Fresh dry plates in a variety of sizes

[Nodda Duma]

Randy Moe,

Can you tell me if 4.96" length (126mm) would be ok? How much clearance would that give you in your adapter? I can't go much shorter because they will fall out of antique holders, but that is the length I'm settling into as a compromise.



Btw, I've been using Ilford's washing method for years with film and it works great. I follow it up with a dunk of the film in photoflo solution and hang to dry

[Tin Can]

My 1906 Primo 4X5 LN plate holders are 4.060" wide 4.815 long at the opening, but there is a slight ledge above the plate's 'home' I can't measure inside it. At the other end, there is a spring in a deep slot where the glass goes.This spring must be compressed to load any plate, then released and the plate is captive under the other ledge and the the deep slot.

My Kodak 4X5 wood inserts are for a Kodak 5X7 plate holder. 4.015 wide at the smallest and 5.02 in length. All measurements +-0.01. Perhaps Basswood. Notice your plate cannot fit in the insert. Hard for me to determine under safelight and crappy fingers. They were forced into the Premo holders. My holders are in such good shape I hesitate to ruin them with oversize glass. NOS is hard to find.

Premo 4X5 2 by moe.randy, on Flickr

Premo 4X5 1 by moe.randy, on Flickr

Kodak 4X5 insert glass won't fit by moe.randy, on Flickr

[Steven Tribe]

Steven,

Those dimensions seem to be tight for whole plate. Is there any way you can do a fit check and let me know if the plates fit?

I assumed, from an example I had measured, that whole plate holders had 16.76cm (6.6") wide openings. I also had original whole plates to base my cuts off. They were exactly 6.5 x 8.5.

The width (6.5") is just OK for mine and the length (8.5") has plenty of clearance. This makes for easier installation.
Will do a check and give feedback.

To be honest, old wood plate holders have shrunk a little in the last 100 years - as well as now being a little out of square, perhaps! So, a little narrower than the original 6.5" (and 4", 5", 8" etc.) would give a easier fit? There appears to be extra clearance given in the longer dimension.

Any thoughts about hardening in the stop bath?

[Nodda Duma]

I don't have any thoughts to add about hardener in the stop bath...never tried it. I've seen reference to hardener bath before development, but not the stop.

I'll dig around if I get a chance and let you know what I find out.

-Jason

[barnacle]

Jason,

A data point for you: MPP wooden glass plate holders, circa 1948?, have an absolute maximum dimension for the glass of 102mm wide by 127mm. The size of the aperture, i.e. the exposed area, is 102mm by 120mm. Can't see an easy way to measure the maximum glass thickness but the metal film inserts I made years ago for them are 2mm thick at the edges.

Neil

[Nodda Duma]

Thanks, barnacle. My plates would fit.

[jnantz]

i got a box of nodda duma's dry plates
and they are fun to work with.
much better coated than i have ever done !
i don't have any scans of my results
but i used them for darkroom work
instead of camera work ..
good stuff! you won't be disappointed if you get a box
thanks for this fun product nodda duma!
john

[Two23]

Randy Moe,

Can you tell me if 4.96" length (126mm) would be ok? How much clearance would that give you in your adapter? I can't go much shorter because they will fall out of antique holders, but that is the length I'm settling into as a compromise.

126mm is just barely long enough for my Graphics holders, but I think it would work.


Kent in SD

[Tin Can]

Sorry 223, this is not aimed at you.

We need to decide if we measure in metric or SAE.

My reliable Starrett dial caliber is SAE. American made holders we are using are measured in inches, they were made that way.

I CAN convert but don't want to. I am not a Luddite and have worked with both systems all my life. However, if I need a calculator every time we post. I am dismayed.

It is also very inconsistent for one of us to measure in SAE and the next to use Metric.

J, Lane is selling plates in any size. Let's hear his opinion. IDK

However, I have 6 plates left that don't fit my 2 different brand USA made SAE holders. Or is that ANSI.

2.54 forever...

[Nodda Duma]

Randy, I've got a new set of plates heading your way. The first plates that went out had two issues that I've addressed in newer plates:

I used to cut glass to size with hand-cutter. This worked fine for all my holders but it's obviously causing problems. I have a benchtop cutter now which makes straight cuts like from a factory. But more awesome because I cut them.

Glass was cut to 4.0" x 5.0" to match the dimensions of antique plates. While I fit check each plate that went out to ensure they fit in antique (and what I thought was representative) holders, I now cut them undersized to dimensions (regardless of the units) which ensures they'll fit every holder I'm now aware of.

I've also started treating the edges for safety, and I've added a round notch on the upper right edge like what's done for sheet film and for the same reason.

As for standard vs metric, I worked as a lens designer for the Navy for years and learned to mentally convert between the standard units we used on drawings and the metric units that lens designers use in prescriptions. It was the same way in the private sector after I left. So I can convert between them like Pope John Paul II could bounce back and forth between languages during a conversation, and when I do it's just habit.

I'll try to post values in both metric and standard from now on. Like this: New plates have nominal dimensions of 4.961" x 3.937" (126x100 mm). Regardless of the units, I'm confident the new plates will fit much easier than plates from the first public run.

I do appreciate the feedback..without it there's no way to fix these issues.

-Jason