Lo-Z's Forever Print Tek

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Lo-Z
Probably

Registered: 09/08/26
Posts: 202
Loc: Over There
Last seen: 1 hour, 8 minutes

Lo-Z's Forever Print Tek

13
#29673238 - 09/19/26 06:56 PM (12 days, 12 hours ago)

As Requested, here is how I preserved and framed a spore print of the first mushroom I ever harvested :heart:

A Warning - This will render your spores useless, so don't do this if you want to use them later.

Lo-Z's Forever Print Tek

First off, we need to make a spore print! Instead of using aluminum foil like a normal spore print, we'll use cardstock paper. You'll want to make sure you know the color of your spores so you can buy a contrasting paper color e.g. black spores on while paper - White spores on black paper.

In this Tek we'll be using off white to match the vintage look of the frame.

You'll want to have a picture frame picked out before you start the process. We'll have to cut the cardstock to fit the picture frame before the print is taken. So grab your picture frame and your cardstock and cut it to size. I had this small straight edge paper cutter for office work and it came in handy. it was like $10 at office max.

Once you have your cardstock cut to size, take a spore print as normal. Cut the cap off and place it on the paper. I placed mine on the lid of a Tupperware container and the bottom on top to cover it. (The dried cap is a paid actor).

Give the cap 24 hours to drop a solid print =)

Once the print is done we need to prep the paint booth :cool:

.
I used a 2.5-3 foot cardboard box with a heavy duty black trash bag as a liner.

Very carefully remove your spore print from the container which you made it in and place it at the bottom of the box.

Had it not been for Kloakk, I don't think I ever would have known about artist fixative which makes this tek possible (thanks Kloakk)! But this is the stuff we want.

If you can find an artist fixative that specifically lists 'charcoal' or 'chalk', That is what you want if you cant find this specific fixative.

The Moment of truth! DONT SPRAY THIS STUFF IN YOUR HOUSE. It is equal to spray paint and the fumes are STRONG. I sprayed it in my apartment and had to air it out for hours before the fumes dissipated.

With your print places as flat and level as possible at the bottom of the box. Spray very lighting over the top of the print, letting the fixative gently fall onto the print. DO NOT SPRAY CLOSELY. you'll blow the spores right off and ruin the print. The fixative is a powdery, dry, matte, transparent bonding agent.

After the first light spray, give it another from up high again, being sure to give it 5-10 minutes in between each spray.

After the first couple, get a little bit closer and give it another coat.

and again, after a coupe more sprays, get a little closer and spray it a coupe more times.

We want to add the fixative in layers because unlike pencil which becomes embedded in the paper, the spores just lay gently on the top of the paper. Multiple coats allows us to cover all the spores and hold them together and adhere them to the paper. This chemical adhesion unfortunately kills the spores, but the goal is art and keep sakes not genetic collection.

After giving the fixative some time to dry, give the piece of the paper a feel, you'll feel the texture of the fixative. I tried to touch the print a little to see if it would smudge, however, I didn't purposefully test the durability to prevent smudging my first spore print.

Once you feel confident that everything is dry and you gave the print enough coats (I gave mine about 7-8) Feel free to put it in your frame.

Congradulations of your new forever print :heart:

--------------------
A Seeker Seeking,,, Things...

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