Nice Trays

Picked up some mini bus pan trays that will work well with the 11x14 plates. 3 for $4.50 each from Goodwill. Thrifts shops provide most of my working tools in the trailer. Gotta love that, cheap and well made.

Honey Works Well

I did further tests using honey on 11x14 Ambrotypes. Mixed a 2 part honey to 1 part water solution. Let the first plate sit for 1 day before washing, the second sit around 1 week. No issues with either plate post 2 hour wash.

I think I got something good here! This should revolutionize my remote shooting in the trailer. Now I can depart a location much sooner and wash the plates at my leisure when I have time and a good supply of water.

Note * I am finding/making more and more storage trays, that I can use to place the honey covered plates in before they are washed. 

Things are looking good!

300mm versus 360mm Schneider Xenar Lens Camera Differences

Trying to figure out which Xenar lens will be better for my 11x14, 14x14 inch tight head ambrotype portraits. Should it be the 360mm or the 300mm?

I like the less bellows extension and the more distortion from the 300!! Leaning that way.

360mm bellows extension and head

300mm bellows extension and head

Practicing Headshots

  

Looking to start doing wet plate headshots this year. Will be making shallow focus tight heads onto 11x14 and 14x14 inch clear glass plates, ambrotypes. Experimenting today with my 360mm Schneider Xenar lens. Am using my thrift shop hair model head to focus on.

Note* I have a couple of heads planned for the spring. My friend Larry and my cousin Frankie (in cosplay makeup).

Acetone Test?

I added Walmart Acetone to my old Collodion to see if I could revitalize it a bit. Online they recommend 1 drop of Acetone to 100ml of old mixed collodion. I gave a 1000ml lab bottle of collodion around 15 small drops.

We shall see what happens? It is supposed to add a bit of speed and refresh the collodion.

Sunflower Ambrotype

 Did up an 11x14 inch Ambrotype for the first time in a long time tonight. Was using old collodion and a vinegar developer with sugar.

1000 ml White Vinegar

30 gr iron

40 ml bio ethanal (my version of alcohol)

40 gr white sugar

6+ minutes in the Silver Bath

I gave 7 hits with the Blackline flash at 2400 watts, one head. The lens was my Russian copy at f32