Wet Plate Gear for Beginners

[DannL]

So if I tried to use my current 5x7 field camera then it would probably get messy with Collodion?

Is dry plate any good?

I watched this video/interview the other day. It gives a general overview of the wet plate process. You may find it useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM2aKze_DAY

With gelatin dry plates, and I believe it goes for collodion dry plates also, the plate is allowed to dry prior to being placed in the plate holder. They are different animals though. If you are interested in gelatin dry plates I think we can guide you toward several sources of info on the subject. One being www.thelightfarm.com and another would be http://www.alternativephotography.co...-plate-process

Under Cameras & Photo on Ebay there are folks selling Wet Plates processing outfits. This may be of interest to some.

[BarryS]

If you're neat and careful, you can use any view camera you already own for wet plate with minimal damage. That's minimal damage, though, not no damage. I've been using a Kodak 2D for several years with only a few small silver stains on the inside of the back. In general, I think it's nicer having a dedicated wet plate camera. A beater old camera is great for wet plate--you don't really need a ton of movements, so a vintage field or studio camera is good.

I think there's no better book than A Treatise of Photography on Collodion by Waldack and Neff. It's free and worth reading from cover to cover--and re-reading if you want to understand the process.

[ghostcount]

....since I've tried to (affordably) get some workshops or tutoring here, but so far I've come up short.

Ari,

Try the guys listed here. Not near Ontario but perhaps they might be made available when you contact them.

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=e...ca71132c010427

[Ari]

Barry, I agree about having a dedicated camera for wet plate; my other 4x5 is well-used, and certainly not a display camera by any means, but I'd still hate to get any WP chemicals on it.
Thank you for the link to the book; it's a fun read, the language is certainly of the era.

Randy, thanks for the link.

[goamules]

I suggest you visit Collodion.com and the Facebook wetplate groups. You'll get some pretty good ideas of what to do there, but again, then follow ONE manual/mentor, not everyone.

No, you will not stain your 5x7 unless you have a pretty unusual accident, like tripping while carrying a beaker of silver nitrate.... I've shot wetplate, sometimes 2-3 times a week, for YEARS and not gotten one stain on any of my cameras. It's an internet legend. The old cameras stained because of the way their plate holders worked. Converted film holders won't leak silver, though you will stain the inside of the holder!

Dry plates are not done by many people at all, but of course they are good, it was the next step towards film. Mark Osterman teaches workshops. Creating the emulsion is a multiday, multiple step process. Last time I checked, it was like 20 steps over a week or more. Here is his overview: http://www.thelightfarm.com/Map/Book...n/MapTopic.htm
Wetplate is a breeze comparatively. I can get out my chemistry, pour and shoot 5 plates, and have them drying ready for varnish, my dark room cleaned and converted back to our laundry room, in 1.5 hours.

[Tim Meisburger]

As I recall, the only wet plate specific item I require is a dip tank to sensitise the plates. Anyone know a link for instructions to make one? Actually, I don't really need those, just the angle to tilt the tank. For the dipper, the modern ones are plastic, but what material did they use in the old days?

I had the local distributer for Mavidon deliver a 325ml bottle of colodion yesterday (4200 baht, or about $140 US), but when it arrived I noticed it was the A10, without ether. I sent it back. Since I planned to use the poe boy formula that doesn't use extra ether I figued I would need the collodion with ether (but really have no idea). So the search continues...

[Ari]

As I recall, the only wet plate specific item I require is a dip tank to sensitise the plates. Anyone know a link for instructions to make one? Actually, I don't really need those, just the angle to tilt the tank. For the dipper, the modern ones are plastic, but what material did they use in the old days?

I'd like to know the answer as well; from the few photos I've seen, it looks like a steep angle, 75˚ or so.

Hey, I just found this: http://collodion365.blogspot.ca/2011...lver-tank.html

I had the local distributer for Mavidon deliver a 325ml bottle of colodion yesterday (4200 baht, or about $140 US), but when it arrived I noticed it was the A10, without ether. I sent it back. Since I planned to use the poe boy formula that doesn't use extra ether I figued I would need the collodion with ether (but really have no idea). So the search continues...

I know jack about collodion right now, but I've seen this on eBay; it may be useful:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Collodion-Ne...item3f356bf5af

[Mark Sawyer]

There's no set angle, but about 65 to 75 degrees is good. Just leaning back enough to keep the plate from falling off the front of the dipper and keep the tank from falling over. Yes, you'll need the collodion with a little ether in it for the Poor/Poe/Po' Boy formula. The raw collodion can be stored a long time, but the prepared collodion emulsion only six months or so. I mix smaller batches, about 8 ounces at a time, so it never gets that old.

[Tim Meisburger]

Mark or Garrett. Can either of you have a look at this link (posted above by Ari) and let me know if it makes sense. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Collodion-Ne...item3f356bf5af

What would the shelf life be compared to simple collodion?

[goamules]

I wouldn't buy a salted collodion mix from anyone. Certainly not some random person on Ebay.

Basically, once salted, collodion ripens in a matter of days or a couple weeks. It then begins to age, depending on the salts, turning from yellow, to amber, or red, to dark red. It looses sensitivity and toughness as it ages, and the contrast can increase (some people don't notice this much). At some point, maybe 3-5 months, it is not ideal and should be mixed with a fresh batch. I've used 8 month old collodion, especially if it's been kept in a refrigerator. But when I mix a fresh batch, I'm shocked at how much better it is. Using old collodion is like a frog in a pan of water, slowly heated to boiling - you don't know how bad it is because the change is gradual.

Now I know Mark has good success using very old stuff - but he has explored some innovative techniques.