| Coating Equipment | Preparing
Application Drying General |
Preparation Equipment:
Pencil
Used to mark area to be coated or identify print.Tape (optional)
Used for writing on fabric.Sonic Mister
Most paper should be humidified to get the best coating results. This may be noticed as increased substance within the print. The humidity seems to open the pours of the paper letting the chemistry soak in better and more completely. Some thin papers like Bienfang 360 do not require humidification (in fact, if too humid, this paper will have a curling problem). The sonic mister is preferred to steam because all papers coat better when they are cooler.Shot Glasses
These are convenient to mix and hold coating solutions; have several.Hot Plate (Coffee Warmer)
This is used to keep some of the metal solutions dissolved.top of page
Brushing Equipment:
Brushes, White Sablene
These brushes have soft, thin, nylon bristles. The chisel type, wide and thin, are recommended.The brush is a most important tool for this process. Too large of a brush will soak up the coating. Too small of a brush will take too long to brush on the coating.
Red Sable brushes work fine, but are expensive. Any other brush will probably give problems. White sablene is actually a very fine nylon (and relatively inexpensive). This type of brush along with Red Sable is very soft. Take a brush and rub it on the back of the hand (feel how soft). What happens is that other brushes will abrade some or all of the paper fibers when coating. This shows up in the print as patchy textured areas. The foam brushes are some of the worst to use. A glass rod (as mentioned in some texts) may not press the chemical coating into the paper as will a brush. This might result in blotchy areas in the print. Also, glass rods may catch a dirt speck and scratch the paper, whereas a brush will pick up the speck. However, glass rods have been and are successfully used by many printers. Dipping the paper into a coating solution is not practical since it can waste most of the chemistry.
recommended sizes:Small tray for soaking coating brush
0.5" for 4x5 or smaller
1" for 4x5 to 8x10
1.5" for 8x10 to 11x14
2" for 16x20
or two or more in jig for larger than 11x14
This tray MUST be dedicated to this function ONLY.top of page
Drying Equipment:
Blow Drier (hair drier)
A must for drying coatings. A two speed, two heat drier is versatile. A no heat setting is a must. An accessory worth trying is a diffuser (especially if drying fabric or large prints). Two things to be very careful of are: Do not blow on the coating until the gloss has vanished (this may cause puddling and can show up in the print as light blotchy areas). Do not get coating too hot (140oF can be too hot and may be demonstrated in the print as deteriorated quality).Clothes Pins or Clips and Line
These are used for drying or for holding wet fabric temporarily. Stainless steel (do not touch wet coating) or plastic are suitable.top of page
General Equipment:
Paper Towels
Useful to squeegee brushes or clean spills.Glass Plate or Plastic Sheets
To protect table from coating spills or overruns. These are definitely a necessity when coating fabric. Optionally, a pad of newsprint could be used when coating paper.Light Tight Container (such as a 4x5 development tank)
This is useful for storing the bottles of sensitizer solutions.
