Brush Sensitizing for Photogravure

When I first started testing the Dragon Gravure tissue I decided to experiment with brush sensitizing for a variety of reasons. Initial experiments did not go so well but now I believe I have worked out a reliable method that is not that much more difficult than tray sensitizing. Brush sensitizing is regularly done by carbon transfer printers except they mix their brush-on sensitizer with acetone or alcohol to speed drying. These brush sensitized carbon tissues are also dried face up and not adhered to plexi like a tray sensitized carbon tissue would be. The brush method devised here for photogravure gelatin involves no spirits and uses the same water based sensitizer used for tray sensitizing so the tissue can still be mounted to the plexi. A plexi mounted and dried tissue yields a superior finish to those that are air dried. The gelatin resist soaks up just as much sensitizer evenly with the brush method as it would with tray sensitizing. The backing paper will soak up hardly any however.

Some Advantages of Brush Sensitizing

The sensitizer used with this method is consistently fresh and unaffected by previous soaking of gelatin. Dissolved gelatin changes the purity and PH of the sensitizer which can slowly alter the contrast of the resist adding another variable to the process. Another plus is all of the sensitizer can be completely used up this way. Your sensitizer will go much farther and will always perform exactly the same. Brush sensitized tissues only require about half the drying time of tray soaked tissues.

Fiddler Crabs by Jennifer Page
Dustgrain photogravure made with brush sensitized Dragon Gravure tissue and Picco aquatint resin. 7 x 9.5"




		New process video link above. Original video link with cold water pre-soak. This method will work best for larger tissues. Digital file of above print right