Originally Posted by
goamules
Yeah, Main Trophy is my source. It's probably the most expensive part of the whole thing. But a 48x24" sheet is about $15 if I recall. I buy it in bulk, get about 10 sheets. It lasts me a year or two. Shooting mostly 5x6 or smaller, a few large ones once in a while.
For the first few years I shot wetplate every week, sometimes daily. Now I just get it out every month or two for a session. I can have my darkroom (laundry) set up in 15 minutes. Camera set up in the yard and composed in 15 more. Shooting and developing, get about 4-5 good plates, and be shut down and cleaned up in an hour or two. Try that with film.
TinCan, glad you're diving in! It's an exciting learning experience. Buy a manual if you can. Quinn's is good, Coffer's better. Even better try to go to a workshop. I used to teach wetplate workshops, and the students would be getting excellent plates in 2-3 hours. Learning on your own, watching a variety of contradictory youtube "experts", it may take you a few weeks or months, and a lot of wasted plates. But it can be self taught too. Just follow ONE person's advice, not 10 or 20.
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