother trying.