[newone2010]

Hi everyone,

Rob’s thoughts of contemporary works is exactly as what I think about.

“The photographic art world is another area that has very few contemporary daguerreotype collectors, although I’m hoping that will change. In this arena, the “process” takes a back seat to who you are (how recognized an artist you are) and what it is you are trying to convey or communicate with your art.”

I think Jerry,Takashi,Binh,Mark Kessell did it well.Our superiority(compared with other process) is not that we can control so hard process and the process is how different than others,but how we can let the unique process combined with your conceptions subtly.The importance is not only the process,but the process is just a skill(or method) to present your own ideas (or conceptions).At this point,I think sometimes perfect,flawless technique and results is not the first thing to think about.

Maybe We can do something together.Collect eachone’s chosen dags together,find someone who knows contemporary art and the history of photography well to be the curator,have some regular and formal exhibitions in good galleries or museums,collaborate with some professinol people who have good experience in popularizing comtemporary art works.That will be different.Maybe we emphasized the process itself too much and ignore the potentials of expressive force of contemporary conceptions before.I think we have to change our thoughts now.One person has too little strength,let’s do something together.

Look forward to knowing how you think about it.

As you all know,my English is poor.Sorry for any impertinent works.

Thank you,

Li

[newone2010]

Wow,Walter,your website is wonderful.I can find many interesting info from it.

[newone2010]

Thank you Walter.I have bought 4990 few weeks ago.I use it for my dag scaning.It works fine.It needs adjustments.I can not do it well.

[newone2010]

Happy birthday,Jason.

[newone2010]

I use a kind of iron support which is often used as high school chemical experiment stuff.It’s cheap.

[newone2010]

finally,I got my epson scaner.please see the attached image.The corner has a gold shiny color.It always appear during gilding.just like gold cover the corner of the plates.what did I do wrong?some plates have this problems,some not.

 

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[newone2010]

Hi RonF,

Mike Robinson sells his high quality clad plates,and you can also buy electroplating plates from Casey Waters and Takashi Arai.You can easily get in touch with Mike Robinson here.If you need Casey and Takashi’s email address,just send me an email.

Hope this can help you,

Li

[newone2010]

I had been in Beijing for more than 5 years until 2010.Now I am in Chongqing.southwest of China.I got many helps here.I think all the posts of mine here will help other beginers.As Andy said,Try becquerel dags first,thought I tried mercury process fist. I failed many times beacause of the difficult of the Hg process.I think becquerel process will be easier and it will help you understand how to prepare cooper,silver plating,exposure,fixing,etc.

Good luck

[newone2010]

Hi Bing Tan,

Please look over Cdags.org.You can find all the useful info you want.Making equipments is not too difficult.Just get a try and then change them better.

Good Luck,

Li

[newone2010]

Hi John,

I can not get destilled water here.I just use bottled water which called as “pure water” from super markets.It works fine.

The wave marks which appeared during gilding.I think it beacause of the water which the seller said it was “destilled water”.I think he is not honest.I heared from others of that the water was just boiled,it was not destilled.He is a unscrupulous merchant.In this contury,we must always keep be vigilant to buy anything.People work hard but earn little.Someones try to reduce theire products’ quality to reduce their costing.As you know,I have difficult in try to find a good plater before.I have been cheated many times.

I will buy a machine for destilling water,but before that,I have so many things to do and buy.

good luck with you all.

Li

[newone2010]

Hi dafna?

About the wave marks?I think found the reason of that.What kind of water you use for gilding?

I changed my water,this problems did not appear again.

hope this can help you.

li

[newone2010]

I have the same problems-wavy marks during gilding.

If I keep heating,the wave marks will disappear sometimes.If I heat the plates quickly up to around 60 degree,There is less wave marks.I don’t know why.I do not have this problems before.

I failed in gilding(very good dags before gilding) at least 8 plates last two weeks.

[newone2010]

I only use sodium thiosaulfate ,it works well.I’d like to know why others use Sodium Sulfite too.How sodium sulfite works?

[newone2010]

failed in gilding again. :cry:I am so dispirited.I bought a epson 4990 from ebay.It will arrive in 5 days.I will show you the gilding-failed dags.

