Thin Gage Aluminum Supplier

[Colin Graham]

A lot of shim stock comes tightly wound in a roll, an it can be difficult to get the spring out if you don't have a way to decoil it. The thinner stuff can crease pretty easily while trying to get the memory out of it.

Which punch do you have? I have a Ternes like the one pictured, and it works well on .025" (22 gauge) plate aluminum. They are self-centering too, which is nice. They can be had pretty cheap these days.

[winterclock]

Take a look at aluminum flashing at a builder's supply, it's thin, comes on various sized rolls that flatten easily and can be cut with scissors or a box knife. The widest I have on hand is 12" but I seem to remember seeing it in wider rolls.

[bob carnie]

this was what I am thinking my largest print will be 30 x40 I will look into this option . The aluminum I am currently getting is protected one side with a removable laminate.

Bob, a machinists shear is a clean way to go for cutting. Long term you can buy these used for cheap. They come in various lengths from 24 in. to 8 ft. and work like a bending brake, but cut rather than bend. Talk to a machinist. The surface of aluminum is very fragile - but you may have already found that out. I protect the surface with paper and just cut the paper at the same time.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[bob carnie]

Colin - I have a strosser punch system .. it does work on the 22 gauge , but it does (FEEL) as if it really has to work to punch through the material.
mine is self centering... what pins are you using?

I even found that the metal thickness with paper on top and film and ruby is stressing the rubber platen on the NuArc.

A lot of shim stock comes tightly wound in a roll, an it can be difficult to get the spring out if you don't have a way to decoil it. The thinner stuff can crease pretty easily while trying to get the memory out of it.

Which punch do you have? I have a Ternes like the one pictured, and it works well on .025" (22 gauge) plate aluminum. They are self-centering too, which is nice. They can be had pretty cheap these days.

[Colin Graham]

Colin - I have a strosser punch system .. it does work on the 22 gauge , but it does (FEEL) as if it really has to work to punch through the material.
mine is self centering... what pins are you using?

I even found that the metal thickness with paper on top and film and ruby is stressing the rubber platen on the NuArc.

That's a great point- I have a pretty roomy vacuum table but even so it is pretty cramped with the whole assembly. I really like the extra rigidity of the 22 gauge backer though for all the handling steps but you are right- this might amount to abuse on the punch over time. I punched only a half-dozen plates for different sizes of print, then would detach the the aluminum at then end of printing for reuse.

I have a Ternes-Burton pin bar. The punch pins are just what came with the punch. Ternes has a .120" height available, which is nice for thick assemblies, but not sure if that would fit in a Nuarc vacuum table. They will make custom registration bars if you send them a pattern sample of your punch. http://www.ternesburton.com/pin-bars/

[mdarnton]

No... not woodworking tools! (ragged edges).

You have obviously not seen some of the fancy production jigs I've made. Perhaps I should have said wood working tools PLUS SKILL.

[Colin Graham]

I'm lucky to have access to a Baileigh metal brake where I work. It has a 6' shear, and it also has a slip roll as well- which is great for taking the curl out of coiled stock.

Some lumberyards offer custom flashing profiles, they would probably cut plates to size for a small charge.

Bob- not sure if these folks ship to Canada, but their price for .02" 24 gauge 5052 is pretty decent if you can't find a supplier close by. http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant...240&top_cat=60

[Jim Andrada]

Online Metals has pretty much everything and they'll custom cut for a reasonable charge.

[davehyams]

I use .019 aluminum sheeting that it get from Home Depot here in the states for all my 3 color gum, cmy gum over platinum and gum & cyanotype over palladium. I register visually without any issues, larger prints are easier to register actually. I cut the aluminum down with a pair of heavy tin snips and usually use drylam colortac for mounting, as I find it a little easier to work with than fusion 4000, but there are several options out there. Fun stuff, glad to hear you're making it work Bob, a handmade cmyk print is a thing of beauty that few have the skill and patience to produce well. Sure yours are stunning.

[bob carnie]

Good to hear from you Dave. I never thought of trying Home Depot I will do this . The project I have just finished is a bit of a departure... I phone capture as the source 30 prints in total, so a total of 150 pictorico hits.
Including the mounting to alum(I used cold mount for this as well) punching, hand registering and then printing a long process.( I will post soon some pics) This show is a Feature Show in the Contact Photo Festival here in Toronto.
I am sure I will get a lot of negative press because anyone could make a more REALISTIC inkjet don't you know.

But really , really rewarding in sense of accomplisment... I am so happy that the registration worked perfectly which in multiple hit printing is critical IMO .. I am playing with channels and conversions so these series of prints are not full reproduction colour like lets say a Todd Gangler or Keith Taylor , but rather a cross between a Fresson and Dye Transfer... For my work I am thinking Dye Transfer is the closest process match in the sense of how I visualize the whole process. I think they look more like Fressons, at this point due to the Arche platine being hit four times and soaked four times.. For sure this is not a gloss look and I doubt it will in the forseable future.
I have figured out how to do this over a silver print as my base , much like the palladium base.. (fancy mounting in safelight and good testing before laying the silver down.. not sure how gum will work over a silver print so
that will be something I am interested in trying.

An artist from Alberta who exhibits Art 300 prints with pigment over top with hand application is really interested in the palladium base and I think there is a little niche market for this.

What I am seeing with this is a whole new world of visual possibilities from hard core reality colour right down to surrealistic prints.. I know a lot of workers are interested in this, but by putting on a major show and standing by it with its warts and all is a big step for me here.

So Dave- have you figured out how to make digital negs on a Canon- I would be interested in your thoughts... I am going to be firing up the Lambda for the sole purpose of making silver negatives - I feel the pictorico
is too fragile and does not have the powerful blocking power I want down the road.. specifically when one wants to include other processes like lith prints and silver prints.
I agree registration is key, I use a positive as the master on the lightbox and register the four printing negatives to it.. makes my life really easy.

Stunning is in the eye of the beholder Dave...Some just don't get it and have expectations that are different from us.

Btw I am using all channels , and different pigments for different channels, as well channel blending... Sam Wang in the 80's or 90's was making channel blends and printing colours in register with fantastic results, and after
visiting him a few years back was greatly influenced by his work.

I use .019 aluminum sheeting that it get from Home Depot here in the states for all my 3 color gum, cmy gum over platinum and gum & cyanotype over palladium. I register visually without any issues, larger prints are easier to register actually. I cut the aluminum down with a pair of heavy tin snips and usually use drylam colortac for mounting, as I find it a little easier to work with than fusion 4000, but there are several options out there. Fun stuff, glad to hear you're making it work Bob, a handmade cmyk print is a thing of beauty that few have the skill and patience to produce well. Sure yours are stunning.