The Beauty of Making Sandarac Varnish

[@1specificfrequency220]

Great content! I've been looking for a sandarac varnish recipe for guitar making and with this guidance I know I can do it.

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot and I am glad I could help.

[@ChernobieffPiano]

Those plates look really classy!!

[@jceast76]

Dang! That was fantastic! I need to make something like that for myself, buuuut maybe I will just share this one for now! Very nice indeed. Thank You!

[@mhaustria]

Jeff East :) great 👍 thank you!!

[@RosssRoyce]

Very nice! I was watching this because I’m going to make this varnish although for a viola da gamba and halfway through the video I realized yours is for photography 😆 It’s amazing how the photosensitive material gets affected only by the strong light flash and not the ambient light! I remember clearly from my childhood 1800s photos done on metal plates with silver cover, also some on glass! They had extremely high detail resolution and shifty black-gray silvery reflections! It’s amazing that you need no negative!

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot. It looks like a positive, but actually it is a negative with silver instead a black color on a black background. That makes it a positive ;)

[@RosssRoyce]

@@mhaustria oh okay, I see now - probably oxidized silver would turn black and the varnish seals it! Looks amazing in any case!

[@mhaustria]

@@RosssRoyce absolutely, that is the main reason to varnish the plates

[@bluehoo0]

I’ll try this recipe, thank you for demonstrating. What are the ingredient quantities? I got 400ml of alcohol, but missed the rest.

[@VedunianCraft]

Supergeil 💪!

[@mhaustria]

Vielen Dank!

[@PatDoyle]

Markus, beautiful video as usual. Could you tell us a little about your heating plate and why you use that rather than the traditional flame?

[@mhaustria]

Pat Doyle thanks a lot Pat and thanks for this great question. First: I don‘t like open flames near my chemicals and second: I can control the temperature a lot better. I also can tilt it to my favorite angle to take care of the varnish the gets more at the lower end.

[@michaelbermingham3559]

Hi Markus how hot would the plate be ? Full power? Thank you for your fantastic channel I’m hoping to do wet plate soon just gathering information and you have been a great help to me :)

[@jamesdonnelly8888]

Nice result, thanks I learned

[@mhaustria]

Thank you and very welcome!

[@odinmcmiir7459]

Great👏. 92% hydrated ethyl alcohol will do? thanks

[@mhaustria]

Thank you! I use 95% pure alcohol. it’s called Weingeist here in Austria. It’s the one you could use for food.

[@odinmcmiir7459]

@@mhaustria thank you so much💖💖💖🙏

[@mhaustria]

@@odinmcmiir7459 very welcome 🙏

[@odinmcmiir7459]

@@mhaustria perfect master 🙏 grain alcohol 93,8 or turpentine will do?

[@mhaustria]

@@odinmcmiir7459 try do get a 95% grain alcohol. No turpentine.

[@joebrann4612]

Thank you!! Please do Baltic Amber!!

[@mhaustria]

I will do Shellac in the future, not sure if the baltic amber is fitting for the wet plate process

[@joebrann4612]

@@mhaustria many oil painters and violin makers want to see someone make it

[@mhaustria]

@@joebrann4612 I will see if I find a recipe. Do you know the advantages compared to sandarac or shellac?

[@joebrann4612]

@@mhaustria it's the hardest resin they say, that's why it last longer, but the whole issue is to try to get it clear rather than cook it and it turn so dark, plus, if a drop of water touches it while cooking it will explode into lava! You can't put it out with water or a lid, it has to burn out. I think something will mix with it on heat, but the search is hard

[@mhaustria]

@@joebrann4612 sorry, that does not sound like I want to work with it. I use my varnish for wet plates. And people take good care of them

[@evonbenjamin8445]

Not sure but I will give your link to the host of the programme FARM TALK on power 106 FM Jamaica .. she is Mrs Mckenzie and ask her to confirm with you ( that I would like ) or to use your video to confirm what I was saying to her as a caller. Talking bout the importance of planting the crops to produce the gums and the Linseed, I even promised to make a leather sandals for the first Jamaican farmer to grow the Linseed plant

[@Tracks777]

lovely video

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot!

[@BeauHannamGuitars]

Thats a cool use of Sandarac varnish. What temp do you heat it too before tipping it onto the plate? And Bravo for doing Wetplate photography.

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot. Its about 50 to 80 degrees. I lately filtered it a bit more often and then tried it without heating it up. Works also very well. Thanks a lot!

[@wmhemphill8642]

Beautiful.

