=The Scraper= being regulated so that it will give a sufficient
pressure, pass the bed quickly through the press to the extent
necessary to produce a complete impression. The length of traverse
of the bed during printing can on most presses be regulated by side
screws, or the tympan may be lightly marked. After releasing the
pressure, the bed is withdrawn, the tympan and masking frames thrown
back, and the printing paper cautiously raised by one corner. It often
adheres slightly to the printing surface, and this is usually an
indication of a good plate. The adhesion may, however, at times be so
strong as to tear the paper, or, in the case of enamel paper, remove
the chalk coating. As previously mentioned, the scraper should be
selected of a width somewhat exceeding that of the picture, but never
exceeding that of the glass plate. It may be left plain and moderately
sharp, or covered with leather.
=Damping the Plate= between each impression will usually be
unnecessary, providing a good sample of gelatine is used, and the
damping solution contain a sufficient quantity of glycerine. In cases
where the Collotype plate has been over exposed, or the subject be one
which requires an absolutely white background, damping between each
impression will be absolutely essential. Where it is omitted for any
length of time, the whites of the pictures will always be more or less
degraded or tinted. Should the early impressions not be satisfactory,
patience should be exercised, and by careful treatment with the
roller or rollers, and care in the damping, favourable results will
often ensue after the first few impressions have been pulled. Only
from actual damage to the print layer, or excessive over exposure in
the copying frame, need the plate be placed aside as in a hopeless
condition. The beginner should guard particularly against mechanical
damages in damping; drying and rolling. Lithographers are inclined to
treat the delicate printing surface with the same vigour and energy
that they would apply to the more substantial lithographic stone to
which they are accustomed.
The following directions from “Kleffel’s Manual of Photography” are
to be recommended in printing line subjects, particularly in “glass”
printing direct from the negative:—“The chromated layer of gelatine
must have been submitted to a sufficiently long exposure to ensure it
taking the ink over the whole surface. For the first rolling in of the
plate, the ink should be composed as follows: White wax, 45 parts;
middle varnish, 5 parts; gum elemi, 15 parts; litho ink (about 5s. per
lb.), 20 parts.
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