Found this on a Old Phone

A wet plate flash from the past!! I need to get off my lazy ass and create new work!

Old imagery with the 8x10

Simplification, and Cheapafying Wet Plate Collodion, and Making it Safer!!!

I thought I would make a list of the things I have done in wet plate (Ambrotype making) to make it both simpler, cheaper and safer. I think I have invented some of these systems or created a variant from another wet plater. 

So many folks out there overplay the wet plate is hard and super expensive card, it is a bit hard and kinda expensive.

1- No added ether collodion.  Why have extra ether hanging about if it is not necessary? It is cheaper and safer to go with a non ether added Collodion (Gerry). Another possible bonus is my plates stay wetter longer.

2- No Potassium Cyanide. Why have a deadly poison in your kit, if its not needed? Plus its expensive and hard to get! Dangerous to everyone and everything around you.

3- Use pool chlorine remover Chlor Out as my Pottasium Thiosulfate (Hypo) source chemical. Its far cheaper than the higher quality lab versions and works fine, with a bit of filtering. I mix 1200-1600grams for ever 5 litres of fix. A 25 Kilo of Chlor Out sells for $183 CAD and I can pick it up locally (got 3 pails yesterday). A strong Hypo mix is cheaper and much safer, I can also pick it up country wide (a version) at any pool store.

4- Sugar as a restrainer, easy to find, easy to purchase and very safe. I can make some pies on the side!

5-  Ethanol instead of Everclear Alcohol. I use this stuff all the time, Ethanol is far cheaper, a fraction of the cost of the 100 proof Everclear and I can order it by the large box with free shipping from Quebec.

6- Buy my 2 main salts bulk from India. I bought my 2 main salts Ammonium Iodide and Cadmium Bromide in bulk form from a chemical maker in India. Saved a ton of money buying large, and it works fine for a long while, if stored properly (no light, no wetness, cool dark place, individual lab bottle containers).

7- Honey instead of glycerine  to store plates before washing. Honey is cheaper in Alberta and available everywhere, PLUS its good for my tea. I do a 2/3 honey 1/3 water mix. The honey can keep the plate kinda wet undamaged for days, perhaps weeks. A great working method, as my time on shooting site can be greatly reduced, allowing later washes when I get to a good water source. Honey alleviates the need to use the more dangerous Potassium Cyanide fixer, as the longer washing times for Hypo fixes are no longer a problem.

8- For easy mixing of new fixer. I place 1200grams of Chlor Out (Potassium Thiosolfate) in a zip lock back. When in the field I can simply pour the chemical into a large 5 litre graduate, add water, mix and wallah!! I have a working solution of hypo. I thought of this one today, no scales, no carrying large pales of chemicals that I do not use etc. 

9- White vinegar developer. No need to carry around dangerous purer forms of Glacial Acetic Acid and larger amounts of water. I can simply pour in the required amount of white vinegar (diluted Glacial Acetic Acid) then add sugar, ethanol and iron. I will have fast, good developer in a few seconds of mixing. The vinegar is available in every grocery store in Canada. Thee freezing point is also much better, Glacial Acetic Acid freezes at 16.6c, while white vinegar freezes at -2c. That's a big bonus in the ease of use category! I will almost never have to deal with frozen chemistry.

10- Using beer pumps to agitate and circulate the water in Ambrotype trays. I safe, cheap and much easier way to agitate and circulate the water in the tray. probably less disturbing to the fragile wet colllodion on the plates, versus rocking the tray. 

 

 

75 Kilos of Sodium Thiosulfate! Chlor Out!!!

Another expensive but necessary expense today. I bought 3 pails of Chloe Out which is a lower grade, but still acceptable Sodium Thiosulfate (Hypo). It was $183 CAD a pail. Total cost was $586.45 CAD.

Bought me a Suncay Icecove Portable AC Unity

One of the big problems I face every year is heat which affects the wet plate Ambrotype work in a very negative way. You end up with all kinds of terrible artifacts all over the plates. It is very hard to control and leads to lots of wastage of collodion, developer and silver nitrate, raising costs. The worse part is how difficult and frustrating it is to work in the heat. The interior of FREDDY the darkroom trailer is hotter than the air outside, making things worse. It becomes a sweat shop, that makes shitty Ambrotypes.

To help counteract overcome the problem of heat I decided to try a 12v portable air conditioning unit in Freddy the darkroom trailer. The unit I chose is the Sunjoy Icecove. It seems to have enough power at 2500 BTU to cover my approximately 100 square foot trailer. It will run off its own battery or a Jackery 1000. I have 2 Jackery 1000 units so bought the Icecove without their battery.

I expect to be able to get about 5 hours of cold air at the highest setting but probably more at lower settings. If I could get 8 hours at a mid range setting, that would be wonderful. 

As a bonus a local store is selling the unit at a steep discount. It usually runs at $851.99 CAD and I bought it today online for $510 CAD (plus tax).  That is a $341 savings. Other stores are still advertising the unit in the $800 range.

