Albumen Prints...........anyone?

All the techniques and equipment needed to develop film, create glass plates or print following traditional & alternative methods
Andrew Plume
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Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by Andrew Plume » Fri Oct 28, 2011 12:24 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

anyone on here doing Albumen?

.............or if one is feeling an urge to do so, here's a link to another excellent site:

http://bostick-sullivan.invisionzone.co ... 9-albumen/

b and s are also selling 'pre-coated' albumen paper:

http://www.bostick-sullivan.com/cart/pr ... 413&page=1


andrew

Philippe Grunchec
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Re: Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by Philippe Grunchec » Sat Oct 29, 2011 12:27 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

So does Victor Petryakov:

http://www.altphotoproducts.com/

Andrew Plume
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Re: Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by Andrew Plume » Sat Oct 29, 2011 5:26 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Hi Philippe

Hadn't heard of him, thanks - looks like he is offering a different range of products, too

regards

andrew

Keith Tapscott
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Re: Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by Keith Tapscott » Sat Oct 29, 2011 8:13 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

I have had a go at salt printing, so albumen prints would be the next logical stage, but I have not yet tried it.

Andrew Plume
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Re: Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by Andrew Plume » Sun Oct 30, 2011 11:59 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00

good stuff Keith

Bruce Rae does Salt too - http://www.michaelhoppengallery.com/art ... llery.html

and there was a decent piece in 'AG' on his work a few years back


andrew

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Re: Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by banana_legs » Mon Nov 14, 2011 9:07 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Andrew,

I tend to do Argyrotypes/ VDB rather than salt or albumen, although I do sometimes use albumen as a size instead of gelatine (the albumen is not salted). I also do carbon transfers, primarily grinding my own pigments for the tissue. I did try coating some paper for albumen printing, but after a small mixup with some other heavily sized paper, accidentally transferred carbon prints onto it :?

Best regards,

Evan
More mad ramblings at http://blog.concretebanana.co.uk

Chris Wilding
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Re: Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by Chris Wilding » Tue Nov 15, 2011 12:52 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Hi there

Did some Albumens for the first time this weekend. My lovely girlfriend showed me the process got some great but varied results, seems like a summer activity, with the a large surface for doing many at the same time.

Seems like the more absorbent the paper the richer the tones, using textured water colour paper gave good results due to greater nitrate saturation I guess. Also a little goes a long way we mixed up 100ml of solution and didn't use anywhere near that. Brilliant fun!!

Any tips for next time welcome

Cheers

Chris

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Re: Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by Neil Barnes » Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:36 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Well, at least you can use the leftover egg to make pale omelettes... if you don't mind fortnight-old egg! :mrgreen:

Neil

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Re: Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by Chris Wilding » Tue Nov 15, 2011 11:52 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

I did worry about the cholesterol using up all those yokes!

I'm told that during World War II many yoke recipe books were written in Dresden as a result of albumen being used for the photographic war effort! Anybody else heard this?

Cheers

Chris

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Re: Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by Fourtoes » Tue Nov 15, 2011 11:59 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Not specifically in Dresden but I did read something similar about the UK, I'll see if I can find what book it was as I tend to flick through several at once.

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Re: Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by Chris Wilding » Thu Nov 17, 2011 12:36 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Yeah that would be interesting as it was just a story I was told. I envisioned industrial sized tanks being filled with egg white!!!!

On the subject of albumens are there any tips on avoiding streaks as we were applying the nitrate with japanese brushes some were streakier than others.

Cheers

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Re: Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by John Brewer » Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:44 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Hi Chris

To get a nice even coat of silver nitrate it's better to float it. Practice without silver nitrate in daylight first.

BTW I think in Christopher James alt book 2nd edition he gives a recipe for creme brulee in the albumen chapter :)

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Re: Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by Chris Wilding » Mon Nov 28, 2011 10:14 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Hi John

Thanks very much for the advice. As you probably know, in Spirits of Salts they referred to floating as the traditional method, made it sound a bit tricky but I'll give it a go next time.

By the way I've been gold toning my albumens with no discernible change in colour. Do you think this is because they are already that red/brown tone or do I need to leave them in longer (10 minutes+)?

P.S. My girl and I saw the film of you at work in your studio, loved it, really inspiring stuff and and nicely filmed to.

Thanks again

Chris

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Re: Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by Philippe Grunchec » Sat Jan 28, 2012 6:18 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Victor Petryakov will be in Paris (France, not Texas) in February! Have a look here:
http://www.altphotoproducts.com/app-workshop

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Re: Albumen Prints...........anyone?

Post by John Brewer » Sat Jan 28, 2012 7:22 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Hi Chris

I missed your post.

Gold toning should give a slight blue/mauve colour. Sometimes you do need to tone for a few minutes. Are you toning before or after fixing?

John

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