[jgmotamedi]

I thought I responded to this…

Hope it is not too late. Blue images are usually a sign that your plate is underdeveloped, so start there. Maybe increase development time (4 hours?), change light sources (try the sun), or use only one layer of rubylith (it is really rubylith right? Not red gel?).

The fog could be caused by many things, and it is hard to tell without a picture. It might be that you are overexposing your images. It might be that you are using too much iodine, I would suggest a light rose, but a dark rose should be ok.

Finally, what fix are you using? I don’t think this could cause fog, but maybe…

good luck

[jgmotamedi]

Hi Stephan,

I have never heard of too much UV from the sun getting through rubylith as a problem, but that doesn’t mean you are incorrect. I have heard of too much heat causing fogging, but not as quickly as your describe. You are using real rubylith, right? Not a red gel? Anyhow, I have three suggestions for you, in the order I would try them.

1. Develop using a halogen light. It takes 2-3 hours to develop under a 500 watt (110 volt) halogen light.
2. Use two layers of rubylith
3. Develop under red LED bulbs (no rubylith necessary). It took about 8 hours, but I developed a daguerreotype under nine red “party bulbs” that I purchased at a hardware store. I don’t recall the wattage, but they were pretty bright. Note that these were not white LEDs under a red dome, but real red LEDs

Good luck,

jason

[jgmotamedi]

Chlorine and bromine must be used in combination with iodine. Either or both can be used with iodine, and they create different sensitivities and tones. Read through some of the old manuals for examples.

Chlorine is difficult to use because it is a gas at room temperature, but I know that some contemporary Daguerreotypists have used it successfully. I have never tried.

Becquerel only works with Iodine. Adding chlorine and bromine will not create an image, just fog.

[jgmotamedi]

The biggest cost is the plate, not the chemicals. If you can buy a piece of silver and iodine, the other costs are minimal. You might be able to print out an image, but why not just buy some Rubylith? It is quite cheap and Ulano still makes it. In the U.S. try this link.

[jgmotamedi]

Just wanted to add to Photolytic’s post:

The ratio of 1:40 is most likely for a saturated solution of bromine-water (see this link) further diluted in water. In other words, you have to first create a saturated solution of bromine-water and then dilute this 1:40 with water. Diluting pure bromine 1:40 with water would be very strong.

[jgmotamedi]

Not dead, just sleeping…

Happy new year to you too.

[jgmotamedi]

I have shifted over to brass, and get them here:
https://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=1590&step=4&showunits=inches&id=1116&top_cat=79
All metal from this site that has PVC on one side is mirror finish. They also have copper with PVC on one side, but I have no experience with it.

[jgmotamedi]

Hi Craig,

I would suggesting trying something other than chamois on your buffs.

I never had any success with chamois. I tried it multiple times, and always ended up returning to cotton velvet. Microsuede or microfiber cloth might be an alternative that work for you. I have found some that work as as well, and occasionally better than cotton velvet.

Did you see this thread? https://cdags.org/forums/topic/plate-polishing/
Lots of helpful hints on using a random orbit sander. That said, I never liked the results I got from my sander, and returned to 6″ wheels. I too struggled with swirly marks, and even when I got rid of them found the polish always felt flat.

[jgmotamedi]

It could also be fog–did you expose the plate to light before or during development?

[jgmotamedi]

Most likely too much bromine. Perhaps run a bromine test stip. You may also want to dilute your bromine a little bit.

[jgmotamedi]

For example,

http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/003781653 has links to volume 7 (1855) and volume 13 (1861-1862).

I also note that Gale publishing has a History of Photography micro-form set that has many of these journals.

Click to access 3276000A.pdf

[jgmotamedi]

I use much stronger fixer, 50mg sodium thiosulfate + 15g sodium sulfite to 500ml distilled water.

The sodium sulfite pulls out oxygen, which preserves the sodium thiosulfate and apparently has a positive effect on the strength of the image.

[jgmotamedi]

I don’t think you should use a recirculating fume hood with mercury. The risks are too high. Vent it outside, or if you prefer into a activated charcoal filter outside.

[jgmotamedi]

In this case, more is better, and it is really hard to overdo ventilation. Ideally, you would use a fumehood for iodine. That said, a well made box that seals with ground glass and/or Teflon should hold most of the iodine fumes and you can probably get away with a well vented darkroom. By well vented I don’t mean the bathroom fan that most folks seem to think is adequate, but a real vent that does more than make noise.

The problem however is that with darkroom ventilation you will need to open your box elsewhere if you want to add or just admire your iodine.

My advice? Buy or build a fume hood.

[jgmotamedi]

I agree with Nate, you need to work more on your Br/I balance. Plan on running quite a few test plates to get your bromine time. Once you get it down you will know what the color should look like, and can adjust for room temperature and weaker or stronger boxes. My current silica gel/bromine mix is much lighter than yours, and I am running it about 80 seconds.

