Collodion chemicals

[John Conway]

I have an Anthony Imperial Climax camera and a big brass Voightlander petzval lens sitting in my house waiting to get used.My original plan was to teach myself as I went along.It never happened.One reason is that I could not find anyone that had the chemicals in stock.So, can anyone tell me where I could get the chemicals.

[BarryS]

Easiest place to start is Bostick and Sullivan--they have everything. Have you got some good references like John Coffer's guide? Otherwise you may fumble around and end up with a messy Climax. :)

[Wayne Aho]

ArtCraft in New York is who I use the most, and Bostick and Sullivan in New Mexico, both are online. Some individual chemicals can be hard to get, like ether (from artcraft, but not advertised, you have to call and ask) and Cyanide, which I purchase from Chemsavers ($$$$).

Bostick and Sullivan have a kit for about $200, and its a good way to start out. They use thiosuphate for the fixer, which is cheaper and easier than the cyanide, and I would highly recommend waiting on using cyanide when starting out. Despite all the pros and cons of the image quality, when your a beginner, just getting an image can be a challenge.

Also, I would recommend John Coffer's videos and manual (about $70), well worth it.

Wayne

[coroner12]

John, if you have any desire to use cyanide you may want to purchase soon. Chemsavers is said to be the only retailer that will sell to individuals and word is that when their in-stock is depleted they will no longer sell to us. Their website shows that they have an inventory of 4 500g cans available. When I purchased about two months ago they had an inventory of 12.

[John Conway]

Wow,you guys are great.I checked out the recommended sites.I like the kits,and bostick and Sullivan sounds good.As far as the cyanide as the fixer compared to thiosuphate,what is the difference.

[coroner12]

Washing times for Cyanide are much much shorter than for the other fixers. Coffer says that Cyanide is visibly superior and has examples demonstrating that on his website.

[BarryS]

I prefer KCN, but it's expensive and will soon be extremely difficult to get. You're better off starting with hypo and optimizing your system to a safe, cheap, and easily obtainable fixer. The fixer is a fairly minor issue to worry about. There are wet plate artists doing amazing beautiful work using hypo--and it isn't holding them back.

[Jim Noel]

I think KCN fixed images are slightly clearer, and they do have a different color. I use hypo and the slight differences do not concern me.

[Jay DeFehr]

I have a 2x3 Graflex SLR for which I'm thinking of building a wet plate holder. Does anyone know a source for 2x3 glass suitable for WPC work?

[coroner12]

Jay, most cut their own glass to size. Common plain glass works great for all sizes so why not 2X3. I've also been thinking about using my baby graphic for WP.

[sully75]

I once asked in an online forum of non-photographers (who were otherwise pretty safe people) if it was safe to use KCN and pretty much universally they all said NO WAY. A couple mentioned having science backgrounds and that they would only handle it under a hood or something and even then they'd be freaked out. I understand it makes better images but damn it sure seems dangerous. Particularly the death by gassing yourself part. Particularly when you are talking about doing it in a tent (!) in the dark (!) with acid nearby (!).

I think collodion images are maybe the most beautiful process. But I sort of feel like handling that stuff is crazy. I'm not particularly well informed but it scares the crap out of me.

There's also a long Bill Jay article about how photography used to be a short life-span career because of cyanide.

[Brian Bullen]

Ilford rapid fix works nicely, gives a warmer tone than hypo. I mix it 3:1. Some things about KCN sound nice, like quicker fix and rinse, but the extra caution needed are not worth it in my book. Besides I like the slightly warm reddish tone from the ilford.

[John Conway]

I think the best bet for me is to start with the Bostick and Sullivan kit and then experiment as I go along.The other thing I am a little confused about is the glass.I have read about different types of glass.I like the look of black glass.