tried one if those too. Stuck together like irreversibly
Although it been a few years, I've Ferrotyped glossy with Foma FB, it does take practice, a very clean plate, not marred in any way. I don't have access to the ferrotype solution, I use distilled water, squeezy the print face down on a cold plate and let it dry at which time the print will pop off. I don't see how a sheet of plastic will work at all. Today I print 80% RC, don't really have a need for a glossy FB print.
I do not see why for cold ferroyping a acrylic sheet should not work
Maybe the surface of the acrylic is more porous than a ferrotype plate (which is highly polished). Does glass work?
I don't recall every reading that glass or plastic works, not sure why, maybe I took it for granted.
The pattern you are getting is most likely from imperfect contact with the plexi, or water has been trapped between the plexi and the print.
I originally came up with the plexi idea after trying ferrotyping plates and a few other ideas people had back over a decade ago. Everything else was just frustrating. The plexi idea struck me out of the blue because of the static that plexi has. I gave it a try and it worked. I threw it out onto the interwebs at the time and since have seen people reference it but no one does it right. One person even made it a video and mucked it up.
First off the plexi needs to be really clean and free from scratches. Use plastic polish to clean it. Then you need to put a very light coat of wax on the plexi. I use Butcher's wax but someone told me recently that it isn't available anymore*. You need a pure wax, not a silicone wax made for cars. A pure carnauba or beeswax should work. I thin the Butcher's wax with turpentine to get it to be as thin as I can get it. Soak the print in warm or hot water (I use hot tap water) then put it down wet on the plexi. Use a brayer to press the print onto the plexi. Don't be afraid t really press on it. I use a hard plastic brayer as well, not a soft one. If you use clear plexi then you can verify by looking through it that the print has perfect contact. Let the print dry. I put a towel over it so it dries more slowly and evenly. When it is done it will look like it is stuck to the plexi, but that is the static from the plexi. You'll never get the oyster shell patters from plexi like you will from chromed plates. In my experience you won't get any of the problems outside of imperfect contact like your print shows. You'll need something to catch an edge to get the print off the plexi. I use a guitar pick. Peel the print off and if you did it right it will be perfect.
*I just looked up Butcher's wax and apparently it is still made but they dropped the Butcher's in the name. Now it is called Boston Polish.
Maybe a mod can make this post a ferrotype sticky so it isn't lost into the ether of the internet.
I tried it this way except the plexiglass was not transparent like glass and not new and not totally perfect I guess. Also I used Gamlin cold wax medium (beeswax with gamsol). Do you think it is suitable? I am willing to give it a last try following your instructions. I will buy a brand new clear plexiglass sheet. Also if you think that wax is not suitable I'll get some Boston wax.
Here's a fairly comprehensive video from The Naked Photographer AKA Greg Davis. Worth a look IMO
pentaxuser
This thread is kinda full of b.s.....
Take away the b.s., you take away the conversation. No one's life depends on what's written here.
For the price of a sheet of plexiglass you can find old electric print dryer, with a ferrotype plate. Polish the plate squeezy the print on to plate and let it day and pop off. If you wash the canvas cover you can try plugging it in as well. View attachment 312768
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