Mixing Collodion for Wet Plate Photography (Part Two)

[@seafire820]

My left ear loved this. But in all seriousness your instructional videos are amazing, the best on KZbin. Thank you for the information helping me start

[@six4two1]

Bill, thank you for these videos. Having taken your wet plate workshop, it is great to have access to these as “refresher notes”. You provide the little tips that make the wet plate process easier. - Bill Riley

[@BillSchwab]

Good to hear from you, Bill! Thank you! Loved the Scotch!

[@_H_2023]

Absolutely brilliant Bill, these videos are so important for any beginner, I like the fact you give extra hints/tips on how to use old Collodion etc.

[@BillSchwab]

Glad you are finding it helpful! Thank you!

[@Chiaroscuro1991]

Like the T shirt. Looks like a drawing I did years ago in our Basic Collodion Manual. 😄 Mark Osterman

[@BillSchwab]

Is that where it comes from, Mark?!

[@blakejohnson7306]

Hey Bill, great series of videos, its hard to find someone thats willing to share the secrets of wet plating, anyway, I was wondering what you use to filter the collodion? I filter my silver with an unbleached coffee filter with a cotton ball, is that something could do with collodion and the varnish?

[@BillSchwab]

Hey there, Blake! Thanks for the kind words! I’m glad you’re finding it useful. I just use simple coffee filters like the ones you use in your Mr. Coffee. Sometimes I double them up, but they do work great. Just put them down inside of a funnel and pour your solution in.

[@uniqueqorn]

Hi Bill, thank you for these videos! I've watched all the series and can't wait to start doing it myself. But, I just have one major issue here. I can't get my hands on the Collodion 4% USP; I don't live in the US, not a single chemical store sells that here. Which means I have to make it myself. After reading several articles and having spent hours watching other people mixing the collodion, I noticed that it's made of nitrocellulose (guncotton) mixed with ether and alcohol. But the articles and videos that I've seen don't give any measurement whatsoever for those solutions. Do you know how much I should put for each chemical? Thank you!

[@BillSchwab]

Hi and thank you for your kind comments. I do not have the formula for mixing basic collodion and I'm told it can be dangerous to mix on your own. Where are you located? I have a pretty good network of people around the globe and I might be able to help you obtain some.

[@uniqueqorn]

@@BillSchwab Hi, thank you for the reply. For the time being, I'm in Indonesia. But I'd also be in Sydney, Australia. ** also, it seems that I'm unable to get gum sandarac either. Is there any substitute for it?

[@BillSchwab]

@@uniqueqorn Sometimes I use an acrylic called Liquidtex Soluvar... www.liquitex.com. You have to let it sit level to dry, but it works well to seal the plates which is your ultimate goal. I do not know anyone in Indonesia unfortunately, but I do know there are Australian Wet Plate artists. Maybe a forum or a group that is based more in that area? Perhaps one of the US suppliers would ship Sandarac to you? It's not dangerous and shouldn't entail hazardous materials fees. I get mine from Artcraft Chemicals in NY. www.artcraftchemicals.com

[@uniqueqorn]

@@BillSchwab nice, would that be easier to use than Sandarac and Shellac? Yes, I'll try that for sure. I also just got a "book" from 1860s, so I might try to read that too. Thank you for the recommendation! If shellac or acrylic would do just fine, then I might start with them first, because those two are easier to get here😁

[@thainamnguyen817]

can I use Potassium Bromide in place of Cadmium Bromide? Thanks!

[@BillSchwab]

Yes. There are formulas they use potassium bromide and potassium iodide. Do a quick Google search on different formulas. I’m not in the studio right now and can’t provide one at this point.

[@bublt4me]

Newbie here, I made mine in March but never used it. It's really red now. What can I do to "refresh" it, if that's even possible to do?

[@BillSchwab]

Hi Martin, I've never tried to refresh old collodion, but there are several ways to breathe some life and speed back in. Most common I know of is to add acetone to your red stuff at a rate of one drop to every 100ml of collodion. It takes a bit of time to act, but you should notice the collodion lightening after a few days. Another, more delicate way is to add cadmium bromide, but you'll want to research this further. Hope this helps!

[@bublt4me]

@@BillSchwab can collodion get too old to be workable?

[@BillSchwab]

​@@bublt4me... It can, but it would take some time. Old stuff works well for contrasty things, but gets quite slow. if you mixed it in March, it is still fine as long as it has been stored in a tightly stoppered bottle.

[@jin9311]

Good morning. I am a Korean subscriber. I made collodion with 1.7 g of cadmium bromide, 2.2 g of potassium iodide, 110 ml of 5% collodion, 70 ml of 95% ethanol, 70 ml of ether. Cadmium bromide and potassium iodide were heated hot and poured into collodion. It was left for two days at room temperature around 25 degrees Celsius without filtering. Collodion is not transparent at all and is like dark orange juice. Is this normal?

[@BillSchwab]

Hi Jink... Using potassium as one of your salts will cause this. It sounds as if your mixture is correct, but the collodion needs time to clear. This is the difference of the formula used. It the video, I use the "Quick Clear" formula replacing the potassium iodide with ammonium iodide which helps forego the clearing process. Sometimes it can take up to a week for potassium salted collodion to "clear". I hope it works for you! Also... If possible, try to use a natural alcohol at 190 proof and not one that is de-natured. Although it will work, sometimes the chemicals added to the alcohol to de-nature it can cause issues. The biggest for me being the smell. I find the denatured alcohol to have an odor that is very unpleasant to work with is a close space.

[@jin9311]

@@BillSchwab Thank you for your kindness.

[@BillSchwab]

@@jin9311 Best of luck.

[@Chiaroscuro1991]

Make sure your solvents are fresh and strong. When mixing a collodion with potassium iodide and cad bromide dissolve them in a very little distilled water then add them to the alcohol and ether first. There will be a white precipitate. Cover the beaker with plastic cling wrap and allow the precipitate to settle completely. Then pour off the clear solution through a funnel with a tuft of cotton ball into the plain collodion. It will only take a few hours rather than days. The cad potassium collodion has a very long shelf life and is fast. See our Basic Collodion Manual by Scully & Osterman

[@nasragiel]

The way you handle the cadmium, is that really safe enough? The lowest lethal dose of Cd is 5 gr in a 70 kg man. I mean I would not even handle the powder without a mask... Even small doses can already cause trouble. This stuff is really really toxic and nasty. Also there are cadmium free recipes. Besides the lack of more info about cadmium and alternatives it is a good video. :)

[@BillSchwab]

Thanks for the notice. I have amended the description to better emphasize care. “Safe” mixtures of collodion come with their own challenges and I have chosen what I feel to be the easiest for a beginner to deal with. As I mention in the video, there are many formulas available and as a person becomes more adept, I would suggest exploring them. And I do plan to add episodes that explore other mixtures and their challenges as well as other troubleshooting in the process. All chemicals you order come with warnings and suggestions and aside from basic safety recommendations, I have added a notice in the video description and I leave it to the discretion of those pursuing the process on their own as to how they handle their chemistry. I agree that everyone has to take safety precautions that make them feel comfortable and I will make a better effort to be more specific in the future. Again, Thank you