Mimicking an ambrotype/tintype positive with normal film - ??

hi nicholai

you are exactly right !
i didn't want to make under exposed film
that when i turn sideways it looks like a reversed image

i posted this thread because i originally was trying to learn if it was
possible to use conventional materials to make an ambrotype / tintype sort of image.
now ... i realize it is possible, but it requires special chemistry that is proprietary
and currently sold by rockland colloid with their tintype kit.

throughout the beginning of the 1900s there were street photographers and itinerant tintypists
who used silver gelatin emulsion and this same sort of chemistry to make on-the-spot photos ...
much like this guy does ( in india ) http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/02/world/fg-india-lowtech2
... but its a single step instead of making a contact print ...

( i'd make wet plates in a heartbeat but in a former life i used collodion quite a bit and would rather not be exposed to it ... )

I've been messing with shooting Arista Ortho Litho film for quite a while and about 90% of what I produce exhibits a very strong tintype effect, especially when viewing from the non-emulsion side. The tin types are also particularly colorful and depending on developer technique it can be a rare blue color. The brightness is decent enough, but black levels are very subpar. I've tried painting the emulsion side with a few different paints, but the paints tend to either crystalize in weird ways within the emulsion or the brush lines are very visible. I've had some reasonable results with using a simple chisel tip sharpie and then putting it onto a black background to sure up the black levels (ie, no "light leaks"). However, this process is very time consuming of course. Has anyone ever messed with something like this? An example of the kinda effect that I've seen is attached. The image is an orangeish negative but turns to blue when on a black background. It seems to be a much stronger tintype effect than any other film out there, and seems to even beat some tintype specific emulsions (not to mention capable of very consistent results). Getting a proper black level seems to be the only missing piece.

I haven't read every post, but....how about producing a positive image on film and placing a piece of tin behind it? My apologies if that's a stupid suggestion.

Ambrotypes just used a piece of black cloth behind the glass. There really isn't a lot of mystery here; the general method is to under expose by 1 stop.

I have made tintypes, but not ambrotypes. I would think a side by side comparison would show some difference and the black of the tintype would be shiny and the ambrotype flat.