[newone2010]

Thank you?John.I bought an infrared thermometer as you mentioned yesterday.I will try it later.

[newone2010]

:PThank you all for quick reply.

As all of you mentioned,Blowing off the dusts( rubber bulb or a air can)is helpful to remove the dusts.I did this before(use a rubber bulb which has a presure 30Kkp,I think it is the most powful normal rubber bulb),each time fuming I and Br,sometimes before mecury develop.

Now,I found this can left more spots on the plates,I think it maybe beacuse of the hnmidity in the air and some dusts remain in the ball.If I try to blow off the dusts before mercury develop,it will left more silver-white shiny circle spots which have black very tiny dots in the middle of the spots.(i think you know what I mean,some of your dags have the same problems).

In my town,it is very moist most time of the year.I think maybe I can not use a rubber bulb any more.If I don’t use it,I get better results.

Rob suggested using a can of air.I will try it!I think the air from the can must be very clean and has much more less moisture.I saw someone using it,the maintenance engineers of watchs and notebook computers.

By the way,I made 4 good dags these days,but all failed in the final step: Gilding.

I use a alcohol lamp to heat the back of the plates before,now I use a can of butane.It raise up the temprature rapidly and I can not control it now.I think I need more practises.

So much must to be learned during try to became a good D’typist.Thank you for all your patience since I asked questions again,and again,and again….. 😛

 

Good luck for everyone of you,

Li

 

[newone2010]

thank you?Mike?

I find other reasons which left black spots on the plate.I use a hand air-blowing ball to tyr to blow away the dust which may stay on the plates before each fuming time(just before I put the plates into the fuming box).I found this method can make spots on the plates.I think that may beacause of the dirty dust in the ball.When do you use air-blowing ball?each time fuming or just before the first fuming I? Before mercury developing,Do you use it too to try to blow off any dust which left on the plates in the exposure time?

Thank you,

Li

[newone2010]

John?thank you for your quick reply.Today?I tried again.It’s a cloudy day and about 80% relative humidity?Yesterday is 90%-95%?I polish my plates terrace?not in room?So I think high humidity is bad for plate polishing.If I polish my plates in the room,I think it will be better.

Today,my dags have much more less black spots and the contrast is better! 😆

It always rain these days.I think I need some rest now.

Thank you!

[newone2010]

I meet same questions now.As my English is so poor,I always understand what you mentioned with mistakes.So I always made mistakes in making dags.

The mercury time:

Does it depend on devloping time/temprature and the balance of Br-I?

Different balance of Br-I needs different Mercury time?

Looking forward for your reply.

[newone2010]

Thank you Mike and John!I’d like to try mix Br with silica to see what’s the different in the finall results.

[newone2010]

Hi all,

I never use silica mixed with I and Br.I just put I and Br into the fuming box directly before.I want to try silica method.I already bought some silica gel.

What are the virtues?Is this Silica method much more better?Fuming time quicker? less moisture?

Mike posted how to mix silica with Br,how about I?Just put I into silica and shake in a bottle?

looking forward for your reply,

Li

[newone2010]

Hi All,

All the reason for what I need a Bosch sander is: I found it is very difficult in recycling plates if I only do hand polishing.Only hand polishing will left much more spots and scratches on the plates.I think if I have a Bosch sander,it would do best work than only using my hands.

Thanks,

Li

[newone2010]

Thank you Mariza,

I know it now.I just need to find Epson V500 or 4490.They are much cheaper than 4990 and V700.

best,

Li

[newone2010]

GEX 125-1AE

Hi all,

I posted my question here.I want to know whether the sander which I can get in China can be used?I can only find Bosch GEX 125-1AE (7500-12000 rpm).Is it too fast?It’s very expensive in China,I do not want buy one which I can not use.

Looking forward your quik reply,

Thank you all so much.

Best regards,

Li

[newone2010]

Hi all?

I never have myown scaner.I am planing to buy a second0hand one.How about epson V500?It can be used for 8X10 dags?

I read about the “ice”. Is it only can be used for normal film?or still can be used for dags?

Looking forward for your reply,

Li

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