Wet Plate Collodion Blank!

[Heather Love]

I am a beginner to the wet plate world. I have been dealing with all types of issues. Recently, I thought I had finally got it. Then, all my plates starting ending up blank. There is nothing at all on them. I am using an enlarger for the time being, until I get use to the process. I even took a wet plate, that I had just sensitized, out into the sun and nothing at all happened. Could it be my silver is ruined?

[BarryS]

Hi Heather-- Can you describe what you mean by "blank"? Are you using aluminum or glass plates? Is your aluminum plate black or completely creamy white? Is your glass plate clear or creamy white and opaque? After you sensitize your plates in the silver bath, what do they look like? Clear/black or creamy? Do you see any image form or change when you add the developer? How exactly are you doing your development?

[eddie]

it is most likely NOT your silver bath. i have flowed over 4000 square inches of plates in my 1.5 liter bath before i did any maintenance to it at all. the silver bath should be your last place to look at....IMO. it is the most expensive chemical so it is best not to mess with it till you are 145.99% sure it is the problem. (checking your SG is good to do as you go anyway)

tell us about your developer. can you post some of your good plates as well? how long do you put it in the silver bath?

tell us a bit more please

[Heather Love]

Hi Heather-- Can you describe what you mean by "blank"? Are you using aluminum or glass plates? Is your aluminum plate black or completely creamy white? Is your glass plate clear or creamy white and opaque? After you sensitize your plates in the silver bath, what do they look like? Clear/black or creamy? Do you see any image form or change when you add the developer? How exactly are you doing your development?

I am using glass plates. They are coming out clear after I sensitize them and also after I develop them. There is no image form at all. I am using the Osterman's formula to develop.

[Heather Love]

it is most likely NOT your silver bath. i have flowed over 4000 square inches of plates in my 1.5 liter bath before i did any maintenance to it at all. the silver bath should be your last place to look at....IMO. it is the most expensive chemical so it is best not to mess with it till you are 145.99% sure it is the problem. (checking your SG is good to do as you go anyway)

tell us about your developer. can you post some of your good plates as well? how long do you put it in the silver bath?

tell us a bit more please

Here is the formula I use for the Developer:

Mixing Developer
1. Pour 355 ml. distilled water into 500 ml beaker.
2. Add 15 grams ferrous sulfate and stir vigorously.
3. Add 14 ml glacial acetic acid.
4. Optional: Add 18 ml of 190 proof alcohol
5. Put loosely packed cotton in the neck of the funnel and filter the
developer. Repeat this step at least two more times; cleaning the funnel,
beaker and bottle with clean water at every opportunity and packing the
cotton tighter each time.


BTW: I've had the developer maybe 4 weeks.

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

...They are coming out clear after I sensitize them...

They should be opaque after the silver bath. If not there is either a problem with your salted collodion or (less likely) your silver bath. Have you produced good plates before this?

[Heather Love]

They should be opaque after the silver bath. If not there is either a problem with your salted collodion or (less likely) your silver bath. Have you produced good plates before this?

Yes, I have made good plates with the same chemicals before this. I don't know if this helps but, it seems when I remove my plate from the silver bath that it is a lot wetter in appearance than usual.

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

A few more questions:

Same collodion or a new batch?
What do you mean wetter? perhaps an image of what wetter looks like might help.
Have you done anything to the silver since using it successfully?

[BarryS]

Just a guess, but I think you may have mistaken another solution for your silver bath. As Jason mentioned, the sensitized plates should be creamy and opaque when they're removed from the silver bath. The fact that they're clear using a previously good batch of collodion means the "silver" bath isn't working at all for some reason. Is there a chance you mistook another solution for your silver bath? Do a few drops on a sheet of paper, produce a dark spot? Is it the same batch of salted collodion? Did you forget to add the salts to the collodion?