I really doubt it is the mercury. It almost never is.

[jgmotamedi]

I don’t have a good answer for you, but I would ask the plater if they use any sort of anti-tarnish coating.

[jgmotamedi]

I also use a 9600ws Speedotron 105 head with a 22″ white reflector for Daguerreotypes. Generally I shoot at f2.8 with the reflector about 4 feet away from the subject. It is very bright but not blinding. For the most part I get pretty good results, and love the ability to freeze action (and take pictures of kids). I do find that for inexplicable reasons the I/Br balance needs to be slightly different than outdoor or with fluorescent lights. There are examples here: http://daguerreotypy.blogspot.com/, although I hardly every update the site.

As an aside, Takashi, I come to Kamakura almost every summer, and would love to meet sometime.

jason

[jgmotamedi]

Sorry, no help, but what do you do with diethylenetriamine?

[jgmotamedi]

Carolina and most of the big lab supply companies won’t sell chemicals to individuals, only schools or appropriate businesses. It seems that ebay is now the primary source for iodine. That said, I imagine the quality of most ebay iodine to be pretty poor, but it is probably better than they had in the 19th century. You can store iodine in a fuming box if it is built with glass and/or fluoropolymer containing the chemical fumes.

[jgmotamedi]

Hi Blake, welcome and see below.

1) How much iodine should typically go into the fume box?

It depends on the size of your box. I have about 150g in my whole plate box.

2) I have seen fixers consisting of 8g of Sodium Thiosulfate in 500ml distilled water as well 15g of Sodium Thiosulfate and 15g of Sodium Sulfite in 500ml distilled water. Which fixer mix should be used? Is the sodium sulfite needed? Is it better to have it in the mix?

Different folks use different amounts. I dissolve 15g of Sodium Sulfite (works as a preservative and swallows some of the oxygen which may reduce the amount of silver on your plate) in 500ml distilled water, and then add 50g of hypo. I know other folks who use 15g of hypo, but I found it to be a little slow.

3) How much iodine and gold chloride should I buy to start with?

Depends on your box. I would buy 100-200g of iodine (flakes are better than prills) and maybe hold off on the gold for a while. Get yourself up and running before worrying about gilding. Personally, I think gilding works poorly with Becquerel plates.

4) Is the light sensitivity range (i.e. sensitivity to UV spectrum/blue light) similar to Wet Plate Collodion?

The range is very similar (blue and UV), but Becquerel plates are a lot slower. Maybe 3-4 stops slower than a collodion positive?

5) How long is a typical development under the rubylith? (I will be using rubylith, and assume that it should work.) I have seen anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours. Is it essentially a judgement call based on how much you want it over/under-developed? Are two layers of rubylith enough?

I would say a starting point would be 2 hours in bright sunlight or 3 hours under a 500 watt halogen worklight. One layer of rubylith should be fine.

6) Once developed, is it safe to take it directly out of the rubylith tray (indoors) under normal light and go directly to the fixer, or should this be done under safe-light? I know that in wet-plate, you have to stop the development before going to normal light conditions. Why would that not be the case in the Bacquerel process?

It is fine to do this in daylight.

7) Is there a preferred book that everyone recommends for the beginner in Daguerreotypes (that would cover both the mercury and bacquerel processes)?

There are no in-press contemporary how-to books on Daguerreotypes. There were a few published years ago on Mercury (like Ken Nelson’s) but nothing on Becquerel. There are a few how-to guides floating on the internet.

8) Is there anyone here doing successful portraits using the Bacquerel process?

Sure, it just takes lots of time and light… like 3 minutes at f2.8 with an ev of 12.

At this point it would make sense for you to go through a read a few of the how to guides online. The Resources page on CDags has a few listed.

[jgmotamedi]

Sorry to hear about this.

Did you check in with Ty Guillory? He was making them, not sure if he still is.

[jgmotamedi]

We used a prototype of Alan’s mercury pot last weekend at CAP, and it was great. It was easy to use, and quite stable. There were a few hiccups here and there, most having more to do with the user than the pot. The biggest issue we had was removing the mercury from the pot at the end of the day, but next time we will leave it in until the end of the weekend, keeping the pot wrapped between sessions.

[jgmotamedi]

So you are looking to assist someone? Where are you?

[jgmotamedi]

Thanks for the reply Alan, I guess we will be using one of these for the CAP workshops in November, so I will check in with you later off forum about use. I would also be interested in purchasing, when the time comes.

Sorry to have hijacked the thread Pollywog.

[jgmotamedi]

Just curious Alan, how do you remove the mercury from your pot? A pipette? Can you pour the mercury out from the top? The pictures look great.

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