Hope thus works for me, with the 2 Jackery's as a power supply. My research seems to indicate it does. On remote location where there is no A/C, I should be able to charge one Jackery with solar panels while I am using the other. The charging time is long with the panels, but it is a viable option.

Note* As a bonus I can use the unit in the RV to help sleep when it is very hot outside. FANNY the class C motor home really heats up under the sun. 

Note** Another nice bonus is the the unit can be run from either inside or outside the trailer on AC power or 12 volt. 

Sunjoy Icecove portable AC

Sweet Yellow and Light Red Collodion Comparison

Here are 2 collodions I mixed up in the last week. The red one on the left used old USP collodion that was about 1 1/2 years old. The yellow one on the right is from fresh USP collodion. I know the yellow will work great, not sure on the read. Possibly more contrasty and definitely slower in speed.

Red old USP Collodion, Yellow new USP Collodion

Kaolin Clay

Got a bag of Kaolin Clay today. A bit expensive but necessary. With shipping $45.35 CAD for a small 2 pound bag. 

This stuff is a safer way to treat exhausted silver nitrate solutions. 

The old school way to redo the silver was to boil away the water, until you have only silver left. The problem there is there is a danger of explosion!!! 

With Kaolin Clay you put some powder in the solution and let it sit 12 hours plus. Then you sun and filter it out. The clay powder attaches itself to the impurities in the silver bath, removing them. Making your Silver Nitrate solution strong and powerful again!!!

The $45 cost is a worthwhile safety expense! 

What AI says of Silver Nitrate boiling dangers.

Kaolin Clay!

“ Boiling liquid silver nitrate is extremely hazardous. It is a powerful oxidizer that can trigger violent explosions. When heated, the boiling liquid decomposes to emit toxic, corrosive nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) fumes. It also acts as a severe corrosive, causing irreversible skin burns and permanent eye damage.

Key Hazards

• Explosion and Fire Risk: Silver nitrate is a strong oxidizer. Boiling it—especially near its decomposition point—can trigger violent, explosive reactions if it comes into contact with combustible materials (like organic matter, wood, or plastics) or reducing agents.
• Toxic Gas Emissions: At around \(250 \text{ } ^{\circ}\text{C}\) and particularly near its full decomposition point (\(440 \text{ } ^{\circ}\text{C}\)), it degrades to release metallic silver, oxygen, and nitrogen dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide gas is a toxic, red-brown vapor that can cause severe respiratory tract injury and pulmonary edema.
• Severe Chemical Burns: In liquid form, it is highly corrosive to human tissue. Spills or splashes on the skin cause severe, slow-to-heal burns, while eye contact can lead to permanent damage or blindness.”

Yellow Collodion! Gotta Love It!

This morning I mixed up 3000ml of fresh Gerry Collodion, using brand new USP Collodion I got from Antique Pictureology in Quebec. It is turning beautiful Yellow like it should, not the bright red the old USP Collodion (1.5years old?), was giving me.

I am hoping to do some portraits of my friend Larry with these newly mixed bottles.

This Gerry Collodion will be a nice sweet yellow by tomorrow, and ready to use!

Roof Vent Fixes

Who knew changing vent lids was so easy!! Did 2 on the motorhome FANNY and one on the darkroom trailer FREDDY. Total cost around $100 CAD. Now no more dripping water inside the vehicles, under the vents!

Note* The motor home and trailer vents were 2 different types. The key to these things is getting the right type hinge, the overall size is the same around 14x14 inches. There are 5 or 6 different type of hinges, get the right hinge and its an easy install.

FREDDY darkroom trailer vent

FANNY motor home vent

7 Litres of Silver, 6 Litres of Collodion!!

 

Fixing Up Fanny and Freddy!

 

Almost Ready!

 Freddy the wet plate darkroom trailer is ready for action!! Filled the tires and greased the trailer wheel bearings!! All the chemistry, water and glass loaded. I need to pack all my camera gear, then we are a go. Will take the trailer out next week Ambrotype making!

Grocery Store Shopping, Ambrotype Making!!

 

Greasing Darkroom Trailer Tires

I greased the darkroom trailer wheels for the second time today. A messy job that requires you crawl under the trailer to jack it up. Not the funnest task but necessary to maintain Freddy! You add the grease to the 4 tires as you spin the tires. When your new grease colour comes out you’re done that tire.

I learned how to do this greasing work from YouTube videos. Today I also had to watch several videos on how to change the grease in a grease gun. You gotta love YouTube as it gives me knowledge I never had growing up. Dad never did mechanic work, so I never learned from him. With the invention of YouTube I now have worldwide instructors.

Note* Last night also watched vids on using torch wrenches, changing inner dually tires on a RV and how to use an impact driver. I want to be able to change my dually tires in the fuels if necessary.

