Dry Plates (handmade) - Tips & Tricks, Experiences & Examples . . .

[urnem57]

Thanks.

[paulbarden]

Is it advisable/necessary to use Eco-Wash or hypo clear after fixing dry plates? (Both home made w/Foma Emulsion & J. Lane Plates)
When washing these plates, should that be done in a still tray of water? Or a tray with gently running water well away from the plates?
I understand that the gelatin is swollen and the emulsion must be pretty soft at this point, too. (That last sentence is a set up for some terrible jokes)
Thanks in advance.

I recently bought a bottle of that Foma Photo Emulsion with the idea of making my own dry plates for negatives. I set about prepping 5x7 inch glass two nights ago, and followed the same protocol for prepping for wet plate negatives: thorough cleaning of glass with a suspension of calcium carbonate, scrubbing both surfaces extremely well, washing under hot water, then a final rinse in distilled and hung up to dry. I cut my own glass to fit and use a sharpening stone to de-burr the edges on both top and bottom. This step is important, as it gives the emulsion something to hang on to on the edges.
I scooped out a couple tablespoons of Foma emulsion into a black film canister and warmed it in hot water to melt it, and syringed it onto warm glass (don't try to pour onto cold glass or it won't flow well.) I left it in a dark box to dry for two days and exposed my first plate this afternoon. I developed it for 4.5 minutes in home made D-23, rinsed in plain water, and fixed in a hardening fixer. Then I washed it in running water for 25 minutes and racked it to dry. In all, it was quite easy (though time consuming) and the emulsion adhered to the glass extremely well without any subbing or other black magic. A meticulously cleaned plate will hold the emulsion just fine without any subbing trickery.
Anyway, here's a scan of the negative:

[urnem57]

Wow! That’s very nice. And encouraging. Thanks. You had a much more successful first attempt then I did.

[paulbarden]

Wow! That’s very nice. And encouraging. Thanks. You had a much more successful first attempt then I did.

It helps that I have a lot of experience making wet plate glass negatives. Just clean your glass really well and you’ll be fine.

[pound]

It helps that I have a lot of experience making wet plate glass negatives. Just clean your glass really well and you’ll be fine.

that is a very nice plate. I will try to get a bottle of FOMA emulsion to try too.

[ernie57]

Ok. I finally got out and shot 4 plates today. They are still drying or I would post pictures. Naturally, The J Lane plate came out perfect. My hand poured ones? Well not so much for a first try.
One of them had a mess on the non emulsion side - fingerprints and streaks of undeveloped white emulsion that did not clear. If it’s unexposed, does it not develop or fix away? I also screwed up which side was coated and which wasn’t. I have a way to fix that. My other questions are:
1. Does developer (HC110 Dil. B) develop the clear part of the image? Is that why it’s done in a white tray?
2. Does the fix remove anything unexposed? The clear or dark part?
3. Can fixing be done in the light after a bit of time has passed? Say 5 minutes into a 10 minute fix?
4. I was afraid to scratch or damage the good parts of the image by trying to wipe or scrape away the solid white emulsion (unsure which side had emulsion on it) I tried doubling the developing time and doubling the fix time, but it would not clear. Can it be scraped off with a razor once it’s dry?
5. Why are there sections of white emulsion that do not appear to have been exposed or develop away when the rest of the plate has an image. Is it on the opposite side of the emulsion? I can’t feel a difference with my fingers.
Thanks in advance. This is really a kick. I have a new found respect of the earlier photographers who had to pour their own plates. It’s tricky and like everything with LFP, it offers multiple options to screw it all up.

Update: as they are dying, some of the areas that were white have cleared, but they are bubbles that are not adhered to the glass. I’ll put up some scans tomorrow.

[mpj01]

very nice

[DannL-USA]

Wow! Ten years went by fast. I completely fergot about this thread.

[mpj01]

Very nice image. Good to hear of the results not using a sub. What hardening fixer did you use?

[jnantz]

Very nice image. Good to hear of the results not using a sub. What hardening fixer did you use?

hi

not sure if you are asking me but since I can't help myself ... I use either plain hypo with sprint alum hardener or I use sprint speed fixer with alum hardener..
I also sometimes put the plates in a hardening bath after the water bath (I use in place of stop bath) then right into the fixer .. it's been a while though I was just looking at a stack of glass and was thinking I should coat something soon seeing it's leap-day and all that ..

have fun!
John