Before sleeping I added a primer paint to the first Platinum-Palladium frame. I will do one, probably two coats of pearl surface white paint to finish things off.
Then add glass, the wire, make the print, mat the print and load the frame and we are set! Then do all that stuff 25 times and we have an exhibition, ready to hang.:) Eazy Speazy!!!
Working on a new type of frame. I want to create a wooden 16x20 inch frame, white in color about 1 1/4 inch deep. The frame would be for a still non existent exhibition of 11x14 inch Platinum-Palladium prints from THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP series. I will need 25 frames.
My first attempt is making 3 frames using pine wood. I need to sand and paint frame #1 yet but it seems OKish.
I worry the rabbet (where the glass and matted picture sit behind the frame) is not deep enough. My current bit cannot cut deeper, in my router table setup.
I am getting lots of help with my new venture into Platinum-Palladium printing from countless Facebook friends. You gotta love Facebook for its ability to help teach you things. Whenever I have a photo related question, I put it out there and my friends usually come through with helpful answers.
Here are the answers to a question about paper choice.
Am going to try to make some 16x20 inch white wood frames this week off. I will use the frames with the coming 11x14 inch Platinum-Palladium work I am printing. Probably from "THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP" photographic series.
I have the idea of how the frame will look in my mind's eye. I want the frames deep with narrow face. Now it is just a matter of building them, which I think I can cam do. Will try to make 3 or 4 of them this week off work. I always wanted to exhibit my work in white wooden frames, but the cost has stopped me. The cool thing now is that I can make my own, dreamed of frames, at a cheaper price!
Will post some pics of the works progress.
Irving Penn's Platinum Prints were made in stages, multiple coatings of the paper, using "pin registration". I found this quite interesting. With modern photoshop and digital neg techniques, probably not necessary. Still, it would be fun to try.
Irving Penn Platinum Printing Technique
I will put together my THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP platinum print exhibition collection, before I get it! So that means, I will make, mat and frame 25 11x14 inch platinum- palladium prints!! When I eventually do get an exhibition for the work, everything will be ready to go!
Been doing more reading about various Platinum printing papers. These two papers, I have never tried before. I will give them a go in the 11x15 inch size. I got 50 sheets of Arches Platine 310gsm (a beautiful warm town paper) of and 25 sheets of Revere Platinum (cheaper cold tone paper). Both paper's do not have calcium carbonate in them (an alkaline), which gives them better archival qualities and a higher Dmax (deeper blacks). I will test these papers for the coming large scale Pl-Pd printing, before deciding which paper I prefer.
I
also have Hahnemuhle Platinum Rag Fine Art paper in stock.
Cost $203.30 USD
I was thinking during my security round of a fun project to do. I know I already have lots photo relating things to do, but this would be so much fun.
What if I created the following.
25 FAMILIES OF THE DUMP 11x14 archival, signed, stamped, matted and handmade wood framed, Platinum-Palladium images.
25 MY FATHERS LAST DAYS 11x14 archival, signed, stamped, matted and handmade wood framed, Platinum-Palladium images.
25 THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY 11x14 archival, signed, stamped, matted and handmade wood framed, Platinum-Palladium images.
25 THAI BODY SELLER 11x14 archival, signed, stamped, matted and handmade wood framed, Platinum-Palladium images.
25 AMBROTOS KANATA 11x14 archival, signed, stamped, mattered and handmade wood framed, Platinum-Palladium images.
I have all the images; I have the skills to do Pt-Pd prints, matting and wood frames. So why not do it? I could then make gallery submissions on all these photo series and then if I get an exhibition, I can just dig out the finished work and ship it to the gallery. Later on at my life's end, I can donate the work to collections. It would be expensive of course but heck, I do not drink, do not smoke, do not gamble, do not have children. Got to spend the money some way! And this way is an important way.
Plus, it would just be beautiful to have all that work completed, in its finest form, to view at my leisure. A way to feel good on a daily basis.
Bought a Platinum-Palladium Kit and some Palladium on the side. With the shipping the cost was a crazy $1200+ CAD!
I have been putting off this buy for several years because of cost. Believe it or not, I paid sale prices, form Bostick & Sullivan.
I wanted to have the chemicals on hand in case a major exhibition comes through.
I would still need to buy printer inks etc. before I could start making Pt-Pl 11x14 prints. I have all the paper I need but would also require the plastic sheets for digi negs.
