Carbon Transfer Print

I like that a lot Ed, the process suits the subject very well. Timeless :thumbs:
 
Thanks Nick.

Made the actual image yesterday and after a couple of 'not so good' attempts I managed to get a good one with relief, it gives an almost 3D effect with great depth.


Carbon 3 by Ed Bray, on Flickr
 
I love carbon prints. They way the blacks actually stand up out of the paper gives a look no digital process can replicate. The sad thing about photography recently is the lack of printing that goes on. Photographs used to be artefacts you held and interacted with... now they're flat, one dimensional things on low resolution screens.. and that sucks.
 
My latest batch of tissues, just after pouring. They now have to dry for 2-3 days before I can begin sensitising them.

 
wow.

Thanks for sharing this. I just love the old alternative processes and am slowly working my way through the more conventional ones; lith printing and liquid emulsion at moment. So I love looking at the results and finding out about the processes adopted.

Looking forward to seeing the results from the ones that are work in progress.
 
Latest attempt, digital image of 5x7 Carbon Contact Print taken with a Pentax K5.

 
Interesting stuff! Looks very complicated. I think I'll work on mastering cyanotype first!
 
Thanks for sharing...I love seeing such alternative processes.

Where do you get your chemicals from? I've seen various kits on Fotospeed that look like a good idea for a beginner to learn the process but are a little expensive. I see various recipes for making own chemicals, but so far I have only had the confidence to make caffenol and was able to get the chemicals for that from ebay, but cant get everything there.
 
The 240 bloom Gelatine I get from a seller on ebay called MissMarshmallow, for 1 litre of Glop you need 100 grams of Gelatine. The Pigment can be any coloured pigment with fine particles (I use Black India Ink at the moment bought from Amazon) I use 10ml per litre of Glop. The Sugar can be bought from anywhere you will need 50 grams per litre of Glop.

Now the hard bit (and the bit that may cause the death of Carbon Printing in the EU) there is a directive from the EU banning the use of Dichromates from 2017 (although there is an exemption for large users) and both Potassium Dichromate and Ammonium Dichromate are included which are the sensitisers and you will need to use anything from 0.5 grams per 100ml to 10 grams per 100 ml to make a number of stock solutions (see photo above). This is then used 1:2 with acetone (for a 8x6 inch tissue for a 5x7 contact print you need about 4-5 ml of stock sensitiser and 8-10 ml of Acetone). The Acetone can be purchased in bulk from ebay. The reason for the different strengths of Sensitiser is that this is one of the ways of controlling contrast of the print (the other is using more or less pigment, but to get used to the process it is important to standardise your Glop and keep the pigment levels static). Isopropyl Alcohol can also be bought from ebay.

Ammonium & Potassium Dichromate is again currently available from ebay although for how much longer no one is sure. I have been stockpiling both recently and probably have enough now of both to last me to the end of my printing days.

Equipment you will need:

Contact Printing Frame (Vacuum Frame required for larger prints)
UV Light Source (this could be the sun) I made a UV source using 2ft Batten Holders and Actinic Tubes
Foam Brushes (not with plastic handles)
Dishes/Trays (larger than the largest size print you wish to make)
Safelighting (Can be a Tungsten Lamp 40W or less), I use 3x Duka Safelights (with white filter, just because I have them) any light with output in the orange/red band should work (energy saving bulbs will not in any form).
Water (Hot and Cold)
Glass Plate (1 have a 10mm x 600mm x 600mm and a 12mm x 600mm x 600mm but could have easily got away with less)
Strips of Lexan (to create frame for Tissue Pouring) I have 1.0 & 1.5mm thicknesses but am thinking of buying some 2mm too (to allow the use of different thickness tissues).
Squeegees (Ordinary Window Cleaners squeegees are best)
Paper for the Tissue support (I use Lana Vanguard Synthetic Watercolour Paper as its re-useable).
Cardboard (Cut from boxes)
Mapping Pins
Some means of hanging Tissue/Prints to dry.
 
EdBray said:
The 240 bloom Gelatine I get from a seller on ebay called MissMarshmallow, for 1 litre of Glop you need 100 grams of Gelatine. The Pigment can be any coloured pigment with fine particles (I use Black India Ink at the moment bought from Amazon) I use 10ml per litre of Glop. The Sugar can be bought from anywhere you will need 50 grams per litre of Glop.

Now the hard bit (and the bit that may cause the death of Carbon Printing in the EU) there is a directive from the EU banning the use of Dichromates from 2017 (although there is an exemption for large users) and both Potassium Dichromate and Ammonium Dichromate are included which are the sensitisers and you will need to use anything from 0.5 grams per 100ml to 10 grams per 100 ml to make a number of stock solutions (see photo above). This is then used 1:2 with acetone (for a 8x6 inch tissue for a 5x7 contact print you need about 4-5 ml of stock sensitiser and 8-10 ml of Acetone). The Acetone can be purchased in bulk from ebay. The reason for the different strengths of Sensitiser is that this is one of the ways of controlling contrast of the print (the other is using more or less pigment, but to get used to the process it is important to standardise your Glop and keep the pigment levels static). Isopropyl Alcohol can also be bought from ebay.

Ammonium & Potassium Dichromate is again currently available from ebay although for how much longer no one is sure. I have been stockpiling both recently and probably have enough now of both to last me to the end of my printing days.

Equipment you will need:

Contact Printing Frame (Vacuum Frame required for larger prints)
UV Light Source (this could be the sun) I made a UV source using 2ft Batten Holders and Actinic Tubes
Foam Brushes (not with plastic handles)
Dishes/Trays (larger than the largest size print you wish to make)
Safelighting (Can be a Tungsten Lamp 40W or less), I use 3x Duka Safelights (with white filter, just because I have them) any light with output in the orange/red band should work (energy saving bulbs will not in any form).
Water (Hot and Cold)
Glass Plate (1 have a 10mm x 600mm x 600mm and a 12mm x 600mm x 600mm but could have easily got away with less)
Strips of Lexan (to create frame for Tissue Pouring) I have 1.0 & 1.5mm thicknesses but am thinking of buying some 2mm too (to allow the use of different thickness tissues).
Squeegees (Ordinary Window Cleaners squeegees are best)
Paper for the Tissue support (I use Lana Vanguard Synthetic Watercolour Paper as its re-useable).
Cardboard (Cut from boxes)
Mapping Pins
Some means of hanging Tissue/Prints to dry.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the detailed reply Ed. I didnt realise I could get so much from ebay, and think I may stock up too on some chemicals before the ban comes in.
 
Not posted much lately, been a bit busy converting the darkroom to a more Carbon based structure.

Sink now fully plumbed in, with 3 sets of hot and cold (one as a mixer) and an additional cold for a wash tank. The 1 metre wide cooker hood for fume extraction has another benefit, it houses 2x 25 watt tungsten bulbs which give a great 'carbon safelight'. I will be making a short hardwood draining board to fit between the wall and the deep well of the sink. I am also going to mount my CPP2 in the window (currently covered by blackout material but that will be replaced by 3/4" ply. When the Devere 507 eventually goes I will mount an Air Conditioner high in that corner with my film (and tissue) dryer underneath it.

I've just got the soft rubber flooring to install and I will move out the LPL enlarger and mount the UV lightbox in it's place.



I took the opportunity to make some more tissue, this time 2mm thick.



I might even have a printing session tomorrow :)
 
This is frankly amazing, Ed, a huge amount of effort to put into this process. Fantastic stuff.

(PS I thought I saw a thread in the Printing forum on alternative processes, have you thought of posting there?)

Edited to add link...
 
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