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Sorry for the late reply. I have not tested fresh vs. store-bought turmeric. I use the stuff you find in the spice aisle at the grocery store. I think for detail, the main factors are going to be the sharpness of the negative, the tight contact of the negative to the paper, and the smoothness of the paper. I have not tried using a bulb because the exposures are so long (4 hours or more) in bright sun. I think with a bulb they would be much longer. And boric acid I think might be faster just because it is more active. But I have not tried it. Developing time is not long, so I don't think it's a problem to use sodium borate (Borax). Thanks for the questions. If you use boric acid and get good results or use some other light source with good results, please let me know. Good luck!

Yes I am! Thanks for asking. I make lumens and chemigrams in my classes more than for myself. I do a lot of Cyanotype, gum bichromate and linocut.

Good question. I’m not sure. I think basically, yes, it would be the same ( other than inverting the values). But each process has curves that are calibrated to that process. Check out Anna Ostanina’s website for gumoil info. But for a basic transparency I think this would get you in the ballpark. Good luck!

Hi. Sorry I am just seeing this comment almost a year later! Yikes! I use black and white photographic paper. Mostly Arista EDU but sometimes Ilford. When I can get my hands on it, I use expired paper. This is a great process to use for older papers or paper you might find in a thrift store that you wouldn’t trust to print enlargements with.

Hi Alain. Thanks for the comment and question. The organic material used for the phytogram can be soaked in the washing soda and citric acid solution, which acts like a developer, and placed on the film before exposure. This starts a developing process in that specific area. The developing takes place DURING the exposure. After the exposure, you would fix the film. Don't put it in developer after the exposure. The fixer is either standard fixer or pure sodium thiosulfate. You could use either one. The standard developer still uses sodium thiosulfate. Depending on the strength of the solution, the fixing process will be longer or shorter. With film, you can fix until the film turns transparent and then a few extra minutes after that. I hope that answers your question. Thanks, again!

Hi Paul! Thanks so much for the compliment! I appreciate it. I hope you've had some success with your digital negs. Happy printing!

Hi Mandy! Yes, I am also the publisher of The Hand Magazine. I’m so glad you like the magazine and my videos. Thanks for watching - and reading!

Thanks! That is a large cyanotype on fabric that I made. You can see other videos on my channel on how to make cyanotypes. I coated my own fabric, but you can also buy pre-treated fabric at blueprintsonfabric.com.

Thank you, Kim! I'm glad you like the videos. Thanks for the comment.

Yes!! You've got to make some messes. Have you had a chance to try anything? How did it go?

Hi. Sorry, I am just seeing this comment (two years too late is better than never, right?). Using two negatives is necessary with a laser printer but not with inkjet. The reason is that the toner from a laser printer is not as dense as the pigmented ink from an inkjet. It is also better to print using RGB colorspace even if the image is black and white. This is because the printer will lay down more ink if it is printing from an RGB file.

Thanks! I made the tablecloth with some students. It is a cyanotype on fabric that I coated, exposed, and processed myself. I have a tutorial on cyanotype on my page somewhere. Thanks!

Thanks! There are a lot out there, so I appreciate that very much. Thanks for watching.

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. I hope it's useful.

Thank you! Happy printing!

Thanks Anna! I appreciate the comment. Happy printing!

Hi Doug. Thanks for the question. I don't think it will affect the process. Unless it has a UV blocker, any glass should be fine. A UV-resistant glass of the type used in framing would present a problem. I suppose the thicker the glass the more chance for aberrations in the glass that might diffuse or refract the light. But I still don't think that will be much of a problem. You certainly will be able to get a print. There may be some very slightly out of focus areas or a shadow caused by some flaw in the glass (a small crack or bubble, for example). But that would probably be pretty minimal. So I guess it depends on your tolerance for that. But I think you should be fine. Printing at that size, I think your biggest obstacles are getting an even coat and finding a tray and sink large enough o do the developing. Happy printing!

Thank you for the reply :-) I just noticed that the tabletop has a slight tint to it. Nothing too crazy but it does seem to have one. Will this affect the process?

@@dougc3529 It might. Especially if the tint is caused by a UV blocker. But there's only one way to find out for sure! Try a small one and see what happens.

Hi Kathrin. I am sorry, I don't know what substitute you could use for sodium borate. I will ask someone who might know. could you buy it as sodium borate from a chemical supply company?

@@mr.finkelstonsclass1072 thank you so much! i will go and ask!!

You can also use backing soda or washing soda it just needs to be something that makes your turmeric basic that's why it gets darker.

Hi Thomas. Sorry for the late reply. I actually don't use curves at all. I think they kind of fool you into thinking that just applying the curve is going to make the negative have the correct contrast and tonal range. I just use the levels or curves adjustment to make my negatives slightly more dense than "normal", and carefully watch that the highlights and shadows don't lose detail. I do that with each individual channel. Then I make the print and adjust the negatives again if needed. I think with experience you can get better and better at nailing the levels/curves adjustment the first time. But some images are trickier than others. Those applied pre-built curves just seemed to waste my time.

Good questions. The glass is just to press down a flat object like a negative. So it’s not necessary for the print. You could place an object on there and you would essentially record the shadow. I don’t know how this would wash. I think that turmeric is used as a fabric dye, though, so I imagine it would wash out pretty well. Maybe use a very mild soap and cold water? I would suggest experimenting in a smaller piece to test. Good luck!!

Thanks! Good luck with the light box.

Thanks for the comment! Yeah, no martini's with cyanotype chems! I have some videos on here about anthotypes, lumens, and turmeric prints.

@@mr.finkelstonsclass1072 I'm your new subscriber, then. I have two test anthotypes in my window at this moment. I'm using turmeric and hand sanitizer from the makers of Barr Hill Gin. Great company based in Vermont. When the pandemic kicked in, theu realized the byproducts of distilling spirits could be used in producing sanitizer. I'll look at your other videos. Note: every day, I do a search to see if any new cyanotype videos have been posted. Yours was in today's results. No - thank YOU! 🐧

@@TheStockwell I appreciate the feedback. I am new to making and posting videos, though I've been teaching analog photography at the high school for 14 years and at the college level for four. So that' who these videos are really made for. I hate tutorials that time-lapse and rush through everything. I know most people want the quick version, but I'd rather talk through what I'm doing and give people more information rather than not enough. Thanks for looking.