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| $USD |
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| $USD |
Been thinking of late about the Platinum-Palladium and Salt prints I want to create of the beat photographs I made during my lifetime.
What if I made 3 of each top image, in the 16x20 inch and or 20x24 inch sizes. Then I could try to donate the work to 3 different prestigious museum collections around the world. Not sure anyone would want them but I could try. I would try first with the highest of high end facilities then move on down until 3 museum collections, said yes.
In my final days it would be soothing to my heart to know the people in the photographs would live on, that their important stories would continue to be told.
I think this idea might work.
Gosh, retirement cannot come soon enough!!!!
Friends on Facebook are glowing over the printer. Here is one comment.
JA: Gerry Yaum also, prints are sharper because the light source is a point, and it has a built in vacuum table. Just awesome
GERRY YAUM:
JA….that was something I hoped for. I used to argue with a local photo club guy about the sharpness added by the vacuum table. He always said there was no difference, I said there was.
Looking forward to trying it out.
The idea is to print the best of the life’s work in platinum/salt, then donate it all to a reputable place before I die.
Still not using this machine. It is so huge, hard to get in the house. I am thinking of setting up a work area in the garage for it. The hope was to eventually do 20x24 Salt and Platinum-Palladium prints with it, post retirement.
I should be able to put something together, this coming spring, summer, fall.
Note* Old Blog Post:
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
My Nuarc 40-1K UV Printer Has Arrived
The Nuarc 40-1K vacuum UV printer from Vernon arrived today in snowy Edmonton. I placed it in my garage and will unpack and set it up in the spring when I can clear a space for it. It looks undamaged and in good shape, I got an extra new bulb in the deal as well. Hopefully I can use this wonderful professional unit to do high quality Platinum Printing in the years ahead!!!!
Bought a used Delta Jointer for woodworking. I will use it in unison with the planer to mill recycled wood. Not sure how much I need it but good tools make everything easier! It will help with the exhibition and AMBROTOS KANATA frame making. Buying it used with delivery to the house made sense. Cost $200 CAD.
Been sick as a dog the last 2 days. I usually do not get sick, so this is very debilitating for me. I worry that as I age this will become all too common and I will not be able to complete AMBROTOS KANATA and all the Asian social documentary projects. I am assuming I will get more sick with every year closer to my death, that is the normal way of things.
I need to be able to fight through illness to get the work done, that matters most, will need some luck here as well. Never smoking and never drinking during my lifetime will help longevity but there are so many other factors. I think the ability to work when your sick might also bee a major bonus,, not sure how well I can do that. I will do my best, for as long as I can.
Since I spent so much time and effort making up the 2 CASA packages. I decided to send it to every where I could find. It is important that the AMBROTOS KANATA story gets told for the first time in a gallery space and that THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP continues to be told in galleries (this next exhibition will be its 5th).
Note* If the families is told again, it will bee thee first time as Platinum-Palladian prints.
I just made 2 gallery submissions to the main gallery at CASA in
Lethbridge, Alberta. It is a nice facility with an CARFAC artist fee of
$1500+. I submitted THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP and AMNBROTOS KAANATA.
Families would be printed in 11x14 P.latinum-Palladium with wooden
frames and AMBROTOS would be Ambrotype of various sizes, also in my
handmade wooden frames.
Pretty tough to get into a place like this, and they favour local folks, making it even harder, but thought I would give it a go. I really need to start exhibiting AMBROTOS KANATA. The problem is all the time required to make up all these submission. I basically spent the best part of 3 days working on these 2 submissions. I hope in that I can use some of the same material for future submissions to other galleries, saving on submission work time.
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| CASA Art Gallery in Lethbridge, Alberta, photographer unknown |
This is today’s work. A 14x14 inch Diptych frame from pine wood. I just applied the 3rd coat of charcoal stain, might do a 4th. We shall see how it looks after drying. Then I need to add a coat of semi gloss.
As I was working on this frame tonight, I had an idea. What if I found a worthy subject then photographed it from multiple angles or lens, then made a Triptych frame like this to tell a more complete story. Heck I could even place 4 or 5 ultra large Ambrotypes in one very long and large frame. That type of art work would be unique and beautiful. Now that I am making my own frames, the creative possibilities seem to be expanding.
What would they be called? Diptych, Triptych, then? Quadtych? Pentatych?
