Tintype issues Poe Boy Collodion

I tried making Poe Boy wet collodion, however I'm not getting any images. My silver nitrate and developer are good. When the plate is in the silver nitrate, it turns yellow as it should. My suspicion is that there isn't enough iodide or bromide ions in the wet collodion because I used potassium iodide and bromide instead of cadmium. Would adding some cadmium bromide and iodide to the collodion possibly save the batch?


The way I made my collodion was that I made the poe boy recipe in lab conditions with lab quality glassware and chemicals, then let it sit for a day and then filter out the precipitate. Right now the collodion is a deep red, even though it has only been several weeks since it's manufacture.

Hi,

there are so many circumstances where it could fail.

Exposure?
Did you measure the density of your silver bath? Is it used or a fresh one? If freshly mixed: Did you put a plate over night reside in the bath? How long did you keep the plate in the bath for sensityzing? ...

As far as I remember Poor Boy coll. solves more easily from the glas plate ... is it still on the glas plate after developing?

You said "several weeks": If everything else above is ok so far there is still my experience Poor Boy isn't very stable over longer time, it looses sensitivität rather fast.

hth

Horst

Hi Horst,

It's a fresh bath and the density is correct and the pH is also correct. I did put a plate overnight in it. I put the plate for about 3-4 min in the bath for sensitizing.

I'm using metal plates, but yes it's still on the plate.


Hm I see. If I were to add some cadmium bromide and cadmium iodide salts to make some sort of poe boy/ old workhorse hybrid, do you think that would work? I also see that lithium salts can be used, have you had any experience in using them?

Here it is.

BySumbergsStache said:

Hi Horst,

Hm I see. If I were to add some cadmium bromide and cadmium iodide salts to make some sort of poe boy/ old workhorse hybrid, do you think that would work? I also see that lithium salts can be used, have you had any experience in using them?

Click to expand...

Never tried Lithium, sorry, no experinces. Read about they aren't that stable.

My buest guess is your collodion is too old. It's rather dark, I don't remember it has been so dark as it aged in my bottle. Aging collodion looses its sensitivity. Where did you shoot the plates, inside or outside? Lighting conditions? Exposure?


I think adding additional salts into it would be an overkill. But why not trying it with a small amount of collodion?

Has it been premixed? And how old is it? If it's premixed you don't know how long it has been stored at the dealer.

I keep mine in brown glass bottles cool in the cellar for 1 or 2 weeks to ripen before use. Some mixtures are degraded after 6 or 8 weeks.

On the other hand there is the developer. Too old or a matching one for PB?
Last year I bought Iron sulfate at Mamut/Praha ... I have never seen something like that, the developer simply didn't work. It looked like dung for the lawn and I had to filter it several times with no positive result.

As the ingredients for the developer are rather cheap I mix it short before using.

But at the beginning you should change too many variables!

First I would try a fresh developer, the easiest.
Expose then and develop around 15 seconds.
Nothing to see? Double the exposure time.
develop around 15 seconds.
Nothing to see? Double the exposure time.
...
I you have after several attempts of exp/dev a sign of density on your plate, dry it and give some varnish onto it. If this density vanishes: Your collodion is to old.

If you are sure about your exposure, your developer and your bath only the colldion can bee the reason.

Though I have doubts it would work, make your experiments with additional salts.

Wouldn't it be easier to order a premixed amount at B&S before you are too frustrated?

And always remember: Only change one variable at a time! There are so many of them ...

hth

horst

Ah, another one. Don't laugh!

Did you expose on the right side?

h.

Thanks horst, I'll try those options. And yes haha I did expose it on the right side.

I mixed it up myself.

I exposed it in an enlarger started at 15 sec, but did it up to 2min at times at wide open aperture.

My developer is only 2 or so weeks old, but I was told that developer lasts nearly indefinitely? When I mixed it up it was a greenish color, but by the next day it's an amber gold, which is what it is now.

BySumbergsStache said:

I exposed it in an enlarger started at 15 sec, but did it up to 2min at times at wide open aperture.

Click to expand...

oh, you really expose your plates with an enlarger? Did it already work for you in the past? What kind of enlarger and what kind of light source?

Aged collodion + an inappropriate light source = mssing density

Aging colldion looses it's senstivity. You are using a light source which probably doesn't deliver the right spectrum, (n)either from nature and/or filtering ...

Depending and sky/daytime/season/... I easily reach 15-30 seconds OUTSIDE!

There are more than a dozen of collodion formulas out there, all work well. I have never used other than potassium or sometimes sodium salts with great results.
The only reason why cadmium is used, is because it makes your collodion mix last longer over time and perhaps add a touch more of sensitivity in the green part of the spectrum.
Poe Boy does it's job well when fresh but it doesn't last for ever, after I prepare mine, I use it up within 2 months max.
And just as a reminder, cadmium is a bloody nasty chemical to be handled only with an appropriate respiratory mask, no joke here.