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

[urnem57]

Ok. Making great strides thanks to this forum. I have 4x5 glass plates subbed w/a Rollei Gelatin & chrome alum mixture. That part went pretty well for my first try. One plate has some streaks on it, the others are quite clear. They are dried. I am now going to coat them today. I am using Foma Emulsion for the foreseeable future, as I learn my process. My question is about exposure. I will be shooting them with a Speed Graphic with an Aero Ektar f2.5 lens. What ISO is the ball park to begin with? I also have a blue 47 filter to put over my incident meter for a rough idea of exposures. I realize that testing, testing, testing is the name of the game but I am uncertain as to where to start as far as ISO and exposures go with this new endeavor. Thanks in advance.

The other trick I learned was in response to my above post. It was suggested to use clear plastic triangles instead of wire to support the plates. Plastic from a cd case apparently does the trick. I will report back once I try everything.

[urnem57]

Well....that was an unmitigated disaster. The emulsion melted down well enough in 35mm film cans, but it was like doing wax-resist painting. When I went to pour the emulsion on the plates, it was practically beading up and not sticking at all. Whether I poured directly from the film can or tried a syringe I could not get any adhesion. I washed the plates with calcium carbonate, a drop of dish soap, and scrubbed them with a cotton pad. I let them dry thoroughly and then subbed them according to these instructions:

Preparation of subbing layer (done under normal lighting). It is essential that an initial subbing layer be attached to the glass, or else the emulsion layer will simply detach during tray development. Although varnish may work too, the traditional gelatin subbing layer is the most
e$ective. In addition, it can be removed with bleach if one wishes to reuse the glass. The following recipe is what I use for a batch of four 4×5′′ plates, though far more plates could be treated with this amount:

A. Heat up 50ml. of distilled water to a maximum of 50 degrees C. (about 125 degrees F.) in a beaker. Then pour 1g. (1/4 teaspoon) of chrome alum into this water and stir with a standard darkroom paddle until dissolved. Without this hardening agent the subbing layer tends to frill and sometimes completely separate from the glass during tray development; so the small expense is worth it.

B. Sprinkle 3.5g. of gelatin onto surface of 236ml. (1 cup) of distilled water. Let this stand for 10-15 minutes so that the gelatin can swell up. Then heat up the mixture until the gelatin is dissolved. Pour contents into a third container that is speci#ed for photographic use only.

C. Add 5ml. (1 teaspoon) of chrome alum hardener solution (from step A) to gelatin solution to make a total of approximately 240ml.

D. Add approx. 15ml. (1 tablespoon) of Photo-Flo to this same mixture to make approx. 255ml. of gelatin/chrome alum/Photo-Flo solution.
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E. While the solution is still warm, pour it over the glass plate and spread evenly by tilting the glass. Because it isn’t always easy to see which surface has gelatin, I go ahead and pour gelatin over both surfaces. Once this is done, carefully lean the glass against a vertical surface to dry. In order to prevent excess gelatin from collecting at the lower end I drain o$ most of the excess and allow the surface to cool somewhat before placing it vertically. Allow the plates to dry for at least 6-8 hours before proceeding with the next phase.

The chrome alum solution (the 45ml. left over) will only keep for about a day, so it should be disposed of. Why the waste? Because I can’t measure a smaller amount accurately. I keep any left over gelatin/chrome alum/Photo-Flo solution in the refrigerator for a day or two in case I wish to make more plates. After three or more days this solution loses it’s beneficial properties and should be disposed of. (Source: The Dry Plate Process. Mark Scholer Peterson. www.alternativephotography.com)

Where am I way off the mark? I can reuse the coated plates by cleaning with bleach, correct?
I stopped after 2 and had 4 more ready to go. I didn’t want to waste more emulsion.
I realize that there’s a learning curve to this and am willing to pay the tuition for the lesson.
I already have a new and better appreciation for how good the guys that had to do it this way were.
Thanks in advance.

[urnem57]

A little help, please?

[Tin Can]

Have you been to http://www.thelightfarm.com/Map/DryP...PlatePart1.htm

There is a lot to study

[urnem57]

Have you been to http://www.thelightfarm.com/Map/DryP...PlatePart1.htm

There is a lot to study

No. I didn’t know about this site. Thanks.

[paulbarden]

I suspect that as long as you've cleaned the glass scrupulously and rinsed with distilled water at the end, you can coat the glass without subbing. The guy who publishes Lost Light Art (Nejc) in Slovenia makes his own dry plates on glass, using the Foma emulsion and all he does is clean the glass. See: https://lostlightphotography.com/coa...step-tutorial/

[urnem57]

Thanks Paul. He’s who inspired me to try this in the first place. His video showed up in my “Recommened” feed on YT. The kid is very knowledgeable and easy to follow.
Update: I tried coating again last night without subbing. It went much better, but was still kind of sloppy and uneven. This is an art. I am at the bottom of the learning curve, but this session did boost my confidence. I’m just going to keep doing it. I am going to work my way into some variation on this theme: http://www.thelightfarm.com/cgi-bin/...tent=03Nov2011. In the meantime I will continue to pour by hand and improve a bit each time. The learning process is twofold - I learn from both what works and what doesn’t. Thanks for the help and I’ll keep posting on the progress. I also completely understand why someone set out to invent a machine to do this process. Although there is a beauty to the hand-poured aesthetic as well.

[Tin Can]

The Lost Light Link is very good and well presented

I suspect that as long as you've cleaned the glass scrupulously and rinsed with distilled water at the end, you can coat the glass without subbing. The guy who publishes Lost Light Art (Nejc) in Slovenia makes his own dry plates on glass, using the Foma emulsion and all he does is clean the glass. See: https://lostlightphotography.com/coa...step-tutorial/

[urnem57]

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.

[Kiwi7475]

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 run them with flowing water for 10 min using a Paterson washer (obviously they just sink to the bottom) and then 30 sec photo flo on a tray. Never had an issue with the emulsion.