Are there any tutorials on how to modify film holders?

[drgoose]

Do you know of a good tutorial on how to modify a 4x5 filmholder to accept either glass or metal plates for doing tintypes or ambrotypes. Or does anyone sell these premade?

Thanks in advance

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Do you mean like this?

Modifying a normal 4x5" film holder into a wet plate holder

Or when price is no object, like these?

In Camera Industries

Ken

 

[drgoose]

Ken why does he insist on using pure silver wire?

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

I'm not a wet plate guy so this is just speculation, but he may be trying to avoid contaminating the still damp emulsion with reaction byproducts created by wires made from another material?

I've also seen this same design implemented by taking the main septum cutout piece, trimming four triangles off the corners of that, then epoxying those triangles to slightly overlap the corners of the rectangular septum cutout, similar to the corner wires used in the example.

That's a simpler design that also requires no further sourcing of materials.

Ken

 

[Alex Timmermans]

Silver nitrate will "eat" any metal very fast except a pure silver wire (or stainless steel).
Thats why you need to use silver wire. Also make sure you cover the aluminium cuts with a lackers.
otherwise you will have a lot of contamination. Good luck with modifying your plate holder. It's much easier than it looks like. Just take your time. Alex

 

[drgoose]

where do you get silver wire?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[paul_c5x4]

ebay, specialist craft store, jewelry stores that make custom items...

 

[bvy]

Or when price is no object, like these?

In Camera Industries

You weren't lying. The 8x10 holder costs more than my 8x10 camera did.