# Critique of New Photographic Process



## unpopular (Dec 27, 2011)

I am about ready to start experiments with a new photographic process I have been designing on paper, which I have come to call the "Matrix Thermal Transfer Process".

The basic idea is that a soap or wax with a relatively low melting point is selectively restrained from transfer to a print medium upon application of uniform heat. To accomplish this, I plan to suspend pigmented soap within a dichromated gelatin matrix, areas exposed to UV light will harden and entrap the soap while areas left unexposed will remain free.

Soap is chosen due to it's water solubility.

When in contact with a printing medium and applied to heat and pressure, I predict that the soap within the unexposed region will melt and liquify, transferring pigment to the printing medium while the soap within the exposed region will be entrapped in the hardened gelatin, permitting the printing medium to show through white.

Any thoughts?


----------



## Josh66 (Dec 27, 2011)

Sounds messy.




Can't wait to see the results if it works.


----------



## unpopular (Dec 27, 2011)

Will post! I already have a couple of pounds of glycerin soap, need to double check some MSDS' and get some bulbs for my exposure unit, but I'm excited to start!


----------



## Bitter Jeweler (Dec 27, 2011)

Dude! Have you seen the book, "DIGITAL ALCHEMY: Printmaking techniques
for fine art, photography, and mixed media" ? By Bonny Pierce Lhotka.

Would be right up your alley!


----------



## unpopular (Dec 27, 2011)

I've seen it, I think i breezed through it in college. Haven't read it yet.


----------



## Robert_Maxey (Dec 27, 2011)

unpopular said:


> I am about ready to start experiments with a new photographic process I have been designing on paper, which I have come to call the "Matrix Thermal Transfer Process".
> 
> The basic idea is that a soap or wax with a relatively low melting point is selectively restrained from transfer to a print medium upon application of uniform heat. To accomplish this, I plan to suspend pigmented soap within a dichromated gelatin matrix, areas exposed to UV light will harden and entrap the soap while areas left unexposed will remain free.
> 
> ...



I might not understand what you are doing, but perhaps this will aid you. You need to learn Dye Transfer. No better color printing process.  IT is also how Technicolor films were made. Technicolor IB is a basic dye transfer process. If you want, I'll send you a link to an acknowledged master of DT. HE makes his own matrix film, dye sets, mordanted paper and laser scanner for ultra-high resolution large negatives.

Essentially the same idea as yours, but no mess. Since you want to experiment, it will be perfect. You will need to make some matrix film, but that is no problem if you are dedicated.


----------



## Trever1t (Dec 27, 2011)

DiChromated, as in Hexavalent chromate? What about waste?


----------



## unpopular (Dec 27, 2011)

Yes. Dye Matrix is precisely where the idea comes from. Dye Matrix is *extremely* expensive and I think only Efke(?) makes the matrix film.

I was going to get into Dye Matrix a long time ago, but never did and ended up selling my film. But, I don't really see the mess, no more than candle making or soap making, which people routinely do as hobbies in the kitchen.

There are disadvantages to dye matrix aside from cost. While it is very permanent, but still not as archival as pigment printing and the matrix cannot be produced in a household darkroom.


----------



## unpopular (Dec 27, 2011)

Trever1t said:


> DiChromated, as in Hexavalent chromate? What about waste?



Solutions of ammonium dichromate, 5-10%, are diluted into the colloid. The environmentally appropriate thing to do would be to store waste and have it properly disposed of. A significant portion of the waste is chromium oxide.

Google Gum Bichromate process.


----------



## Trever1t (Dec 27, 2011)

As long as you're planning on being environmentally conscious


----------



## Robert_Maxey (Dec 28, 2011)

unpopular said:


> Yes. Dye Matrix is precisely where the idea comes from. Dye Matrix is *extremely* expensive and I think only Efke(?) makes the matrix film.
> 
> I was going to get into Dye Matrix a long time ago, but never did and ended up selling my film. But, I don't really see the mess, no more than candle making or soap making, which people routinely do as hobbies in the kitchen.
> 
> There are disadvantages to dye matrix aside from cost. While it is very permanent, but still not as archival as pigment printing and the matrix cannot be produced in a household darkroom.



