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  #1  
Old 7th March 2021, 10:32 PM
Faraz Faraz is offline
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Default Hiding darker spotting

Having trouble hiding were I've spotted white marks quite dark to match the surrounding print. On lighter areas the spotted area is not noticeable, but when spotting darker the spotted area is obvious if the print is not viewed straight on.

I'm spotting on Ilford Classic FB, WTFB and a few prints on Adox MC112. All gloss FB papers using India Ink or Peerless watercolour cards. I've heard steaming the paper can help the emulsion absorb the spot but this does not seem to help for me, or may be I'm not doing it right.

Any ideas?
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Old 8th March 2021, 05:31 AM
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Uwe Pilz Uwe Pilz is offline
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I hove the out of sale Spotone which works quite well. The three tiny bottles (differnet shades) are live long lasting.
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Old 8th March 2021, 11:05 AM
Molli Molli is offline
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I've never seen anyone else suggest this or say that they do it also, but I rub over the spotted areas of my print with the lint free cotton gloves I wear.
On glossy prints, you WILL wind up with micro-abrasions, but they're really only viewable when looking at the print under high magnification and who, but the spotter, does that?? 😊
On any surface other than glossy, even those minute abrasion marks are invisible. The matte spotting marks disappear completely.

If you're going to do this, do so on a scrap of glossy paper first to see if those light scrape marks bother you. I'm not a fine art photographer or printer, so perhaps my standards are lower. I do enjoy spotting prints, though. 😊
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Old 8th March 2021, 01:07 PM
Terry S Terry S is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Uwe Pilz View Post
I hove the out of sale Spotone which works quite well. The three tiny bottles (differnet shades) are live long lasting.
Uwe, I've mentioned it before, but I've tried all sorts of things when spotting. As for the Spotone inks, I have the 6 bottle kit and for basic b/w prints, I just can't get a shade to match my (mainly) Ilford papers. Even the neutral black ink, when diluted and left to dry before use, comes out as a shade of dark blue on a print and the recommended mixes that come with the inks never seem to produce the right colour or tone.

The above problems have been mostly with RC prints, which we all know are harder to spot etc. but even on my FB prints, which I'm doing more and more of lately, I have the same problem with getting a neutral grey colour from the inks. I just end up either not printing certain negatives or apologise to the receiver of the prints, when I do.

Terry S
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Old 8th March 2021, 03:19 PM
Faraz Faraz is offline
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If the spot is small enough I find a slight difference in hue (ie. ink vs paper) doesn't matter. The eye picks up on changes in brightness much more readily.
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Old 8th March 2021, 03:22 PM
Faraz Faraz is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Molli View Post
I've never seen anyone else suggest this or say that they do it also, but I rub over the spotted areas of my print with the lint free cotton gloves I wear.
On glossy prints, you WILL wind up with micro-abrasions, but they're really only viewable when looking at the print under high magnification and who, but the spotter, does that?? 😊
On any surface other than glossy, even those minute abrasion marks are invisible. The matte spotting marks disappear completely.

If you're going to do this, do so on a scrap of glossy paper first to see if those light scrape marks bother you. I'm not a fine art photographer or printer, so perhaps my standards are lower. I do enjoy spotting prints, though. 😊
I may give this a miss, but it does give me an idea. I have a burnishing stone, actually a handheld thing with a handle and precise rounded stone at the end. Perhaps this could be used to make the dull ink match the gloss paper. I've also ordered some gum arabic to mix with the ink, this may help to better match the paper.
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Old 8th March 2021, 03:27 PM
Molli Molli is offline
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A burnishing stone might well be overkill unless you have an extremely light touch. I have one for gold leaf gilding and I'm not sure I could exert so little pressure as to avoid any sort of scraping, but enough to do the job.
At any rate, rubbing away that matte powder finish is merely another option/suggestion and if you can make it work for you with something other than a very soft cloth, that would be yet another option for the rest of us and I'd be happy to know about it. ☺
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Old 8th March 2021, 03:43 PM
Faraz Faraz is offline
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Mine is highly polished for gilding with gold leaf so minimal danger of scratching
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Old 8th March 2021, 03:53 PM
Molli Molli is offline
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If it's effective, please do report back; if I can avoid even the minute scratches from the fabric, I'd love to know about it. Of course, I can always take a crack it myself when next I sit down for a spotting session!
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Old 8th March 2021, 04:27 PM
Nat Polton Nat Polton is offline
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Faraz. I see you are ordering gum arabic.
When I started spotting, I picked up a bit of advice someplace and it was to suck a Rowntrees Fruit Gum.
Honestly.
Just before you pick up the dye or ink on the brush tip, you wet the hairs of the brush with a bit of spit then pick up the ink on the tip of the brush. The very small amount of gum in your spit blends with the ink and leaves the spotting slightly glossy.
Any fruit gum or wine gum will probably work.
Also get the smallest sable brush your local art shop sells.
Do not try to blot out all of the spot at one sitting. Let it dry and then see if it needs more. Placing a few well spaced spots and returning to add a few more later is better than trying to get rid of a huge white spot.
Also, a diffuser enlarger generally shows less dust marks than a condenser enlarger.
Good luck Faraz.

Cheers.
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