Negative glass thickness

[cyrus]

I found a couple of unused glass, exposed glass negatives in a 9x12 folder camera plateholders. I've scrubbed off the emulsion and the blue backing and would like to try to coat them with wet collodion to see if I an use the folder as a mini wet plate camera
However I noticed that these sheets of glass seem quite thin. Was there a standard thickness and does anyone know where one buys this? I think it is thinner than single-strength glass.

[davehyams]

It really all depends on your holder, but when I shoot clear glass ambros I will either go to a decent frame shop and get lites or stop by the home depot and get a sheet of single strength picture frame glass. Far more often than not I am using stuff from home depot, but I am using a dedicated wet plate holder built to accommodate even thicker black and stained glass. Go to a frame shop if you're curious, i am sure they have scraps of the standard framing glass lying around that they would cut to fit your holder as a test.

[Tom Sobota]

Cyrus,

I just measured a few of my old glass negs. The smaller ones (6x9cm) have thicknesses between 1.4mm and 1.7mm. A 13x18cm is 1.6mm and a 18x24cm the same. A larger one, a 10"x8" from 1908 is 2.2mm.

So, no standard thickness, but your holder will probably take negs of around 1.5. You'll have to measure it, though.

Tom

[cyrus]

Thnx Tom - I took some calipers to them - 1mm thick.
I am trying to find matching glass negs on ebay that I can wipe clean and reuse but they're charging quite a bit for them! I guess I'll experiment with the two sheets of 1mm thick glass that I already have to see if I can use the dryplate holder to hold wet plates.

[Bob Salomon]

Linhof made a glass plate sheet film holder that had a spring loaded plate on each side to compensate for the difference in thickness of various glass plates and sheet film. While these have not been made for many years they still do popup for sale on various sites and sometimes at camera stores that specialize in used large format equipment. Usually they are incorrectly listed as bsing a film holder with a pressure plate. But they are not. They are just what you need for what you want to do. Also, the CombiPlan T works with either sheet film or glass plates. When you initially buy one the film carrier ends are assembled with the curved sides facing each other for sheet film. If you turn them around so the straight grooves are facing each other it is then set up for processing glass plates, up to 6 at a time. In daylight.

[cyrus]

Thanks bob. I am using plate holders for an old 9x12cm folder camera that came with some dryplate holders so I probably can't use the Linhof holders you describe. They can only fit 1mm thick glass. The problem I'm having is locating 1mm thick glass. I only have two sheets which were left in a couple of the holders I already have. If I break them, no more glass negs!
In the long run, if I am successful in using dryplate cameras for wetplate work, I hope to develop the wetplates as negatives, and then will try to enlarge them. No need for a Combiplan to develop small wetplates

[Bob Salomon]

Thanks bob. I am using plate holders for an old 9x12cm folder camera that came with some dryplate holders so I probably can't use the Linhof holders you describe. They can only fit 1mm thick glass. The problem I'm having is locating 1mm thick glass. I only have two sheets which were left in a couple of the holders I already have. If I break them, no more glass negs!
In the long run, if I am successful in using dryplate cameras for wetplate work, I hope to develop the wetplates as negatives, and then will try to enlarge them. No need for a Combiplan to develop small wetplates

Have you tried a scientific glass supplier?

[cyrus]

Have you tried a scientific glass supplier?

REALLY expensive