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Thread: Wet Plate - A Beginner's Experience

  1. #31

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    Re: Wet Plate - A Beginner's Experience

    Quote Originally Posted by Ari View Post
    Since the intention with flowing the plate is only to "excite" the silver bath, there's no need to ensure that anything sticks to the glass plate.
    Anyone, correct me if I'm wrong.
    Actually, Ari, that's not true! That collodion has to stick to the glass for several hours while in the silver bath, and for that, the plate has to be meticulously clean.

    StayFrosty, have you looked at videos instructing how to correctly prepare a glass plate for pouring collodion? (See: https://youtu.be/B0rvfo71ZNM) You need some Calcium carbonate (whiting, or powdered chalk. The B&S kit includes some, I believe) and alcohol to mix a thick solution to clean the plate. The idea is that the Calcium will abrade the glass slightly, making a surface the collodion can more easily adhere to. If you skip this step, there is risk the collodion will slough off into the silver bath, and then you will have some serious clean-up to do.

    If you perform this cleaning step properly, you will not need to coat the glass with albumen, and in fact, its probably not ideal to introduce albumen into your silver bath for hours and hours. Just clean the plate properly.

  2. #32
    Foamer
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    Re: Wet Plate - A Beginner's Experience

    The collodion will stick well enough without egg whites for this.


    Kent in SD
    In contento ed allegria
    Notte e di vogliam passar!

  3. #33
    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Re: Wet Plate - A Beginner's Experience

    Good save, Paul. I'm glad to have people much more knowledgeable than I answering critical questions here.

  4. #34
    ghostcount's Avatar
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    Re: Wet Plate - A Beginner's Experience

    Find someone who does wpc near your area, ask for a few ml of used silver nitrate, drop it in to your freshly made silver bath, then carry on.
    "Sex is like maths, add the bed, subtract the clothes, divide the whoo hoo and hope you don't multiply." - Leather jacket guy

  5. #35

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    Re: Wet Plate - A Beginner's Experience

    Quote Originally Posted by ghostcount View Post
    Find someone who does wpc near your area, ask for a few ml of used silver nitrate, drop it in to your freshly made silver bath, then carry on.
    That sounds like much more effort than just putting a collodion coated plate in the silver bath for a few hours. Frosty is in Scotland, so finding another Collodion photographer nearby may not be easy.
    Also, if the silver bath is a substantial volume (like a liter) then its going to take more than "a few ml" to season the bath properly.

  6. #36
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    Re: Wet Plate - A Beginner's Experience

    Quote Originally Posted by paulbarden View Post
    That sounds like much more effort than just putting a collodion coated plate in the silver bath for a few hours. Frosty is in Scotland, so finding another Collodion photographer nearby may not be easy.
    Also, if the silver bath is a substantial volume (like a liter) then its going to take more than "a few ml" to season the bath properly.
    As far as the amount Dunniway says about 5-10mL for a liter should be sufficient.

    Still an option to consider if available and I only mention because Ari might know someone - best to know options and let them decide. Besides he wouldn't have to wait the next day. The way these guys sound they are anxious.
    "Sex is like maths, add the bed, subtract the clothes, divide the whoo hoo and hope you don't multiply." - Leather jacket guy

  7. #37

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    Re: Wet Plate - A Beginner's Experience

    Quote Originally Posted by ghostcount View Post
    As far as the amount Dunniway says about 5-10mL for a liter should be sufficient.
    That's very interesting, and surprising. I wouldn't have thought 5-10 ml of well-used silver bath would be enough to kick start a fresh one! Thanks for that info.

  8. #38

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    Re: Wet Plate - A Beginner's Experience

    Several years ago, Sally Mann said, "You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a wetplate photographer." It was, of course an exaggeration.

    I have posed for two wetplate portraits by "Worlds Fastest" Bob Gibson. Actually they are one wetplate and one tin type. They can certainly be great looking.

  9. #39
    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Re: Wet Plate - A Beginner's Experience

    Quote Originally Posted by ghostcount View Post
    The way these guys sound they are anxious.
    Pretty much, yeah.
    Quite anxious to start, but still willing to take it slow and do it right.
    In my case, I don't think I'll need to season a plate, the B&S kit makes no mention of it.

    EDIT: Just spoke to Dana at B&S, he recommends exciting the silver bath for 5 minutes, and he even went so far as to question the usefulness of doing so.
    I think I'll still use a piece of glass and leave it in overnight.

  10. #40
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: Wet Plate - A Beginner's Experience

    A 2014 view of learning wet plate

    Well written and documented

    https://medium.com/vantage/a-first-t...y-495680004324
    Tin Can

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