[Andy Stockton]

I have been thinking about this topic quite a bit lately and it has been frustrating since this is one item I have neither the skills nor the tools to make for myself at present. I had been thinking of finding a custom fabricator but was not looking forward to either the cost or the process of communicating what I needed.

Since cost will be a factor for me I probably would not go 8×10 for a first pot even though I would like to get there eventually when my skills catch up to the challenge. I have started constructing my fume hood and have purposely designed it to be rather large with the big format in mind.

I would probably start with a 5×7 capable unit with reducers for sixth plate and for 4×5 (if that is possible). I would prefer electric heating even though that would raise the cost. The alcohol lamp seems like just one more thing to keep track of in a complex process not to mention adding an open flame to the environment.

What I had been thinking of for heating was some kind of larger lab hotplate though that could also be used for gilding. So on second thought maybe a pot without an integral heater would be ok. (However I don’t know if a hot plate would work for gilding or if a wide hotplate would heat the narrow bottom of the mercury pot very well. — as usual more questions than answers).

Another design thought I had was to create a mercury pot "base" with thermometer port that was detachable from the "inverted pyramid’ part of the unit. This would allow you to fabricate multiple "format sections" for less total investment. Add a screw-on cap to cover the mercury and an integral heater and you would have a multi-purpose unit that could be adapted to many formats.

Whatever you decide to do I will follow with interest and would be happy to discuss further offline or on the forum.

[Andy Stockton]

As a public health nurse I fully support your concerns about maximum safety with mercury. Environmental health professionals are still uncovering problems with this element and the last thing daguerreotypists would need is to get caught in the glare of those headlights. One of the reasons I am taking so much time getting started is that I am reading and trying to make sure that the setup I use is as responsible/safe as possible and produces the absolute best art possible.

As a beginner I have two questions – 1) did you purchase the system in the photo or did you build it? 2) During mercury development is it necessary to examine the plate to determine when to stop, and if so how do you accomplish that with this apparatus? (Since a cooldown wouldn’t be possible if you have to "peek").

Thanks,

Andy

[Andy Stockton]

Thanks for the pic Race, sounds like quite a chemical adventure you had. You definitely had double luck – what with no lasting injuries and an attractive nurse and med student to boot. You are most certainly lucky I wasn’t your nurse – no one has ever considered me pretty and I probably would have debrided your burns – ouch!

Looks like your setup is another vote for a commercially made fume hood (or you are a really skilled fabricator). Is that a recirculating filter on top or just the fan and duct shroud? I am working on plans for a homemade hood this weekend and I am trying to decide all the various aspects – fan size, cabinet materials, cabinet size, and also whether to filter my exhaust air. It is so great when people post pictures. ” title=”Very Happy” />

I was also wondering where you got your mecury apparatus. It too looks commercial grade. Is that a lid on top? Does the mercury stay inside or do you store it elsewhere? How often do you pull out the plate to look when you are developing? Do beginners ask too many questions?

Anyway, thanks for the informative post.

[Andy Stockton]

That’s an amazing unit drdag. I imagine that set you back a bit of silver. How often do you change the filter? Is it something you use a test to decide – or just an arbitrary length of time?

[Andy Stockton]

Congratulations Jon. What exposure did you use?

[Andy Stockton]

CasedImage.com — Thanks for all the details about your temporary fume hood!

I am starting my fume hood design this long weekend and am going to start buying some components – fan, air flow meter, safe lighting, etc. I am not ready to do mercury process yet, but I don’t particularly want to breathe in iodine fumes either.

I was wondering if any other experienced "hood" builders would share "the one or two things I wish I knew before I started". Tips, gotchas etc. I am also very interested in brands, vendors, specs, etc.

I also wonder if any of you mercury process folks have any tips so that my fume hood will be ready for the transition when the time comes? For instance – is anyone using activated charcoal filtering of the exhaust air to trap mercury?

Any and all responses, long or short, are highly appreciated.

[Andy Stockton]

Pictures? ” title=”Smile” />

[Andy Stockton]

he created a lenticular stereo daguerreotype

What is that?

[Andy Stockton]

Amazing. 24×48! I’m having trouble deciding on a polishing method to do a sixth plate! There are so many different choices and so little agreement on methods. Have you made a choice yet?

[Andy Stockton]

Here’s a New York Times article about a contemporary artist (Adam Fuss) working with dagurerreotypes:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.h … sec=&spon=

I was surprised by the size mentioned (20×24). Wow.

[Andy Stockton]

Mike-

You mention using a water based valve grinding compound. The only kind I have found so far is oil based and is pretty sticky. I have thinned it with light machine oil but it still sticks the two pieces of glass together very tightly. It makes it very hard to move the glass without breaking it.

May I ask where you get your water based compound?

Thanks.

[Andy Stockton]

Just to add a point of interest to the conversation, I noticed that Carlos Darío Albornoz has a picture of some kind of clamping holder for plate polishing on his site. The link is:

http://www.dagsargentinos.com.ar/materiales_ing.htm

It is the first picture on the page. His site BTW is well worth a visit if you haven’t yet had the chance.

[Andy Stockton]

It sounds like people are pretty much in agreement that scanning is the way to go for making a digital image of a daguerreotype. Do people agree with that or are there any arguments for making an appropriate setup to capture camera based images? I would have thought the rather flat lighting of a scanner would not have captured the full tonal range, especially the deep blacks. Does anyone have some comparison shots (scanner vs. camera)?

The fact that you can only fully appreciate a daguerreotype in person is simultaneously an asset and a handicap. I am very attracted to that "non-reproducible" quality, but the reality is that short of getting wall space somewhere, most people are going to first see my work on a website or in some other digital representation. What is the very best way of presenting daguerreotypes digitally?

