SPECIAL PRINTING PROCESSES 503 



There are wire holders sold for hopping, the idea being that by placing the brush at 

 the end of a long wire, and, gripping the other end, a slight vibrating motion of the 

 hand will produce the desired bouncing action of the brush. These should be carefully 

 avoided, as they are by no means easy to handle, and have a marked inclination to 

 cause tearing of the gelatin. 



If the ink does not take sufficiently to give the desired depth, it may be thinned 

 down with a trifle — and a very small trifle — of oil. On the other hand, if it takes too 

 freely, it may be wiped off with a wet cloth and a stiff er ink used or the print swelled 

 at a higher temperature. 



A thin ink can be applied over a stiff er one; a stiff ink cannot be applied over a 

 thinner one, unless the latter has been allowed to dry thoroughly. 



If the print dries out too rapidly to finish it at one sitting, it may be allowed to 

 dry completely, being subsequently resoaked and the inking being resumed. If this 

 is done, it is well to allow time enough for not merely the gelatin but the ink to dry 

 thoroughly, since, if the print is soaked again while the ink is soft, the latter is apt to 

 run or smudge. 



It is extremely difficult to work fast enough so that the gelatin will not dry out 

 excessively if the work is done in the ordinary artificially heated house; a humidity of 

 at least 65 per cent is desirable in the workroom, and even higher than this is better. 



If a small amount of ink remains on the margins of the print when inking is com- 

 pleted, this may be cleaned off by wrapping a soft cloth around the finger, dipping it 

 into water, and wiping firmly. 



When the print is finished, it should be pinned up to dry in a vertical position, to 

 minimize the settling of dust on the surface, and it is well to pin it by all four corners, 

 to minimize its tendency to curl. 



The worker must carefully avoid getting any water on the brush during inking, as 

 this will cause white spots in the print. White spots may also result from tearing of 

 the gelatin, if this has been excessively softened or if the brush is used too violently. 



If the brush becomes clogged with ink during inking, so that the ink is deposited in 

 black specks, it must be laid aside and a clean one taken up. 



The brush should never be carried directly from the original pool of ink to the 

 print, but should always be dabbed out on the area reserved for that purpose. 



There is one caution which should be written in large letters and hung on the wall 

 of every bromoil worker's workroom: "don't overdo." The flexibility of the medium 

 is so great and the opportunities for personal expression are so wide that the tempta- 

 tion to play with the print overcomes a great many users of the process. Further, 

 comparatively few photographers have studied nature with sufficient attention and 

 thoroughness to know definitely how things look, the result of these two facts being 

 that painfully false values are more often found in bromoil than in any other printing 

 medium. This does not mean that the photographer should confine himself to the 

 true values of nature, any more than the writer of fiction should confine himself to 

 fact. Exaggeration is legitimate — in fact, necessary- — in any art medium whatever, 

 but the productions of the bromoil worker, like those of the fiction writer, should be 

 convincing. They need not be true, but they must imperatively seem true. It is 

 therefore necessary for the bromoil worker, more than for the user of any other medium 

 except gum, to know how things should look, so that when he falsifies he may do it 

 convincingly. 



Degreasing. — Also called "defatting." The final appearance of an oil or a bromoil 

 print shows a lustrous quality of surface, this characteristic being, of course, greater in 

 a print which has rich, deep, blacks than in a higher keyed one. This luster may or 

 may not be desirable; it adds richness to the shadows, but in some cases the dead matte 

 quality of a platinum or Fresson print may seem preferable. When this matte surface 



