Silver Plate

[bunyaminergen]

Hi,

My name is Bünyamin. I am a student at Marmara University Department of Photography. I live in Turkey. I need to Daguerreotype plate. Is there a place where you can buy? Or can I do it myself? Can I or my country? I need to pay attention to what?
Thank you.

[Bakody]

Hi,

If you want to make daguerreotypes in the future (for many times), you need to find a good silver plater in your country. For long term it will be cheaper for you, than buy it from other counties.  I know it will be difficult, but if you find a good one, you will be happy with it and you can save money. At the beginning you should ask for  15 micron silver on copper and you can reuse it many times. You need to explain to him what you want (after you polished the silver, a mirror like surface, how it have to looks like…..). Don’t let him to polish the silver. You need to do it. You will need to polish the copper as well until it looks like a mirror and then take it to the silver plater. You don’t need any nickel under the silver.

If you want to make dag just a few times and you don’t want to bother with local silver platers you can buy it from Mike Robinson. http://www.centurydarkroom.com/portraits.html

It’s difficult to make electroplating at home. You can find many electroplating formulas which contains no cyanide, but it will take lots of time to research to find the right one and then lots of money to experience with it. Need to read a lot and when you think you find the right one, you always will find a better publication about it 🙂  But yes, it’s possible (but not at the very beginning)!

http://daginhun.blogspot.com/
 http://www.facebook.com/DagerrotipiaDaguerreotype

[bunyaminergen]

All my life, I want to explore and do. But I can not wait for the first Daguerreotype to do.
Thanks Bakody.
On the plate, what problems face in the future?
 Rust, etc..

[jgmotamedi]

I can recommend a few places in the US to do the electroplating, but I think Bakody is correct, it makes much more sense for you to have them made in Turkey than have them shipped to you. Find a few jewelry-makers or silver-smiths near you and ask for recommendations for silver platers. Then go the the electroplaters and explain what you need. The base metal can be either copper or brass, and it may be that one of the platers can prep it for you. Start asking around, see what you find, and then come back and report.

[Bakody]

And I believe in Turkey you can find really cheap silver plater. Hungarian prices cheaper then in the USA. But the silver and gold products  are cheaper in Turkey than in Hungary. So I think you can find a cheap one. (maybe we will order from  you 🙂 )
“what problems face in the future?” Mostly it’s it’s depend on you. You need to bring a mirror like polished copper to the plater. Then explain to him, after you polished the silver surface at home, you need to get a perfect mirror like plate.
But sometimes it’s depend on the plater: poor cleaning of the copper, bad pretreatment… but first find one and try it. If something wrong, post it here!
Good luck!

http://daginhun.blogspot.com/
 http://www.facebook.com/DagerrotipiaDaguerreotype

[bunyaminergen]

Thank you very much Bakody. 🙂

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