If it was rubbery looking it was more then likely sprayed or rolled incorrectly.(As in too much finish)
3 sprayed light coats of Timeless you should be able to still see and feel the texture. (I am using BC Lyve)
2 sprayed coats of Glamor II equals the 3 of Timeless. It is slightly thicker. At least my mixture.
If you start to see the texture disappear its time to stop.
Thanks.
First, I'm not set up to spray - so its rolled on.
Second, I use Canon inks -and it literally rolled on like sandpaper. I recall being told to just lightly roll over with no pressure - and even without applying any - the roller was stuck... and this was in summer in high humidity in my basement (which I have air conditioning). However I was getting advice from a local photographer who used the Eco Shield product on his Epsom prints in the same climate - and he had no problems rolling it on beyond stating some bleed.
I applied it based on instruction (to use sparingly and barely cover) and beyond being rubbery it left "spots" everywhere. From what I learned phoning around at the time - Epsom inks work better with these products. They also told me it was more difficult in Canada in the winter because we don't have the humidity (which is kind of a deal breaker considering we only have 3 months of summer).
Maybe I'm using that as an excuse (smile) but I tried a couple of jugs - and many prints and the stuff looked awful and given the fact I wasn't seeing improvement, I decided it wasn't worth continuing.
I could not find Clearshield in Ontario (Toronto area).
Anyway, I did see it finished in a pro's gallery (he sprayed) but my memory has faded - that was 3 or 4 years ago, and I would have to go out and see it again to measure quality.
I just put my Golden varnished canvas out in the bleeding sun - its 32C and with humidex 46C today. So far the thing is fine (ie not sticky to pick up).
I didn't try Breathing Colour -there was at the time I investigated problems with the product (based on internet posts) and I opted to go another route. Maybe that was my mistake.
I note from other poster's comments its also the canvas - and that may be the other big factor. At the time, I could not find profiles for the canvas they recommended - and this seemed to be another limitation buying the Canon printer. (I have the 6100)
It may make sense to revisit BC and their canvas options now- I confess starting over is not attractive since I've spent countless hours perfecting this Golden finish (perfecting of course meaning its not acceptable if it gets sticky in extreme humidity or heat and (worse case) leaves finger prints if you pick it up