Efke stopped selling it some time ago. Not sure if they will (or anyone else) bring it back. As I said, there are ways to make the film, but it takes a little work. there are a number of great DT printers that have very few issues except for finding the materials. I think any competent darkroom worker can make their own DT prints. Where people fail is in not matching the negatives, using bad dyes, and registration. Careful workers can learn it, however. And you do not need costly equipment, either.


----------



## Robert_Maxey (Dec 28, 2011)

unpopular said:


> Trever1t said:
> 
> 
> > DiChromated, as in Hexavalent chromate? What about waste?
> ...



I'll assume you know this, but I'll say it: work with great care. The compound is a strong irritant and suspected carcinogen. 

I love the chemical because of its ability to harden emulsions. I have tried things like making emulsions for photo-ceramics as well as emulsions for creating designs in glass. The emulsion was "rubberized" and the resulting rubber image resists the action of the abrasive etching airbrush.

just be careful.


----------



## unpopular (Dec 28, 2011)

As always, safety reminders are appreciated. It's a nasty chemical, and is suspected to cause bone damage as well.

I've also considered using it as a resist in electroplating in various ways. one of the more interesting was to coat an anode with sensitized gelatin, expose and swell the gelatin with an electrolyte, then apply the cathode directly to the gelatin wet gelatin, and finally turn on the current.

I've also considered some way to use the chromate ion itself by suspending it in a non-peptide emulsion which won't harden and somehow depositing the ion onto the print itself.


----------



## unpopular (Jan 11, 2012)

I will be doing some physical tests tomorrow for solubility and emulsion qualities for feasibility. I'll update here if anyone is interested.


----------



## Derrel (Jan 11, 2012)

Have you seen this book? http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-rules-photo-media-cookbook/dp/0930810023/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2

I would love to hear how the test images turn out.


----------



## unpopular (Jan 11, 2012)

I have not seen that book, actually. I may need to check it out.

I am a little bit off from a real test. I don't want to mix chemicals until I am sure that the emulsion is stable, the unhardened areas will melt away and transfer - I am a bit worried about the gelatin baking in - and then if the hardened gelatin will resist transfer. If all these tests come back positive, I'll try a negative.


----------



## terri (Jan 13, 2012)

I'm interested in seeing your results, however it turns out.      Always fun to experiment, and you seem to know enough to handle your chemistry with care.   Simply wearing gloves, being cognizant about ventilation and proper disposal goes a long way.    

Experimentation can lead to amazingly beautiful results.    If you don't try, you'll never know what you might get.   Good luck!


----------



## EIngerson (Jan 13, 2012)

This sounds cool. Is this something you would be able to photograph the entire process? I'd love to see what it's all about.


----------



## unpopular (Jan 13, 2012)

Sure. I haven't even started my tests, been distracted (mostly here! lol) 

I was planning to document everything here and submit a writeup to AlternativePhotography.com

I am thinking that with a hot press and suitable pressure, it should be suitable as a general purpose technique. We'll see!


----------



## unpopular (Jan 16, 2012)

So I spent the afternoon finally working on this. I was able to produce an non-sensitive plate with a thickness suitable. 







I found that gelatin does readily mix into melted glycerin bar soap, similar in how it mixes with water. It takes a while but it will mix, the key is to not use the microwave to melt the soap, but rather in a double boiler.

I tried pouring the soap mixture over the plate, but that didn't work so well and came out thick and uneven. I did, however, succeed in transferring this thick layer to paper after it dried to the plate. So I am confident that the transfer will work provided that the hardening does.

I managed to get a thin layer of soap by rubbing the preparation over the plate - but at that point the pigment too weak. I tried dribbling food color over the plate, and that worked suitably, but I'd prefer the pigment be applied more evenly.

I'm going to try soaking the plate in ice-cold pigmented ink next, the liquid ink should also even out any faults in the coating. If that doesn't work, I'll just dump tons of pigment into the soap mixture as it's being prepared.


----------



## unpopular (Jan 16, 2012)

I did a quick test with an iron and the above plate. The results were pretty splotchy, but I am impressed by what did transfer. I think with added pressure and time, they're going to be just fine.

I realized that the excess chromium will need to be washed from the final print. So the print itself will need to be fixed under UV light and finally washed.

I also washed the plate under cold water, the soap washed away immediately, so I'll need to reconsider how to pigment the plate. I need to get some lampblack or graphite.


----------

