Making a photosensitive powder

[jsmoove]

Thanks, that is useful info.  I wonder with what he said, maybe if there is more silver in the emulsion it'll work better?  (Ag-plus is discontinued) 

You may very well get to it before me, I still have to make real life ceramic contacts that will let me use their kilns....and I'm a beginner.  

 

Edited October 21, 2021 by jsmoove

[blackthorn]

A belated posting on this topic.

Before and after of cyanotype on bisque - and re-bisqued.

My next test will be reprinting and re-firing, however many times needed to get the iron to build up into a less subtle image.

 

[blackthorn]

Been a while since I was able to squeeze one of these into a firing.

Here's the latest test.  Exposing the cyanotype twice is helping keep the image from fading so much.

Next step is spraying a clear glaze over it to see if that will keep the image from evaporating during Cone 10 firing.  Leda is just so so  and the swan is fading, so I also think a less contrasty negative and a third exposure to build up the iron.  We'll see.

[bny]

A year late to this, but I experimented with carbon process back in the 70s, both with Hanfstaengl black carbon tissue and with self-made materials.  I had some success in placing gelatin/pigment images on glass, that showed some promise of at least limited continuous tone density range.  I used glass because Kodak glass slide covers were readily available and accepted coatings.  I used one or another hardness of photo gelatin, and dry pigments from the art store. 

(I have had good results in ceramics with selected Gamblin dry pigments: Cr green, Co blue, Fe/Mn umbers and siennas, as dry press body colorants and in hot oil intaglio transfer inks.) 

Recall that in continuous tone carbon, your range of image density is created by range of pigmented film thickness, the image will harden from the exposure lamp side inwards, and that you need ultraviolet (I used a now-contraband 60s suntan mercury vapor suntan bulb).  You are running a race between colorant density needed to form the image, and colorant+frit... density absorbing and scattering the exposure light against hardening more of the carrier.

It's tempting to try this again, but I feel that it is no longer responsible to flush dichromate, even where it might not be directly illegal.  Oh yeah: also the formaldehyde for hardening.  Diazos aren't necessarily super safe, but at least they're easy to destroy.

[blackthorn]

After seeing the shortcomings of Cyanotype on clay at high temperatures, I've been casting about for another (non-toxic) way to get continuous tone imagery onto the ceramic surface.  I've been fiddling with dusting inkjet outputs with oxides or Mason Stain onto moister than leather hard slabs.  Attached are some recent results.  The process still requires more contrast in the working images than I want to end up with but it's getting close.  They don't photograph particularly well since they change considerably with the viewing angle. I like the 'relic' nature of them.  Sometimes l leave them out in the wild for some adventurous soul to stumble upon with delight and/or wonder ( I hope). 

[PeterH]

Congratulations, some very ethereal results.

Could you give a few more details of your process? I'm assuming it's something like:
- Inkjet printing onto paper?
- Sprinkling oxide/stain powder onto damped paper?
- Press clay onto image?

 

PS Vague memories at the back of my mind ( probably from reading about laser-printed transfer plates) suggest that pre-treating your digital image before printing it might change the nature of your final images. For example, digitally process your image to produce either a "halftone" B&W image or a low-resolution one. (Perhaps try 100dpi to see the effect, then maybe 300dpi in practice.) Print them at whatever resolution your printer has. You might get a more accurate greyscale.

Edited April 25, 2023 by PeterH

[Callie Beller Diesel]

Those are turning out amazing!

I wonder if you could build up more detail if you layer multiple images. 

[blackthorn]

Short version here, although I'm working on a detailed How To.

I'm printing on acetate, which is completely resistant to ink absorption.  Dusting 50/50 Mason Stain/ Gerstley Borate or Mason Stain/Frit 3124 through a screen onto the wet ink.

Tapping and blowing off the excess and applying to a semi-moist slab.  Carefully burnishing by hand, occasionally lifting a corner to check progress.  Repeating burnishing as necessary.

[blackthorn]

8 hours ago, Callie Beller Diesel said:

Those are turning out amazing!

I wonder if you could build up more detail if you layer multiple images. 

Thank you Callie!  Absolutely!  I've been using multiple colors and have in mind to create a 3 or 4-color separation of the attached.  Keeping the slab moist without blurring existing image content is the trick.

[blackthorn]

18 hours ago, PeterH said:

Congratulations, some very ethereal results.

Thank you Peter!  I hope my short version matches your expectation.

[PeterH]

6 hours ago, blackthorn said:

Thank you Peter!  I hope my short version matches your expectation.

Considerably surpasses it in ingenuity.

[blackthorn]

4 hours ago, PeterH said:

Considerably surpasses it in ingenuity.

<insert blush emoji here>

[blackthorn]

The next test will be using cling wrap fastened securely to a substantially supportive substrate.

Printing then dusting that.

Unfastening the cling wrap and transferring the image to one of my thrown forms, taking advantage of its incredible flexibility.