Page 148 - The Wellington photographic handbook

Special roller presses have been introduced for the production
of oil-transfer prints, but it is quite possible to secure excellent
results with the domestic mangle or wringing-machine.

It is important, in making bromoil-transfers, that the print
should be made a trifle smaller than the bromide paper ; and to
be quite sure of securing a white margin all round the subject
itself it is as well to carefully mask the sheet of paper at the time
the enlargement or print is made, so that a narrow white margin
of | in. or £ in. is left on all four sides. The necessity for this will
be seen later.
Previous to pigmenting the print, the piece of paper to which
the picture is to be transferred should be prepared, i.e., damped.
This is a very important part of the procedure and upon it depends
much of the success or failure of the transferring, and it is difficult
to describe the exact condition of dampnessne cessary. It must
certainly not be wet, but at the same time must be evenly and
palpably damp to the hand when touched. The correct condition
is best secured by placing the sheet of paper (which should allow
for a fair margin round the size of the picture which will be trans-
ferred to it) between several sheets of damp blotting paper under
slight pressure.
Almost any good variety of drawing paper is suitable for the
purpose of making bromoil-transfers, and the sheet should remain
between the damp blotting paper until it is in the correct condition
for transferring. Take care that it does not get cockled or it
becomes difficult to effect a good transfer. The pressure on the
damp blotting paper should not therefore be so great as to prevent
expansion of the paper. In the meantime, while this is being done,
the bromide print is being pigmented. This should be carried
out with due regard to the fact that the whole of the ink will not
necessarily transfer to the new support, and the print should
therefore be pigmented rather on the heavy side. But take care
that the pigmenting is not too coarse in texture.
The pigmenting should be done as rapidly as possible, as it is
necessary to transfer the image while the bromoil is still fully
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