In my experiment I used ROLLEY BLACK MAGIC 2 liquid light high contrast. Available in two ready-to-use kits or as individual components. The kits contain all photochemicals for coating & developing of approx. 4 m². Rollei Black Magic 2 (fixed gradation). RBM 2 | The fixed-grade liquid photo emulsion offers an unsurpassed variety of applications. RBM2 is characterized by high edge sharpness and has a cold image tone due to its silver bromide halides. Excellent for coating glass plates. Price for 300 ml : £36.79
official website : https://www.rolleianalog.com/products/rollei-rbm/?lang=en
LIQUID LIGHT ON GLASS
GLASS PREPARATION
To prepare the glass it is necessary fore the surface to be abrasive. In my case, I used Calcium Carbonite mixed with dishwashing solution both rubbed against the surface of the glass on which it is desired to apply the liquid. The two chemical combinations help the glass to become abrasive and ready to apply the liquid. I also noticed that keeping the glass warm helps the Liquid light to stick better to the surface.
For the application of the liquid I used a syringe which also helped me in eliminating the air bubbles that formed on the glass but also helped me not to waste the liquid. The liquid stuck instantly due to the warm glass.
FIRST TEST ON GLASS
FIRST PRINT ON GLASS at 16 secs was a fail because the glass plate wasn't not quoted well.
TEST STRIP 2 secs + 4 secs + 8 secs + 16 secs
INITIAL IMAGE
SECOND TEST ON GLASS
In the second test I had big problems because I could not understand why regardless of the exposure time the glass became instantly black once introduced in the developer. After a research I realized that all the materials from the second attempt were exposed to light and are completely unusable. I decided to take more care of the materials once the liquid light was applied.
VIDEO DEMOSTRATION : when the glass turns completely black only after a few seconds in the developer it is very likely that the material has been exposed to light before being exposed to the enlarger.
FINAL TEST
GLASS TEST STRIP - 2secs + 2 secs + 4 secs + 8 secs + 16 secs filter F3
BEST EXPOSURE 12 SECS
GLASS PLATE DEVELOP
I chose to present as a final the 4 images in the center of the page. The two images at the top have brown spots on the glass due to FIXER STRAINS! I should wash longer the plates after the fix !!!
FINAL IMAGES
LIQUID LIGHT ON EGG SHELL - FAIL !
THE EYE
TEST STRIP 2SECS + 2 SECS + 4SECS + 8 SECS FILTER 3 F8
I applied the same method as on the stick, only this time I used the shell of an egg. The failure is obvious because the liquid was not spread well on the eggshell and many parts were left without liquid and successively without an image once developed! The egg having the shape of an eye, gave me an idea to try to print the image of a human eye on it. Due to the short time I did not have the opportunity to resume the experiment with another egg! I was curious about the difference between a hot egg and a cold egg if the grip on the surface concerned remains the same. Maybe in the future I will try again.
LIQUID LIGHT ON ALUMINIUM PLATE
THE MOON
This time I applied the photo emulsion on a 3 mm thick aluminium base. Was prepared with carbon dioxide and dishwashing detergent to be abrasive but unfortunately this material was exposed to light before being worked so the result is obvious, after introduction in the developer it became black instantly. Since the liquid layer was quite thick it created these little bubbles where the liquid is denser it created a lunar effect (with craters) so I chose to keep this error we wanted transformed into a month as the shape but also the texture are similar. A successful mistake I can say!
LIQUID LIGHT ON LEATHER SHOES
MY ALLSTARS
In this test I used my leather sneakers washed with Calcium Carbonate and dishwashing detergent and then I applied liquid light with a brush on the whole surface masking certain areas with paper tape. I knew for sure that they were also exposed to light before the trial so I decided to apply another technique to get a result. I was sure that if they were introduced in the developer instant they would turn black but I took a syringe and applied the developer creating an irregular pattern as can be seen in the image, after I used the whole surface stop and fixed. Presenting it to the audience had a surprisingly pleasant effect. I will definitely test this technique again.
LIQUID LIGHT ON PAPER
In the picture we can see two sheets of paper treated with liquid light in a different way. A thin brush was used on the left to form a linear texture. In the other image the paper was treated with a thick brush and the liquid was more than enough (we can see air bubbles). The contrast is very high and the texture of the paper can be seen.
Evaluative comments:
The emulsion must be spread and layered equally, unless the outcome won't be succesfull. These mistakes took a lot of time in the past, but will save me more in the future. Another mistake I detected, was that after coating even a little light can destroy the product ( as seen my first glass coated failure). The coating differs very much on the type of the material we are using, so if possible, if you want to experiment with a new material, test on a small strip before ruining the material.