Bought Me, 100 More Pounds Of Sodium Thiosulfate

Bought 2 more of these 50lb pails of Sodium Thiosulfate. I tested my previous pail of the the stuff and it worked fine. The only problem is I had to filter it after mixing a 40% 2000ml solution (2000 ml hot water and 400grams POOL CHLORINE REDUCER SODIUM THIOSULFATE. An extra step but if it saves money to use this stuff, then I am all for it. I am not sure why there are white particles after mixing. A lower grade of chemical? Other reasons? Cost $380 CAD including shipping to my front door!

Note* 150lbs of fix should carry me for a while. Next year? 2 Years? When I start doing the 35x35 plates, I will require a ton of fixer.

Doll Before And After On Ambrotype

Before and after, part of the learn. I find today's 8x10 easier after yesterdays attempts at 16x20. You can see how the UV light b/w differs from the color image.

Color Iphone 2022 tech, b/w ambrotype 1851 tech.

8x10 Plates MUCH MUCH Easier Than 16x20

Boy does 8x10 Ambrotypes seem easy after doing 16x20s! Maybe some day 16x20s will seem easy after doing 35x35. Those super big plates are a long way away thou. 

 

Here is some of today's doll stuff, think I am getting the exposure down a bit, closed the brass lens way down to its smallest aperture, with the same amount of flash. One of the easier parts of working in a studio is that you can control the light. In the field light is constantly evolving. 

 

Note* Need to find creepier looking dolls.

 

2 on the right overexposed, will not keep, the one on the left better exposure.

Doll 8x10 Clear Glass Ambrotype

Video Link: 8x10 Ambrotype Plate Clean

One of the advantages of glass Ambrotypes is you can clean off the collodion emulsion and reuse it, if the plate sucks. When I have added an albumen coating to the glass this part of the process (cleaning and reusing plates), gets way more difficult. I find that the G Collodion with no added ether is tender and susceptible to damage but it is also easy to clean when you screw up (which I do a lot of). When you add the albumen glass cover to a G Collodion plate it is much firmer. When I use a ether added collodion like QQC and albumen it is SUPER DUPER STICKY. that is great but the problem is cleaning the plate becomes more difficult.

Anyway, its all part of the learning process. I am trying to figure what will work best for the eventual 35x35 inch stuff. My guess is a ether added collodion, but will see, love the G stuff. Going to stick with G until I cannot.

 

The video is of a 8x10 plate with G Collodion with no Albumen coating on the glass.

 

8x10 Ambrotype Plate Clean

Bought Me Some Dolls To Make Ambrotypes Of

Got a bag of dolls from Value Village, $40. Maybe can donate them to the children at the dump after I finish photographing them. They would b hard to carry all the way to Mae Sot but I think the kids would love them.

Here is a 20x24 set up but hope to do 8x10 Ambrotypes today. Will save the next large ULF pics for my next week off work. This is a good way to practise. I can do it on my own, take my time, no pressure from making people wait and their expectations. I can screw up, think why, learn, do it better next time. Great stuff!

 

Plus dolls are sort of creepy and fun to photograph.

 

 

20x24 Doll camera set up.

16x20 Ambrotype Doll Work Today

With my first 16x20 Ambrotype done yesterday I had adhesion issues. The non ether added G Collodion was very soppy and easily came off the glass. Today I immersed the whole plate in Albumen(3 egg whites mixed with 2100ml distilled water.,  There were no issues with collodion not sticking. The G Collodion worked fine as did the Quinn Quick Clear. 

Note* I have a bunch of QQC Collodion as well as a large mix of QQC Iodizer. Need to use it up. So far my fav Collodion is the no added ether G stuff, I threw together on my own.

Note* Loads of firsts today. A great learning day, enjoyable as well!

Doll head under safelight.

QQC Collodioni, think the line of nothing is the silver tank, low at the end of the day. The clear spots are from a sloppy developer pour I think.

G Collodion, kind of evil looking on the floor.

Early 16x20 made with G Collodion on Albuen plate, did not keep it.

Bought A Water Distiller Machine

Buying a water distiller machine. It will make me distilled water for my wet plate work. It should pay itself off in 6 months or so, and will save on lugging this stuff from supermarkets. On the road I might still need to occasionally buy some.

You use distilled water through the process. Having one of these babies is an important bit of kit.

Bought a all stainless model, hope it lasts a while!

GiIF Of 2nd Ever 16x20 Ambro

 

 Kinda cool GIF made on the Vimeo site.

