I have watched Coffer video and will follow his methods. I will buy his deliverables after I get the kit

I will not be traveling much anymore. Hopefully!

I know chem safety, worked in labs most of my life and as fabricator of anything

Quote Originally Posted by goamules View Post
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.