Gelatin

[imagedowser]

Looking for a source for photographic gelatin of different melting points and hardness for a gum bichromate experiment. Thanks, Bill

[dwross]

The only source of photographic gelatin I know is 250 Bloom from Photographers' Formulary. "Photographic gelatin" is so-called because it's been purified for silver gelatin emulsion making. That's not necessary for gum prints. Culinary gelatin sources are your best bet for a range of bloom numbers. Platinum leaf is also 250 (but compare the price with the Formulary's gelatin), Knox gelatin is 225, gold leaf=200, and silver leaf=160. Gelatin sold for making molded prosthetics is 300 bloom. That stuff sets up like rubber! Lab supply houses have a number of odd gelatins. I have a 85 bloom beef gelatin that I haven't gotten around to using yet, but I imagine it sets up very soft. Good luck with your experiments. Sounds interesting.

[IanG]

There's a supplier in the UK in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales, who I think supplies Ilford & Fuji etc, P B Gelatins (http://www.pbgelatins.com/).

They do sell gelatin in the US as well.

Ian

[BrianShaw]

dwross -- interesting you mention culinary gelatin. I've had that question since many recipes call for "sheet gelatin, x number of sheets" and I just saw one that specified 'gold leaf'. I was going to research that today. Which do you reccomend for a panna cotta?

[dwross]

Which do you reccomend for a panna cotta?
:) Sadly, since middle-age spread started getting the best of me, I only cook stir-fries and silver gelatin emulsions. (It's not nice of you to mention panna cotta before I've had my breakfast!)

Ian, thanks for that link to PB. I wasn't aware of them. Looks like a very good resource.

[Brian C. Miller]

(It's not nice of you to mention panna cotta before I've had my breakfast!)

If sugar and cream were essential parts of the photographic process, how much would be consumed before the addition of silver to make film? Would film have ever been made? The world may never know...

[jb7]

If sugar and cream were essential parts of the photographic process, how much would be consumed before the addition of silver to make film? Would film have ever been made? The world may never know...

I've always wondered where Linda McCartney bought her vegan film...

[DarkroomDan]

If you are in the US and if you don't need photo-grade and are looking for more than a box of Knox Unflavored Gelatin, BulkFoods (http://www.bulkfoods.com/whole-foods.asp?wholesale=4005) has good prices and shipping is reasonable. They used to have a link to specs that listed it as 250 bloom but I didn't see that when I just looked. I know Vaughn Hutchins was using this for Carbon Transfer prints.

Dan

[Jim Fitzgerald]

If you are in the US and if you don't need photo-grade and are looking for more than a box of Knox Unflavored Gelatin, BulkFoods (http://www.bulkfoods.com/whole-foods.asp?wholesale=4005) has good prices and shipping is reasonable. They used to have a link to specs that listed it as 250 bloom but I didn't see that when I just looked. I know Vaughn Hutchins was using this for Carbon Transfer prints.

Dan

Me too!

[Andrew O'Neill]

and me!

[imagedowser]

Thanks everyone. Going to try to make some Fresson type paper experiments. Love the work I've seen by Misonne and Icks in Impressionist Camera. Following Henny- Dudly ,Handbook of Photography as a jump off point any other ref most appreciated. Bill

[dwross]

I had a feeling this was the process (or related) you are thinking about. Fascinating stuff. It's great to see people wade into it.

I don't know if this info will add to your tool box, but I scanned a couple of pages of a book in my collection. I threw it on a webpage just cuz that's easier for me.

http://www.thelightfarm.com/cgi-bin/htmlgen.py?content=FressonProcessInfo

[imagedowser]

Denise, I've been following the Light Farm for years now, you've done so much.... This is exactly what I've been looking for, thank you so much. I'll get back to you on your site when I have something that works... Bill

[dwross]

Bill,

:) Thanks!

Hopefully, the Bulkfoods gelatin will work for you. I've handled the carbon sheets Vaughn makes and they're lovely. You certainly can't beat the price. If you needed to tweak up the Bloom number, a pound bottle of 300 would probably last a long time.

Best of luck and fun! Looking forward to hearing more.
d

[Ken Lee]

The gelatin I ordered from Bulk Foods has arrived, and it doesn't identify the bloom number.

Should I consider it as 250 and just... go for it ?

[sanking]

The gelatin I ordered from Bulk Foods has arrived, and it doesn't identify the bloom number.

Should I consider it as 250 and just... go for it ?

Ken,

Yes, if you bought the gelatin from Bulk Foods it will be 250 Bloom. From the Bulk Food web site on gelatins.

"Jelling Gelatin: An important property of gelatin is its jelling ability. Its solutions form heat-reversible jels. Gelatin is available in a wide range of blooms from 100 to 250. The higher the bloom the stronger the gel with the least amount of gelatin. We carry only the highest 250 bloom Gelatin."

I have used the Bulk Food 250 Bloom gelatin, which is bovine source, for making carbon tissue for the past 6-7 years. It works well for carbon printing, with good strength and images develop at a relatively low temperature, about 100º-105º.

Other food gelatins that one can purchase at the grocery, unflavored Knox for example, also work fine for carbon printing, but I find that the Bulk Food gelatin is better in that it stronger, which reduces the chance for image frilling in hot water development, especially when using very thick tissues.

Sandy

[Erik Larsen]

The gelatin I ordered from Bulk Foods has arrived, and it doesn't identify the bloom number.

Should I consider it as 250 and just... go for it ?

Hi Ken, I remember reading on the bulk foods website that tha gelatin they used was 250 bloom. I would go on that assumption.
Regards
Erik

[Erik Larsen]

Well, obviously Sandy is more awake than I am:)

[Robert Ley]

Would this gelatin (Bulk Foods 250 Bloom) work for sizing paper when doing gum printing? How would you mix this gelatin for sizing?