10 To 20 16x20 "DOLLS SERIES" Ambrotypes?

Thinking of doing a series on OLD DOLLS. They have unique histories and a creepy factor I quite like. Every dolll has stories to tell, "Toy Story" like. 

 

 

This is also a good way to practice my 16x20 glass ambros. Here is first try, I lost it when it would not stick to plate well. Trying a 100% albumen covered glass next, this will help with adhesion. I think I need to wash the glass better as well.

 

 

Might have to change to an ether added collodion from the G Collodion, with the larger plates of the future, just so everything is tougher and stickier. We will see, so far up to a 8x10 size, love the way the G works.

 

 

Will go to all the used shops in search of old dolls today. It would be great if I could do a series of 10 or 20 of these.

 

Vimeo Video Of Fixing/Washing Of The Lost 16x20 Plate 

 

16x20 inch doll ambrotype lost to adhesion issues.

8x10 inch glass doll plate

Trying To Make 16x20 Ambrotype Plates

Trying to make a 16x20 Ambrotype in the HF2024. Lots of challenges, lots of firsts today. Cannot even imagine a 35x35 at this stage. Step by step!!

First attempt at a 16x20 a doll 16x20 Ambrotype, second ever.

The HF2024, 20x24 inch view camera, set up.

Doll Ambrotype Series?

Thinking of doing a series on  token old dolls. These things have a unique rather creepy look plus a history to them. I would need to do it as a 16x20 ambrotype as a leaning experience, using the HF2024 camera.

Save This Ambrotype?

Today is Thursday a bit late in the week to start on the wet plate imagery but was busy preparing, finding the dump items, storing chemicals, cleaning etc. Plus all of life's little chores.

When I was cleaning the failed 8x10 plates from lat time round, the emulsion on this one peeled away rather dramatically. Might try to save it. Probably not, but its fun to play with such stuff.

 

 

First look of the plate, some of the collodion has come off

Still using the old hospital drying cabinet I bought years ago.

This this is current look of the plate

Added my 20x24 washer from darkroom #1 today (emptying that space). It should work well for Ambrotypes.

Photographing The Dump One Armed Doll

 

Here is today's first subject. A one armed doll found in the Mae Sot Garbage dump in 2013 or 2015. Will try to photograph it today on to an 8x10 plate. Here is the set up (rather spooky).

Woke up at 230am, read for an hour then was inspired by a Leonardo DaVinci Madonna sketch to get of my lazy butt. Now almost ready to go.

 

View from Eddy (8x10 Deardorff) ground plastic

Camera set  up with freaky hanking doll

hanging on a black shoelace. How visible will it be?

Will Photograph Artifacts From The Dump In Ambrotype

Found some artifacts from the dump. I originally took them from the garbage dump in Mae Sot Thailand (dirty, smelly stuff) and brought them back to Canada with the hope of including them in a show of the photos but that never happened. I dug these out of a bag I had tucked away in the garage. Think these items are from the second 2013 trip or possibly 2015 (did not go in 2014, I needed to stay with my father).

I have more items (artifacts) in the found bag that I have not opened yet, no idea what's there. Everything is still dirty but the foul smell of the garbage dump has worn off. That smell is what I hate most about the dump. The smell eats into you, haunts you. Every time you arrive at the dump it is a new slap in the face.

I will try photographing these things on wet plate. The photos will have more meaning, at least to me. They should be interesting and fun to photograph. Maybe the Ambrotypes can be included in a THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP exhibition at some point. If not, I will just look at them in memory of what that place is like, symbols of the lives there.

 

THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP INFO UPDATE 

 

Dump items (artifacts)

Mixed The Weeks Chemistry

So did the chemical part of things for a week of wet plate (might have to mix more).

- Sunned and filters 2 bottoles of Silver Nitrate Solution

- Mixed and filtered 2000ml of standard wet plate developer. I have started to filter the developer to clean up the pieces of debris in it. I use a cheaper type of Iron that is not as clean as the pentahydrate type.

DEVELOPER MIX = 40ML GLACIAL ACETIC ACID, 40ML ALCOHOL, 38 GRAMS IRON,           1000ML WATER 

- Mixed up fixer, using the new 50lb pail of Sodium Thiosulfate I got this week. Mixed in HOT water, to dissolve the big crystals.

FIX MIX = 400ML GRAMS SODIUM THIOSULFATE IN 1000ML WATER (used normal water)

Note* Now I need to find my "Dump Artifacts" to photograph. Am kind of tired of photographing myself!!

Update * Found and added some Sodium Bisulfate to the fix (Sodium Thiosulfate, it is supposed to extend its life).

