Making a photographic plate by hand

[Photo Engineer]

Bob;

I have the formula and have Mark's permission to give it to my students, but not to post it. That will have to wait, as I respect his rights to it.

As for dry or wet plate coating, you would have to talk to an expert in that field. I only coat silver halide emulsions from gelatin in water.

PE

 

[Martin Reed]

Hello Martin...

I am having one HELL of a time trying to get a copy of your book on the used market. Can you please post ordering details as soon as the new printing becomes available?

Thank you,

Bob M.

I certainly will - I think this time I'll salt enough away so there's some stock left after Amazon have finished knocking it out. However the forthcoming book from Photo Engineer is going to demote it from pole position without a doubt, & is going to be very important in the period we're entering.

Martin

 

[Photo Engineer]

I certainly will - I think this time I'll salt enough away so there's some stock left after Amazon have finished knocking it out. However the forthcoming book from Photo Engineer is going to demote it from pole position without a doubt, & is going to be very important in the period we're entering.

Martin

Martin, thanks but, it can only sell if it gets published.

I'm at about page 100 of the rough draft. I have a lot of reorganizing to do and lots of figures to draw, cut, paste or scan. And, I have to get permission to use some of the material, I think.

PE

 

[z-man]

nitro cellulose anyone???

I'm just starting to learn how to coat dry plates so I'm curious and a tad confused, what the difference between the two methods? How the plate is held or, is there more to it?

i'm dazed and confused my self-we are forming support groups

colloidon very toxic to mix-very different from gelatine

dry plate very different from wet plate

exactly what are you coating? what is /are your sources of instruction?

what is your end product? -8x10" plate for continous tone neg not same as 6x6mm plate for trans holo in techniques used-many different ways to climb mountain

the method for coating any thing is a hot button topic

vaya con dios

 

[Douglas]

A simple gravy separator, available from a kitchen supply, does well in pouring bubble-free emulsion too. I have a crude three layer color plate coated this way as well as pictorial b&W plates.
Douglas.

 

[Photo Engineer]

The latest result that I posted in another thread here was a plate coated with a plate coating blade set at 7 mil undercut. A photo of this method is shown in the slide show also posted here in the sticky thread.

A teapot will suffice to coat plates as well, as Mark has demonstrated.

PE

 

[EASmithV]

Ok, I understand his coating technique, but what's with the popcorn?

 

[studiocarter]

where?

The latest result that I posted in another thread here was a plate coated with a plate coating blade set at 7 mil undercut. A photo of this method is shown in the slide show also posted here in the sticky thread.

A teapot will suffice to coat plates as well, as Mark has demonstrated.

PE

Please post a link to the slide show and photo. Thanks,

Michael Carter

 

[Photo Engineer]

Here: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

When the video portion of APUG was installed, this video was misplaced somehow.

PE

 

[studiocarter]

Nice, thanks. I'd like to see more on coating glass plates of different sizes, too.
What is a mag. stirrer? Where can I get some of that lab equip? Weight Watchers has a food scale in tenths of a gram or the other one that I'll use if accurate enough, otherwise I have an old Kodak scale with little weights.

Michael Carter

 

[Photo Engineer]

Michael;

I can coat any size plate or film or paper. There is a more complete demo on the DVD when it issues. My stirrer is temperature controlled and comes from Corning. I bought my scale from the Formulary. I also bought a surplus Sartorius scale good from 1 mg - 10 kg in a Kodak surplus sale here in Rochester.

PE

 

[Crashbox]

I would absolutely love to get my hands on this DVD when it does issue! Is it possible to pre-order?

Also, for the record- I really value the information you supply here, Photo Engineer, and your willingness to do so. ***MAJOR*** kudos to you!!!

 

[Photo Engineer]

Thanks very much. I am sorry but I am taking no preorders on the book or DVD. I will announce availability here on APUG when the time comes.

PE

 

[Crashbox]

Cool. Thank you for letting me know, I'll keep one eye focused on APUG (which I have been, lately, anyway

 

[studiocarter]

Any size? My old Indian Vageeswari dry plate outfit takes 12x15 glass. I don't even have a light table for that size yet. Some day.

Michael

 

[Photo Engineer]

Well, by using the hand pouring method, any size can be coated depending on the skill of the operator. I also happen to have a 12" coating blade.

So......... Any size.

PE

 

[ChasBosio]

PE:

Thank you for this great information. This method is very interesting.
I will must give it a try with my wet plate camera.

Charles

 

[kq6up]

This website has some good info:

http://www.thelightfarm.com/

I really like the look of his hand made ortho film.

Have any of you guys tried hand coating with commercial ready made emulsion? Here is an example:

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/174052-Fomaspeed-Liquid-Emulsion-1-KG-+-Hardener-15ml?cat_id=108

Regards,
Chris Maness

 

[vpwphoto]

Fun... thanks.
Always wondered about those donkey riding 16x20 wet plate photographers and how the heck they did it.
Thanks PE and crew!!!

 

[Photo Engineer]

Well, don't forget the workshop I am giving at George Eastman House in October on making 3 grades of Azo type paper for printing all of these LF plates and film coatings! Next year, we hope to run a Kodabromide type enlarging workshop and later on give the ortho emulsion a run or two.

PE

 

[Verveineverte]

Do I understand properly, that the plate here is being coated with regular emulsion? Not collodium?

 

[Photo Engineer]

Yes, photographic emulsion, not collodian. However, collodian cannot be excluded entirely.

PE

 

[Tobychrome]

Sorry for posting on an old but none the less important thread, but would it be cheaper to coat glass plates than it would for me to buy sheet film, I have an old press camera that I would like to use but the size of sheet film (1/4 plate) is not available and if it is, it is quite expensive. I would be prepared to cut the sheet film however I would like to practice my chemistry skills by coating my own plates. Would anyone know how much emulsion is required to coat a quarter plate or perhaps a whole plate that I will cut into quarters. Also would anyone know of a emulsion that is relatively affordable on silver nitrate. There is a supply in my country where I can purchase it in 10 gram lots.
Regards

 

[Photo Engineer]

You would use about 12 ml to coat a 4x5 plate with the excess being re-usable if you collect runoff and reuse it. Typical home brew emulsions run from ISO 2 to ISO 25 and can be either blue or blue green sensitive. Some workers have shown pan sensitivity.

Compare these restrictions to what you can buy and compare relative value.

PE

 

[Tobychrome]

Would you say that it is cheaper to coat plates yourself as opposed to buying sheet film?, if you exclude the cost of the glass