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mkvidt
12-May-2013, 16:22
Can someone help me out in understanding how you would meter for a tintype? I've heard the ISO can be as little as 2--did I hear that right? Is there some kind of mathematical equation in figure this out?

I'm very new to these photo forums, so if I'm placing this in the wrong area, please let me know. Also, I'm very interested it talking more about tintypes, so, if someone knows of a better forum for me to be in to learn more about the process and techniques, I'd love for you to let me know!
Thank You!! :D
BarryS
12-May-2013, 16:28
You don't meter for wet plate, since the sensitivity is low and doesn't match the spectrum in light meters. It's all done by experience-- not as hard as you might think.
mkvidt
12-May-2013, 17:00
You don't meter for wet plate, since the sensitivity is low and doesn't match the spectrum in light meters. It's all done by experience-- not as hard as you might think.

So it's just trial and error? :confused:
BarryS
12-May-2013, 18:35
So it's just trial and error? :confused:

Yes...and experience.
Jim Noel
12-May-2013, 18:41
The effective speed of collodion emulsions canbe as low as -10(10 below zero) depending on the ultra -violet radiation at the time and place.
Bill Burk
13-May-2013, 10:55
Why not use an actinometer? You know the Watkins Bee-type with a sheet of printing out paper that you turn a bit to expose a fresh section through a small hole in the device. Next to the hole is a reference tone, and you time how long it takes for the paper to reach that tone.
davehyams
13-May-2013, 15:53
There are a lot of ways that you could go about setting up a system to meter for collodion, but none are as easy as a test plate. If you wanna get real high tech, you can do a test plate that shows a multitude of exposures, like a test strip. I sometimes use this method with larger plates, with steps for 1, 2, 4, and 8 seconds total. Thats if I am feeling really fancy, but normally since you are working on one image at a time it just easier to go from 1 exposure. Collodion isn't really that hard, but we all do our best to over complicate things. Remember, every plate is developed with inspection, so you will know when its right or wrong pretty quickly.
cosmicexplosion
13-May-2013, 17:34
what dave said

just pour a plate and open dd at 2 second intervals

find the closest one to what looks good to you

and go from there
mkvidt
13-May-2013, 18:12
Thanks a lot all! I really appreciate the advice. I guess another question I have is, how long do you have from the time you make the exposure until you need to get it developed? Is it something that needs to be done immediately after making the exposure?

Do you all have tintypes you have done posted online somewhere to check out?
taulen
13-May-2013, 18:58
It has to be moist/wet. Depends alot on temperature. All from 10min to well over 30++ minutes.

edit:
www.flickr.com/photos/taulen/
mkvidt
13-May-2013, 19:45
It has to be moist/wet. Depends alot on temperature. All from 10min to well over 30++ minutes.

edit:
www.flickr.com/photos/taulen/

Beautiful work, and thanks for the tips! I see you used a Petzval lens on some of your images. I'm looking to purchase one myself. Any tips on places to look, or is ebay really my best option?
davehyams
13-May-2013, 21:16
Lenses pop up where they pop up. If you don't know too much about vintage optics this forum is as safe a place as any to pick up a petzval. You don't need a petzval to make good work in wet plate, but they are fun and a little addicting. Price increases exponentially with speed and coverage. What size plates are you starting with? Where are you based, chances are there is someone within 100 miles of you who is making plates and may be a little further along than you who would be willing to spend some time with you.
mkvidt
14-May-2013, 08:33
Lenses pop up where they pop up. If you don't know too much about vintage optics this forum is as safe a place as any to pick up a petzval. You don't need a petzval to make good work in wet plate, but they are fun and a little addicting. Price increases exponentially with speed and coverage. What size plates are you starting with? Where are you based, chances are there is someone within 100 miles of you who is making plates and may be a little further along than you who would be willing to spend some time with you.

I'm looking to start with 8x10. I'm currently based in South East Florida, but still manage to come home to Minnesota in the summers quite a bit. I've been trying to research wet plate photographers in Florida, but haven't had any luck coming across anyone.
ghostcount
14-May-2013, 14:12
I'm looking to start with 8x10. I'm currently based in South East Florida, but still manage to come home to Minnesota in the summers quite a bit. I've been trying to research wet plate photographers in Florida, but haven't had any luck coming across anyone.

This was recently updated in Quinn's forum.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=209597299223696741035.00049a0ca71132c010427
mkvidt
14-May-2013, 18:31
This was recently updated in Quinn's forum.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=209597299223696741035.00049a0ca71132c010427

This is great! Thanks!!