I have seen one or two videos, but they were rather informally done. Is that a possibility?

[Andy Stockton]

Thanks for posting this resource. Cheaper and better. I like the sound of that. I noticed in your own blog site you mention using a local plating company. I don’t see many mentions by contemporary daguerreotypists to doing their own plating. Caswells has home plating supplies. Any thoughts on the value or problems with home silver plating?

[Andy Stockton]

I tried scanning an antique daguerreotype that I have and the image was out of focus. I assumed this was because of the distance between the actual image and the platen of the scanner (due to the cover glass, etc.) I was using a Canon Pixma multifunction rather than a higher end scanner. I suppose this is a limitation of the scanner.

For those of you having sucessfully scanned daguerreotypes, what device are you using?

[Andy Stockton]

Do you recommend any particular type of varnish? I am most familiar with modern polyurethane varnishes but don’t have any idea how they react to iodine.

[Andy Stockton]

Well – I don’t want to go off thread too much, but briefly the salt solution and aluminum rod are supposed to be an alternative form of fixing the daguerreotype. I am trying to keep to a minumum the number of things I buy right now and I have aluminum and salt, but not sodium thiosulfate (fixer). Of course I also don’t know if the process I mention actually works either…

[Andy Stockton]

Thanks much for the suggestions. I had been confused by the DEA site into thinking I needed a furnishing number – very expensive and not at all required. Once I saw the Buyers form on the Photographer’s Formulary web site it all made sense. I have already sent them everything they need for a small order of iodine crystals.

I am embarrassed to say that on my basic list I completely forgot the rubylith. ” title=”Sad” /> Thanks for the reminder. Does it fade or get used up? Or is it just infrequently replaced? I also thought I remembered someone on a site saying amberlith is still available and can be used. Maybe on Jon Danforth’s site.

In any case, since I will be starting very small I will probably try to buy a bit from one of the folks in the forum.

[Andy Stockton]

As a beginner I am really hoping that the discussion continues on this thread. From what I have read and what I see here, there are probably as many approaches to preparing plates as there are daguerreotypists. Continued discussion will help those of us with less experience plan our approach – who knows, maybe even some "best practices" will eventually emerge.

I have two clarification questions at this point:

1) What is meant by the term "galvanizing"? I know what that is as an industrial process with zinc, but I doubt that is what is meant here.
2) When you say "rake the wheel" is that just roughing it up with a clean metal tool or is something more specific meant?

Thanks

[Andy Stockton]

According to a number of sources I have read PTFE = Polytetrafluoroethylene including Teflon® is resistant to bromine. Here is a link to a chemical resistance chart: http://www.jenseninert.com/chemical-resistance.htm. The company that makes that chart available, Jensen Inert Products also sells PTFE bottles and dropper bottles. Glass is resistant to bromine too, but needs a glass or PTFE stopper. Glass can also break. Pure bromine in glass is fairly risky if you are storing it indoors. PTFE will not break with normal handling.Here is the link to the PTFE containers: catalog.jenseninert.comYou might also be interested in the Great Lakes bromine safety and handling guide. It is pretty industrial, but has a lot of info. guide.pdf Caveat: I do not have personal experience storing or handling bromine.

[Andy Stockton]

Oh there’s lots of confusion about what a daguerreotype is. And Jon you are right that many people think that daguerreotype=old photograph. I have been bidding on daguerreotypes on eBay – the one’s with trashed cases are pretty cheap. (they serve to inspire me). I have had to quiz a number of sellers to determine if what they were selling was a cased tintype or ambrotype. Caveat emptor.

I’ve never used Flickr much. Is it possible to communicate with the moderator?

[Andy Stockton]

I am Andy Stockton and I live about five minutes south of San Francisco. I work full time as an analyst/programmer at San Francisco State University where I run the 12 person technology services team for the Housing department. Having never been the type to be satisfied doing just one thing I have also worked the last 16 years part time as a hospice nurse for the second oldest Hospice in the US, now known as Hospice by the Bay. I find the two fields provide a kind of balance in my life.

I have been a passionate amateur photographer since I was quite young, but had mostly kept my efforts to myself. In the last 3 years I have gotten into digital photography in a big way and have been preparing myself for perhaps the last career change of my life as I move slowly toward retirement from my present careers (two kids to get through college first!). I am – hard though it is for me to say it still – trying to become an artist. Call it an early unborn career.

I had been grappling for a while however with the realization that digital photography, while challenging and fun, was proving to be unsatisfying to me. There is just this feeling that it is manipulation to the millionth degree. I can’t really fully articulate it yet. I still enjoy digital photography, but the artist I am trying to "let out" wants something really different.

So on April 22 of this year I had a personal revelation of a sort. I had been thinking about photography when the word daguerreotype popped into my head. Something clicked in a big way, and since then I have been pursuing the skills and equipment I need to produce daguerreotypes. There is something about the depth and beauty of the daguerreotype that I think sets it apart from any other photographic medium.

I am writing about the process at http://thedaguerreotypist.com. Writing about it is helping me keep on track, and I hope the site will be useful in the future as a resource for others who want to learn the craft.

I am looking forward to the discussions on this site and to an expansion of the modern daguerreotype movement.

[Andy Stockton]

There is a nice article about Mike Robinson today in the Globe and Mail. See my short post and link to the article here.

[Andy Stockton]

As a beginner I will look forward to any replies that are received to this thread. I also wondered if you would share info about your buffing machine? From pictures on your site it looks like you are using 12" wheels. That must take some fairly serious horsepower. What minimum do you recommend?

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