This is what happens when your emulsion doesn't stick! (and other blunders)

[Nodda Duma]

Emulsion making and plate coating can be unforgiving!

I wanted to share an example of what you end up with if you don't ensure the emulsion sticks to the plate. It happens fairly often when you start to coat plates, less often when you get the technique down. Get lazy, and BOOM! (as my daughter would say) you have floating emulsion..

This is my long-term stored emulsion by the way... I mixed this just over a year ago and coated a large batch of plates when the emulsion was ~8 months old. This plate then sat unused for about 4 months.

Just to be clear, the age didn't have anything to do with the emulsion lifting: All the other plates have turned out just fine. I must have been lazy cleaning the glass for this particular plate.

Oh and that's me waving at the camera on the right for about 30 seconds of the 1.5 minute exposure.

Feel free to add the results of your own screw-ups ... if you dare!

Cheers!
Jason

 

[Photo Engineer]

Use a Chrome Alum prehardener (10%), a wash and then develop. Use a hardening fix. No subbing is needed.

PE

 

[Nodda Duma]

Use a Chrome Alum prehardener (10%), a wash and then develop. Use a hardening fix. No subbing is needed.

PE

I think last batch, I prepared prehardner per your suggestion, but a test before diving in revealed that I had finally found a successful pre-cleaning method. So now, usually it's not a problem. This batch and the last, the emulsions have stuck very well. I've developed something like 40 plates since the last "swimming emulsion" I think I just got lazy pre-cleaning this particular plate. The emulsion came loose in the developer. But yes! A prehardener makes this aspect more forgiving.

By the way I've settled on HC-110 Dil B, indicator stop bath, and Kodak Rapid Hardening Fixer, followed by a quick rinse, hypo wash, and final rinse. The other 3 I developed tonight came out almost perfect. See here: https://www.photrio.com/forum/index.php?media/dry-plate-potanipo-lighthouse.55520/

 

[dwross]

Even with the frilling, it's still a pretty image. Congrats!

 

[brazile]

One of my screw ups:


T-002-plate, Gay Head lighthouse, with bubbles by Robert Brazile, on Flickr

There may have been something I didn't screw up in coating this plate, but not much. I mean, I got an image; it didn't try to go walkabout like yours, but otherwise...yecch!

Robert

 

[removed account4]

i have a lot of scew ups
some i stripped and re-used others ... i kept
i used to dry little plates edge of my SS sink emulsion-side up
this one ended up being emulsion-side down

 

[Nodda Duma]

Goods ones.

Brazile, almost looks like "emulsion suds" during coating.

jnanian: ouch! Reminds me of the times I've wiped a streak through the photo when cleaning residual emulsion from (what I thought was) the glass side of a developed plate.

 

[removed account4]

jason,
yeah, good times
i've made 16x20 prints
from some of my masterful blunders