I have at least 3, possibly 4-14x14 plates of this Saskatchewan Church that might work. Still need to finish them up (varnish). Might make a frame for that. If I ever get an exhibition for the Ambrotypes AMBROTOS KANATA project, a large artwork like that should command the wall.
This idea might work best with the immense Canadian landscape, large forests, flowing plains, mountain passes, and huge churning ocean quadtychs!!!
Or even larger. What if I had 5-24x24 inch Ambrotypes in one long Pentatych (5 image) frame. One huge work with a grand theme.
Something like that would be extremely challenging and damanding to make. Might be worth a try thou. What the heck else is life for? You need to chase difficult, near impossible dreams.
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| After the 3rd coat of charcoal stain |
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| Saskatchewan church |
I had a person on Facebook ask me why I am using cheap pine wood, why not use a more expensive, better quality wood? Here is my answer.
“ JS- I am a beginner at this, started making frames 1 month ago. On this frame, I made 2 measurement errors! Might go to more expensive woods later when I feel more confident. Or might stay with the cheap stuff.
I kinda like the rougher look of this wood. It fits my rougher looking Ambrotypes. I am even working with FREE pallet wood I got out of the garbage. See sample.
I feel that the frame and ambrotype can tell a story together, if done right. Am searching for that creative connection of two hand made things, working in unison, to tell a common story.
At least that’s the hope 🙂”
Note* I am also limited by my lack of woodworking skills!
Trying a 14x14 inch Ambrotype diptych frame today. My workspace is too small to make frames this size easily. The frame is 1x4 pine wood that will be stained Charcoal.
Thought I would share the process. Making a frame is like making an ambrotype, many steps that you improve at with practice.
Note* I got the center divider right on the first try today. Yesterday it took me 8 tries to do the 8x10 diptych frame divider.
Trying to do my first diptych frame for 2 vertical 8x10 inch Ambrotypes. I had some issues with the middle dividing piece. It took me 8 tries to get something that kinda fits. On the good side, I improved at making the dividers.
This is the third time I have tried to use the biscuit joiner I’m a frame. Gluing the corners requires a system and needs to be done fairly quickly. My first attempt was a comedy of errors.
I am still learning my tools. I used the miter saw, the jigsaw, the biscuit joiner, the belt sander amd the router on this frame build. I will be using the orbital next before staining.
Plenty of struggles today but things are moving forward! I want to try a 14x14 inch diptych frame soon.
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| Too short middle pieces |
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| 8x10 Diptych Frame |
I will buy more used frame making tools over the next few days. The frames will be used for my Ambrotype, Platform -Palladium, salt and gelatin silver prints
Facebook Story on the tools.
- Dewalt corded biscuit joiner. New price is $289 CAD. My used price will be $130 CAD with a delivery to work today.
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| Dewalt biscuit joiner |
- A Dewalt cordless /20v circular saw. New price is $189 CAD. My used price with delivery to work is $80 CAD
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| 20v cordless Dewalt circular saw |
- 27 Bessey style clamps, $233 CAD, with delivery to my house. The new price for the same clamps would be at least 2 times higher.
- Craftsman minibus quit joiner. My used price is $30 CAD. This tool is no longer being made but is supposed to be a real gem.
I will use the biscuit joiners to add biscuits to the miter corners of my frames. Biscuits are supposed to add a ton of strength to glued joints.
Some of the boards are too short. I need to be more selective on what type of pallets I grab. There is a surprising degree of pallet variety. I chose these in the dark and cold night, not ideal!
To make the wider 8x10 Ambrotype frames like I did last week I need a minimum board length of 18 inches. The wood in the middle of the photo measure just over 18 inches.
Not sure how I will use the shorter boards, probably for smaller 8x10 frames and for diptych 8x10 frames as the middle section.
I might also be able to make smaller frames for a 8x10 Platinum-Palladium series I am planning.
If I want to make larger frames from pallet wood, frames measuring 14x14 inches and larger, I wood need to include the pallet nail holes. I could fill the holes with wood filler putty then paint them. I believe stain and wood filler do not work well together.
I guess it would be smarter, easier and faster to just buy wood but the idea of making something from garbage appeals to me. It just seems the right thing to do. I think back to the carpenters I photographed in Klong Toey slum in Bangkok. They were able to make the most beautiful things from discarded pallets. Things like tables, books shelves and dog houses. Emulating those hard working men just seems right. It’s a good story for my artist talks as well!
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| Free pallet wood |
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| Cottonwood trees in pallet wood stained frame |
