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Are modern film emulsions vegetarian?

lxdude

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Photo Engineer

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Ratty, referring to patent #5,576,171, a most modern formula, and page 20, paragraph 20, it looks like there are about 7g / sq meter in the single layer example given. This would equate well with a B&W coating of similar properties. With a full color coating you could add 9g/ sq meter for the other layers not present in this single layer. This is about 16 g/ sq meter for color or about 1/9 that in a sq. ft. I used to use 1/10th and thus a sheet of 8x10 film would be about 1.6 g of gelatin in color film (or paper? It is usually lower).
 

trojancast

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I'm confused, are the vegans eating their film?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

RattyMouse

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Thank you PE!
 

smieglitz

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I'm seriously contemplating veganism and fortunately have experience with wetplate collodion and several alternative printing processes that do not (or don't have to) involve animal products. Alternative printing processes include cyanotypes, Van Dyke brownprinting and other kallitypes, platinum/palladium/ziatype printing, crysotypes, salted paper printing and gum bichromate. Daguerreotype offers yet another alternative. If paraffin could be used instead of beeswax, I imagine several other waxed paper processes could also be added to the list. Silver gelatin is not the only way to go.

I had started to move away from wetplate, sold the mobile darkroom, etc., but now I'm rethinking wetplate due to its being vegan-friendly. It is not difficult to do, workshops abound, and now there are even vendors such as Bostick and Sullivan who supply the materials in kit form.
 

RattyMouse

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As a vegetarian, near vegan, approaching his 15th meat free year, let me say this. I agree with what another poster said in this thread earlier. Animals are not killed to make film. No animal will die to make film. Gelatin is a byproduct of the meat industry. That is, it is a waste product from meat production. Either it gets landfilled, incinerated or found to be used some other way. No gelatin is made on purpose.

To me that's good enough to not worry about using products that contain gelatin like film. I won't eat gelatin containing foods on purpose (i'm sure I've eaten plenty unknowingly), just because it's a habit of mine to avoid animal products.
 

Sirius Glass

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If you will refrain from eating film, I will refrain from eating human vegetarians. Other vegetarians are at their own risk vis-a-vis me.
 

RattyMouse

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If you will refrain from eating film, I will refrain from eating human vegetarians. Other vegetarians are at their own risk vis-a-vis me.

Not once have I ever eaten a roll of film. Haven't even come close to it. As much as I like film, it just doesnt look all that tasty to me.
 

Sirius Glass

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Not once have I ever eaten a roll of film. Haven't even come close to it. As much as I like film, it just doesnt look all that tasty to me.

What about sheet film?

Do you know about the animal group called PETA? That means "People Eating Tasty Animals". :devil: My BAD!
 

Gerald C Koch

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If you will refrain from eating film, I will refrain from eating human vegetarians. Other vegetarians are at their own risk vis-a-vis me.

This immediately brought to mind the following story. WC Fields was approached by an irate woman who accused him of not liking children. To which he replied, "Nonsense my good woman; parboiled and in a good sauce they are always delicious." Might the same be said for vegetarians.
 

Sirius Glass

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Let them eat digital!