6 Years Ago!

Gosh 6 years ago, before the darkroom trailer was scared with silver nitrate and other stains! The ice fishing tent is also for wet plate work, only used it a few times.

Beauty Emiily Carr Book

Got me a beauty Emily Carr book today, All her collected writing. She was such a talented painter and author! I have always found her work very inspiring. Her forest scenes have been a direct influence on the Ambrotypes of forest scenes for the Ambrotos Kanata project.

The book cost $2.25 CAD at the thrift shop but retails at $40!

Tying Down the Large Black Trays!!

I keep trying to streamline and lock down all the moving parts in the darkroom trailer. Its an ongoing battle. Here is how I am currently doing the large trays. Having some carpentry skills (boxes and table tops) is helping things a bit!

First trays to use.

Extra trays to use, you can never have enough of these babies!

New 6V Batteries for Fanny the Motor Home

Got 2 new 6v batteries for the motor home Fanny. The old ones were all used up and would not hold a charge. Cost was $480 CAD, got a $40 rebate on the old batteries.

The motor home has 4 batteries. A 12v motor/ignition battery, a 12 volt  in RV underneath box (2nd ignition battery? and generator starter battery). 2 6volt RV interior power batteries combined to create 12volt.

These batteries will help with longer boon-docking in remote locals while shooting AMBROTOS KANATA. 

The complicated battery wire hookup. I need to do a better job marking what wire goes where!

New Inverter Installed in Fanny

Put a new 2000 watt inverter in Fanny the motor home. The inverter changes battery DC power to AC power. It will create a backup power source in the RV and allow higher wattage items like a toaster or other appliances, while boon docking (no AC plug in). Cost $180, glad I got it working.

The inverter will help with longer boon-docking in remote locals while shooting AMBROTOS KANATA.  

2000w inverter placed behind the driver seat in the RV Fanny

Big Wet Plate Order

Spent a bunch of money on AMBROTOS KANATA today, feel a bit bad about it, but it needed to be done. 200 grams of Silver nitrate and 2 litres of USP Collodion purchased. I have lots of Silver Nitrate but with the $72 in FED EX shipping costs I decided to order some more. The shipping cost remained the same with no silver or with 200 grams.

Total cost $1064 CAD, at lot of money when your retired and unemployed. I hope I can sell some plates this year to offset costs somewhat.

Mixed Up Some New Collodion

Mixed up 2000ml of fresh Gerry Collodion Have some very old stuff which I will try to use but the new mix is more likely to work well. 

Note* The collodion turned orange/red fast, no yellow stage. That is probably because the USP Collodion is older. It should still be OK to use, but likely slower. I will order more USP Collodion.

Cadmium Bromide is Carcinogenic, so I wear the ventilator just to be safe.

Washing Glass, 11x14 and 14x14 Inch

The darkroom trailer is a wonderful working space. There is a peace here, free from distractions. I have a heater, lights , running water and cd player. Doing some glass cleaning tonight, while listening to some old films. 

Hopefully I can make some Ambrotypes on Friday!

Using the glass carrying boxes I made last year

Best Book Buy During Short Calgary Trip

17 Thrift Store book buys today. Best book is this wonderfully inspiring Claude Monet book. It was the last book of a long and tiring day (buses, 2 restaurants and 5 thrift shops, while lugging bags, a backpack and a cart). Sometimes an extra effort when your tired is rewarded!!! It will inspire me to make Ambrotypes. Got it free off points.

Best value was 6 books for 33cents a piece. Got a Obama, Aids in Africa, Lincoln, Berthe Morisot, Fish, Taliban books for $2.

GOTTA LOVE BOOKS!!

 

Note * ended up with 19, new/used books.

 

Love My Freddy

Working on. Freddy my wet plate trailer. Silver in, chemistry n, water in. painted counter done. Cleaning and remaining things I do not need to carry. Charging all batteries (4 lead acids).

Working on Freddy!

First Day, 2 Flat Tires!!! on Fanny

Unlucky start! Got a flat tire, inner dually drivers side. Waiting on AMA to come and change  the tire. Will need to go get the tire repaired after. Bad luck screwing up the first day. Losing 4-5 hour on this.

Update. AMA DOES NOT CHANGE DUALLY INNER TIRES. WE WILL HAVE TO GET THE ENTIRE MOTORHOME TOWED TO A TIRE SHOP IN WETASKIWIN THEN REPAIRED THERE.

Big operation towing Fanny our class C motorhome.  Big tractor trailer truck plus a big tow truck and a 3/4 ton truck. 3 men, 3 large trucks. Just to take her to there repair shop 17 km away!!

They did a good job, very knowledgeable men in the field and at the Fountain Tire Shop. It took around 5 hours and cost $405 for the tire work, AMA covered the tow. 

One tire (inner dually) had a 10 inch gash in the tread, tire needed replacing, the second tire (outer dually) had a leaking stem valve, repaired. 

Overall the guys did a great job, thanks.

Fanny loaded on a semi truck trailer with b2 flat tires