High-Sensitivity Collodion Formulas: UVP-X, Lea Formula 3, and Alternatives?

I mainly use the collodion formula (KI/CdBr) from Osterman's manual, but I recently read that UV Photographics' UVP-X has higher sensitivity and a longer storage life.

This UVP-X collodion uses lithium, but is its recipe publicly available? If I were living in the U.S., I could order it, but since they do not offer international shipping, I would like to mix it myself if the formula is accessible.

Additionally, I have read that Lea Formula 3 is a relatively fast-working collodion. If you have information about its recipe or characteristics, I would appreciate it.

Since I primarily shoot portraits, I prefer a collodion with higher sensitivity. Ammonium-based formulas tend to have a short storage life, so if you know of any other high-sensitivity collodion formulas, I would greatly appreciate your recommendations.

Thank you!

D_Quinn said:

I mainly use the collodion formula (KI/CdBr) from Osterman's manual, but I recently read that UV Photographics' UVP-X has higher sensitivity and a longer storage life.

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UVP-X is slightly faster than other recipes, it's true. But the extra speed doesn't make a whole lot of difference in practice. Yes, it has a very long shelf life - you can expect a bottle to last 12-18 months

D_Quinn said:

This UVP-X collodion uses lithium, but is its recipe publicly available?

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No. It's proprietary - created by Brian at UV Photographics. The recipe is not publicly available.

D_Quinn said:

If I were living in the U.S., I could order it, but since they do not offer international shipping, I would like to mix it myself if the formula is accessible.

Additionally, I have read that Lea Formula 3 is a relatively fast-working collodion. If you have information about its recipe or characteristics, I would appreciate it.

Click to expand...

The Lea recipes have been published, but I can't recall where they are listed. Maybe in Silver Sunbeam?

D_Quinn said:

Since I primarily shoot portraits, I prefer a collodion with higher sensitivity. Ammonium-based formulas tend to have a short storage life, so if you know of any other high-sensitivity collodion formulas, I would greatly appreciate your recommendations.

Thank you!

Click to expand...

retina_restoration said:

UVP-X is slightly faster than other recipes, it's true. But the extra speed doesn't make a whole lot of difference in practice. Yes, it has a very long shelf life - you can expect a bottle to last 12-18 months

No. It's proprietary - created by Brian at UV Photographics. The recipe is not publicly available.

The Lea recipes have been published, but I can't recall where they are listed. Maybe in Silver Sunbeam?

Click to expand...

Thanks for the answers.

I found the recipe for Lea Formula #3 in this link.
https://www.largeformatphotography....php?101014-Collodion-Wet-Plate-Images/page209

Lea Formula #3
40.0mL Collodion 4%w/v
22.8mL Diethyl Ether
37.2mL Ethanol 95%
1.08g Cadmium Iodide
0.41g Cadmium Bromide

Based on your experience, what do you think is the fastest collodion with a relatively longer shelf life?

D_Quinn said:

Thanks for the answers.

I found the recipe for Lea Formula #3 in this link.
https://www.largeformatphotography....php?101014-Collodion-Wet-Plate-Images/page209

Lea Formula #3
40.0mL Collodion 4%w/v
22.8mL Diethyl Ether
37.2mL Ethanol 95%
1.08g Cadmium Iodide
0.41g Cadmium Bromide

Based on your experience, what do you think is the fastest collodion with a relatively longer shelf life?

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The fact is that all of the various collodion recipes are very close in speed. At most, you will find there is maybe a one stop difference in their effective speeds, and all of them suffer from loss of speed as they age.

In my experience, UVP-X has the best shelf life of them all. I've Used several,. including Lea #3 and I found Lea #3 wasn't a whole lot better than Old Workhorse in terms of shelf life - it was decent, but it was pretty much unusable at the 12 month point.
I currently have some UVP-Z and it seems to be very stable as well. Mine is about 10 months old and performs as well as the day I received it. Again, it's a proprietary recipe, so you won't find the formula to DIY.

retina_restoration said:

The fact is that all of the various collodion recipes are very close in speed. At most, you will find there is maybe a one stop difference in their effective speeds, and all of them suffer from loss of speed as they age.

In my experience, UVP-X has the best shelf life of them all. I've Used several,. including Lea #3 and I found Lea #3 wasn't a whole lot better than Old Workhorse in terms of shelf life - it was decent, but it was pretty much unusable at the 12 month point.
I currently have some UVP-Z and it seems to be very stable as well. Mine is about 10 months old and performs as well as the day I received it. Again, it's a proprietary recipe, so you won't find the formula to DIY.

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I see.
If you have ever tried Osterman’s recipe with KI and CdBr2, I am curious to know what you think about it compared with other collodions.

D_Quinn said:

I see.
If you have ever tried Osterman’s recipe with KI and CdBr2, I am curious to know what you think about it compared with other collodions.

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I have. There are several common recipes that use Potassium iodide and Cadmium bromide as the salts and they are all very similar. Quinn Jacobson's "Quick Clear" recipe is one of those. I've used it and it works well, but given its formula, it behaves just like most of the standard recipes: it doesn't have much of a shelf life, and it is typically rated at 1ASA when fresh and after 3 or 4 months, it drops to half that and keeps dropping.
Old Workhorse is similar, but adds one more salt to the recipe and I find it lasts longer and doesn't lose speed as much. Old Workhorse is my favorite Collodion to work with, as I find it has the most to offer and easiest to use for any purpose (Ambrotypes, negatives, etc)

retina_restoration said:

I have. There are several common recipes that use Potassium iodide and Cadmium bromide as the salts and they are all very similar. Quinn Jacobson's "Quick Clear" recipe is one of those. I've used it and it works well, but given its formula, it behaves just like most of the standard recipes: it doesn't have much of a shelf life, and it is typically rated at 1ASA when fresh and after 3 or 4 months, it drops to half that and keeps dropping.
Old Workhorse is similar, but adds one more salt to the recipe and I find it lasts longer and doesn't lose speed as much. Old Workhorse is my favorite Collodion to work with, as I find it has the most to offer and easiest to use for any purpose (Ambrotypes, negatives, etc)

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Thank you for your comments. I’ve made Quick Clear before and liked its tonality, but I remember it didn’t last as long as I expected in terms of its sensitivity. I’m going to try Old Workhorse next time.