PHOTOGRAPHER
NAME: Jerzy Górecki
NATIONALITY: Polish
COUNTRY: POLAND
CITY: CRACOW
AGE: 30 years
PROFESSION: Chemist at the Univ. of Mining and Metallurgy
HOW LONG INTERESTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY : 20 years
HOW LONG INTERESTED IN GUM: 7 years
PREFERENCES: Studio portrait, Gum
THE GUM BICHROMATE PROCESS
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE A GUM
- Gum solution ( 18% )
- Potassium bichromate saturated solution
- some paper - eg. watercolor (it must stand soaking and shrink only once after the first
soaking)
- a set of brushes nad a sponge roller
- two panes (20x30cm) for contact printing
- Pigments (the White one is very important)
- a source of light (light plate)
- a computer with a good printer is very usefull
- a lot of patience
WHAT TO DO?
- take a photo the portrait, nnude, landscape and architecture are the most popular themes of the
gum photography
- make A negative for contacting printing (with the details in lights and shadows)
- prepare sensitizer ( 7 parts of gum 10 parts of water 2 parts of potassium dichromate with
about 5 parts of white pigment )
- spread the sensitizer on the paper and dry the paper with a hair dryer
- expose the paper for obout 15 min. under the light plate
- soak the paper in warm water and washed out all the unexposed parts of layer
- dry the paper
- prepare the new sensitizer (eg 20 parts of gum 30 parts of water and 30 parts of potassium
bichromate)
- spread the sensitizer on to the paper with the sponge roller (to protect the white undercoat) and
dry it with a hair dryer
- expose the paper under the paper negative (printed inn an ink printer) for about 10 min. (light
plate).
- soak the paper in cold water and washed out the unexposed parts of layer
- dry print with hair dryer.
THESE ADVICES CAN BE USEFUL ONLY FOR MAKING THE FIRST STEP IN GUM
PRINTING IF YOU WANT TO FIND THE MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
PROCESS, FOLLOW THE LINKS ON THE MAIN PAGE.
INFO
PHOTOGRAPHER
GUM BICHROMATE
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