40% Fix, in glass bottle so I can watch to make sure the large Sodium Thiosulfate crystals disolve.

Filtering the developer into a brown glass bottle

50lbs Of Sodium Thiosulfate, Week Ahead

A good week of wet plate ahead! Today I got some raw collodion (thanks Dale) and a huge 50lb pail of cheaper sodium thiosulfate, fixer, (sold for swimming pools). Will give the stuff a test. Going to go in search of the “dump artifacts“ to photograph! Hope I can find them. Will do 8x10s this week and try some 16x20s.

The goal is to do a strong, effective triptych in 16x20 from the Dinosaur Provincial Park viewpoint by the fall of 2022 . This weeks work is part of the training for that goal. Trip and diptychs will be an important part of the AMBROTOS KANATA project.

 

The cost of the fixer with shipping to my front door about $182 CAD.

 

Note* The sodium thiosulfate seems to be in the pentahydrate form.

 

My 50lbs of Sodium Thiosulfate (fixer)

Video Link: Early 8x10 Portrait

 

Here is last weeks 8x10 self portrait attempt. Think I over developed it a bit. There are comets and other artifacts as well. Still an ok first attempt at 8x10 ambrotype. The blackening was done with asphaltum (dislike the smell).

Doing more wet plate work this week off. Am filtering my sunned (26 hours) silver now.

WET PLATE PHOTOGRAPHY IS FUN!!!!

 

 

Self portrait, reversed clear glass ambrotpye, 2022

 

A video of the earlier self portrait plate. Ambrotypes look better when you can move around them. Subjects seem caught INSIDE THE GLASS, science fiction like. A VICTORIAN POLAROID, tech from 1851.

 YouTube Video of the 8x10 Plate

Sunning Silver Again

 

Sunning the silver! I have enough silver to almost fill 2 - 16x20 tanks. Great to have and use this daylight exposure unit, especially this time of year in Edmonton when the weather is cold with no sun.

Note* You sun the silver (expose it to UV light) to draw out the impurities in the bath. The excess chemicals in the bath when exposed to UV light turn black, fall to the bottom of the bottle, and are filtered out.

My artificial UV light (daylight) darkroom set up. Great to have in the wintertime!

Wet Plate Goal For Next Season

 My main goal for next years shooting of the AMBROTOS KANATA project, is to do ambrotypes at the Dinosaur Provincial Park viewpoint. I want to do 3 interconnected Ambrotyes (a triptych) from the view point in 16x20, possibly 20x24. I will attempt to create the images from start to finish in the field. The photo making, the washing, the varnishing and the blackening (with Asphaltum). If I can complete this ULF Tritych task, it would be a major step forward for the project. A positive omen of many good things to come. After accomplishing this, anything is possible.

Dinosaur Provincial Park Viewpoint View

Leisure Pool 50 lb. Chlorine Neutralizer (Sodium Thiosulfate), Will It Work For Me?

Decided to take a chance on a cheaper source of Sodium Thiosulfate (fixer). I use a ton of this stuff and will be using more and more as I move up to 35x35 inch plates. I thought it was worth a shot. I did some fixer reading online and believe this is the pentahydrate not the Anhydrous (stronger powdered version of Sodium Thiosulfate). I am currently using chemical supply house Sodium Thiosulfate that I believe is also pentahydrate, it is probably the same stuff as this 50lb pool chlorine neutralizer chemical. The stuff I use now is crystals, this Leisure Pool stuff is also crystals. Will it work?

Cost $179.99 CAD plus $5.54 CAD for delivery. Hope this works!! If it does I will have a super cheap source for my wet plate fixer.

Fixer for my plates?

8x10 Ambrotype Made With The Chinese Silver Nitrate

Did more 8x10 clear glass ambrotypes tonight. This time used the new mix of the Chinese silver nitrate, seemed to work fine. Boy that 4800 watt flash is blinding! 300mm Nikon W lens, at F16. Love that lens, the same lens I used in studio in Thai in 2007/09/12 for the SW/BS series. G Collodion (no added ether) mixed up 2 days ago.

Self portrait at 57, Clear Glass Ambrotype, Edmonton, Canada 2022

Eery Wet Plate

 Wet plate is fun..unearthly like..

Lit with yellowish light

Video Link: First Completed 8x10 Ambrotype

 

Here is my first completed 8x10 ambrotype. It is on clear glass that has been reversed and is backed with asphaltum 2/1 (mixed with mineral spirits).

Selfie, Clear Glass Ambrotype, Canada 2022

Vimeo Video Of This Plate