Pouring a Plate and Making a Photograph with the Wet Plate Process - (Part 4)

In part four of the wet plate series, it's finally time to make a plate! We will use all the chemistry mixed through the first three parts to make our first wet plate photograph on aluminum. First we'll pour the collodion and sensitize the plate before putting it into the camera for the exposure. Once exposed, the plate is developed and fixed as you follow along.
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[@_H_2023]

It's good to see that it doesn't work each time and that you have to re evaluate your decisions as your working. So many videos do not show you this. Great vid please keep making them. Thank you.

[@petehalupka3232]

Bill. Living the dream, teaching folks, being dope. Keep it up. Love all your posters in your videos. And setting up fill light on a gravel road in the woods like a boss!

[@BillSchwab]

Best Post ever! Thank you so much!

[@byoussef7180]

Hello from Morocco, just to let you know thats i am introducing the first Tintype Studio in my country , and i have been following you and learning much from you. Thanks so much for your videos. Studiotintype Casabanca/Morocco

[@BillSchwab]

I am so happy to hear this! Congratulations and best of luck with your shop. I hope to visit someday!

[@artofanalog]

Excellent, Bill. I love your approach to making these videos and teaching. I'm from MI, living in AZ. I'm new to wet plate and hoping you might do a workshop in August (I'll be in MI for the month). ANyway, thank you for what ytou're doing. Excellent!!

[@BillSchwab]

I will! So glad you like it! That means a lot. We should make contact.

[@richardichard4237]

Great video, just found you. Of course I know the name, now I know the face. Nice style, intelligent humble informative. Excellent. Subscribed. First plate soon for me...!! ( is that an Ebony by the way...?? )

[@BillSchwab]

Hi there! Thanks for writing. I’m glad you’re finding it useful. That is a Deardorff . Would love an Ebony though.!

[@ejmphotodotcom]

Great instruction!!

[@BillSchwab]

Thank you!!

[@charlenedizac2848]

Just a question : do you leave the silver nitrate in the holder once your pourred it there ? Like for other uses ? Or do you have to take it back to the bottle evrytime you're done with a session ? Also, how do you know how much of the silver nitrate solution is enough inside ? It has to do all the up ? Thank you very much for your videos, your work is amazing !

[@BillSchwab]

Hi Charlotte. At the end of every session, I filter the silver nitrate back into a bottle. I use coffee filters for this and a big funnel. As for how much I need, I just try to have enough to cover the biggest plate I’m going to be using that day. I hope this helps! Thank you so much!

[@flipflopsLF]

Appears we will need to learn the exposure time approach in detail for an an ISO 1 plate. Thanks for sharing and building interest in WP.. Stuart

[@Duckgrabber]

Collodion sensitivity changes as it gets older (gets slower.) Also, different formulas can have somewhat different speeds. I use the B&S 2-part mix and find it's about ISO 2. Really, talking about ISO isn't applicable to wet plate anyway since you can't meter it, other than Sunny 16 perhaps. Kent in SD

[@flipflopsLF]

Duckgrabber Thanks. Trial and error until the experience sinks in. I have J Lane 25ASA dry plates coming for my first try taking images on a plate. Logic progression to WP. Thanks

[@peinmilan]

Metal plates are getting expensive today, is there a way to re-use the badly exposed ones?

[@BillSchwab]

If you’re careful, you can always wipe a plate while it is still wet. If you know your exposure is bad. I’ve done it a couple of times, but it really is best to go with a new plate each time.

[@fstopPhotography]

Did you make your plate holder or did purchase it? Thanks for the videos, very informative.

[@Taj3d]

Another great video. Thanks you! How many 8x10 plates can be poured from the collodion mixture? Is there any advantage in pouring the developer directly on the plate as opposed to dip and dunk like you did with the silver nitrate?

[@jrancheta2925]

Hello! Great videos! How long do you wash the plates after fixing?

[@BillSchwab]

Thank you! I usually try to wash them for at least 15 minutes.

[@CynthiaLSimmons]

Are you making paper prints with these?

[@BillSchwab]

Hi Cynthia. If you were to make them on clear glass, then you would have negatives for paper printing. In most cases when you are doing tintypes, it’s a very underexposed image for a glass negative. For glass negatives, your exposure has to be a little more intense. There is also a way to chemically intensify the negatives using copper sulfate. Some thing I may get into in a future video, but answer your question, yes. Tintypes are basically putting a negative on a black piece of metal that reverses. Hope this helps! Great question as well!

[@CynthiaLSimmons]

@North Light Photographic Workshops - Bill Schwab So, expose twice as long for paper prints

[@BillSchwab]

@@CynthiaLSimmons That would be a good place to start. Collodion is slow and finicky. It will depend upon several factors. You just have to experiment with exposure.

[@vangstr]

Couldn't you just fill a pan full of developer and place the whole plate into it for development? Use the developer for the whole day and then at the end of the day, simply bottle up the developer for next time use?

[@BillSchwab]

Great question. Unfortunately the developer exhausts very quickly and there would be a lot of waste.