Latest Round Of Updates To My LED UV Printer For Making Platinum Prints

January 17, 2021 • Leave a Comment

In a recent article, I shared some simple and practical updates that I made to the printer and to my workflow while making platinum prints.

Last year, I shared an article where I upgraded the UV printer to new LED lights and in this article today, I have another big update to share.

I have been been making a lot of wild horse platinum and platinum/palladium prints this last month and I decided to see if I could shorten my printing times from the already much improved 3 minute average from the previous 10 minute printing time.

Once I started looking at the existing layout of the lights, I realized something that I did not originally plan.

I decided to place the new bank of lights in between the existing lights to effectively double the volume and density of lights. Since each bank of lights are wired in series, I now have two separate banks of lights.

This means I have two choices that I never had before.

First, I can double the volume of UV light by using both banks of lights.

The two banks of lights together has shortened my exposure times from a 3 minute average to less than half at 1 minute and 15 seconds! Yes, you read that correctly. My exposure times are between 1 minute and 1 minute 15 seconds.

My latest platinum print "The Sentry" that you see to the left of this text was exposed for 1 minute 15 seconds and the delicate tonality and highlights are just beautiful.

If you know anything about UV exposure times for platinum and palladium, then you know how amazing that truly is.

This isn't just about the shorter exposure time. By having a shorter exposure time, the sensitizer retains more humidity and that should result in deeper and richer tonal values and I think an overall higher quality of print. This is theory at this point, but I do expect to see these improvements and I will report back in the near future to let you know if this has materialized.

Second, I can continue to print with the existing bank of lights for my 3 minute exposure times when desired, and have a failover second set of lights in the event that I ever have a failure.

If you love horses, join my Free Wild Horse Journal where I bring you behind the scenes in my darkroom and studio and provide my latest updates and special offers. Current members are automatically entered for a chance to win one of my wild horse fine art gallery prints every month.

Join me and other horse lovers from around the world in my Wild Horses of North America Facebook Group. I share behind the scenes photos and videos in the group that you won't see anywhere else.

I am starting to do Live Video Broadcasts from my new studio and darkroom while I am working and making prints and even doing live art shows too. I will be making my big 30x40 and 40x50 silver gelatin wild horse prints and also platinum and palladium too. You can connect with me live on my new YouTube Channel, and in the Darkroom Underground Facebook Group, and the Wild Horses of North America Facebook Group.

UPDATE TO LED LIGHTS

As you can see in the photos above, my old lighting setup is on the left and my new setup is on the right. I have effectively doubled my LED lights. I simply installed the new lights in between the existing lights. This only took about 30 minutes and I was up and running.

Also, after making a lot more prints from the last update, I realized I needed one more very minor, but very important update. I added a stopper screw to keep the horizontal 1x2 bar in place and not slide forward when I prop up the heavy glass when working with the paper and negatives. I added a stopper screw to both sides of the printer. Now when I lay the heavy glass on the support bar, it won't shift forward and potentially cause a hazard.

I offer Free Art Consultations to help you figure out the best size and details for any piece of artwork that I create.

You can contact me and share a couple of dates, times, and your best phone number and then I will confirm a date and time for our meeting. I can do Facetime video or Zoom meetings, if you would like to share your space with me as we work through designing your new artwork together.

HISTORY OF THE WILD HORSES OF SHANNON COUNTY MISSOURI

Shannon County is home to an extraordinary herd of wild horses that very few people know about. Hidden away in Southeast Missouri in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways on public land about 130 miles from Springfield and 150 miles from St. Louis, 4 herds of wild horses roam the beautiful and rugged landscape.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways is the first national park area to protect a river system and the only place in the state where wild horses still roam free.

It hasn't been an easy path for the wild horses over the last 100 years and it would be foolish to think current conditions couldn't change and put the horses back in danger again.

During the 1980s the National Park Service announced a plan to remove the wild horses, and people were outraged.

In 1993 the U.S. Supreme Court denied a final appeal to protect the horses and gave the National Park Service the right to remove the horses from federal land at their discretion.

The national park service started the process of removing the wild horses in a way that was profoundly upsetting to local residents and horse lovers around the country. The people of Shannon County and horse lovers around the country rallied together and the Wild Horse League of Missouri was formed.

Luckily, by 1996 the Wild Horse League of Missouri, which formed in 1992 to save the wild horses, received help from the people of Shannon County, Congressman Bill Emerson, and Senators Kit Bond and John Ashcroft.

Their tireless efforts paid off, and President Clinton signed a bill into law on October 3, 1996, to make the wild horses of Shannon County a permanent part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

Now, people from around the world visit Shannon County Missouri in hopes of seeing these majestic wild horses.

The Missouri Wild Horse League works with the National Park Service to capture some of the horses when the herd exceeds the maximum agreed upon limit of 50 horses. The captured horses are taken into care and evaluated before being adopted by loving families for permanent homes.

It is important to remember that these horses are wild. When looking for them, be sure not to approach them or attempt to feed them. It is essential to keep these animals wild and free, and for you to be safe. The horses are big, strong, and unpredictable and for your own safety as well as theirs, keep a safe distance of 100 yards or more between you and the horses.

Keywords: fine art, gallery, platinum, pure platinum, wild horses

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