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Using a press camera for wet plate ?

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Yaeli

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I'll keep that in mind, thank you
If I ever find the energy and patience for it (which is not a given, considering many personal factors), I think I'll first do a workshop, then, depending on how it goes, I'll go with the kit to start.
 

koraks

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1000 ml Thiosulfat powder for 4 liters of working solution
500 ml Silver nitrate solution 9%
1000 ml developer solution
500 ml ready to use Collodion
250 ml Sandarac glace with Lavendar oil
I've never been particularly happy with plain sodium thiosulfate fixer and at some point just started using regular rapid fixer. Never regretted the decision. Worked a lot better; the little drip on the edge/corner of the plate would clear a heck of a lot faster. Btw, if you want to buy sodium thiosulfate: it's sold in many hardware stores in the pool supply section. It's used to reduce the chloride level in swimming pools. It's really cheap.
The developer is probably just ferrous sulfate. Ferrous sulfate is a fairly harmless chemical that's also cheap. Wet plate practitioners often like to experiment by varying the acid and ferrous parts of the developer to tailor the activity to their needs; this is more difficult if the developer is already mixed. Other developers can also be used.
Sandarac is probably nice and I still must have a little somewhere that I bought in my local arts supplies store where it sits next to the beeswax, lavender oil etc. In the rare instances where I wanted to varnish a plate, I just used a ready-made varnish intended for (if memory serves) acrylic paintings.

In short - nothing wrong with a kit like this, but there are many alternative options both for the chemicals and for obtaining them.
As @retina_restoration says, I see nothing in that kit that will help you in reconditioning your silver bath.
 
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Yaeli

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Thank you for your answer ! I imagine they choose the cheapest chemicals when possible, yes. It's good to know that it's a "one time" kit that will require silver to replenish the bath anyway.
Anyway, I'm not there yet I'm gonna try and make a decent image with the camera first ^^ (once I get all the gear, that is).
 

koraks

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It's not so much that they choose the cheapest chemistry, although in this case it works out that way. The choices made are ones that fit in the present 'tradition' of wet plate photography. If you look at manuals, videos and guidelines about how to get started (in modern times) in wet plate, you'll find most will offer the same starting points: a ferrous sulfate developer acidified with acetic acid, a plain thiosulfate fixer and sandarac for varnishing (usually with al alcohol lamp for heating). This works, but it's not the only path to success.