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot - just varnished a plate yesterday and loved the smell

[@Stop4MotionMakr]

What's the difference between shellac and sandarac varnish? I use shellac since it's just easier to get but would love to try sandarac as well.

[@mhaustria]

Great question! I just bought shellac and for also a recipe. It is mixed very similar. I think just a taste thing. I also bought some industrial varnish I want to compare

[@Stop4MotionMakr]

@@mhaustria it seems sandarac can give a glossy finish? I haven’t been able to make a glossy finish with shellac so far

[@mhaustria]

@@Stop4MotionMakr I have used both. Self made Sandarac and bought Shellac. My Sandarac is very glossy. The Shellac was a little bit more matt

[@ChernobieffPiano]

What are the Proportions? It's not clear in the video. Thanks.

[@mhaustria]

You mean for the recipe?

[@ChernobieffPiano]

@@mhaustria yes sir.

[@mhaustria]

@@ChernobieffPiano I can not put links in here, because mostly they don't show. I think there are different recipes. I use the one from Quinn Jacobson's book (Chemical Pictures). Just google Sandarac and Wet Plate and you will fined some. Be careful with the Lavender oil, it can easily cause headaches. It'S very intense.

[@ChernobieffPiano]

@@mhaustria thank you. I'm actually going to be using it as a hardner for piano hammers, so lav oil not needed. But I appreciate the tip.

[@mhaustria]

@@ChernobieffPiano I used it as well for the wood of my large format camera. I just applied it with a paper towel. Have a look at this video and jump to the section remove scratches: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYuroKtrnbR2d5o

[@lacitaki8103]

Hi Markus! Do U use baby food warmer in this video? Cool solution!! 🙂

[@mhaustria]

yes I did, but lately I get good results without it as well.

[@plus8685]

很受教，谢谢马库斯先生

[@mhaustria]

you are very welcome. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@diorthotistm1621]

Awesome.

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot!

If you want to scan an image, should that be done before or after adding the varnish? I'm thinking a glossy surface might cause flare...

[@mhaustria]

Great question, always before. Check out my video about scanning: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZqWhZicaN-Nhqc

[@ahmadbidmeshki]

hi bro very nice video how many time we need to stay to get nice dry surface of that varnish?

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot. What do you mean with stay? I filtered it like 4 times and for varnishing I heat it up

[@ahmadbidmeshki]

@@mhaustria i mean after varnishing that will dry instantly?

[@mhaustria]

@@ahmadbidmeshki yes, because of the heat. But it still needs some time to cure (about an hour). It always will be easy to scratch

[@gbaharlia]

great informativ video :-) thank you!!

[@mhaustria]

Gabriel Baharlia thanks Gabriel!

[@cantisaniluthier]

great video! I'm wondering how long is its lifespan in a jar, or I could just let it be as long as it is protected in a cabinet...

[@mhaustria]

Thank you. Do you mean the raw Sandarac, or the finished varnish? I think as long as it is closed properly, you don’t have the lifespan.

[@cantisaniluthier]

@@mhaustria perfect! the finished varnish :]

[@mhaustria]

@@cantisaniluthier I just think it could dry out if you leave the bottle open. maybe it will get thicker after some years...

[@cantisaniluthier]

absolutely! probably would need some alcohol to get the proper consistency... anyways, great to know, thank you!

[@maumtzrs1344]

also works for violins ????

[@mhaustria]

It’s not scratch resistent - not sure if you want to use it for that purpose

[@bitTorrenter]

Very cool, a lot of steps there to filter out the junk.

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot

[@weathbu]

I prefer a coffee grinder and everclear

[@mhaustria]

I enjoy the grinding by hand. The alcohol I use is pretty the same, it is just mixed from my local pharmacy.

[@alicegerber4673]

Hello! Wonderful video, thank you! Is lavender oil essential oil or is it something else? On the internet it is not clear.

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot, check out camera-obscura.photography - they should have it

[@alicegerber4673]

@@mhaustria They only have already prepared Sandarac Varnish :) but thank you very much!

[@mhaustria]

@@alicegerber4673 just ask them about the pure one. Short email or call. Really nice and helpful owner

[@evonbenjamin8445]

Teacher can any similar gum be used. The varnishes used today in the madern world give off toxic fumes. I will spread your knowledge in Jamica on power 106 radio station 5 am in the morning

[@mhaustria]

I don’t know to be honest. But there is a Formular with shellac that I wanna try. The modern varnishes have some good sides as well. They are easier to handle for example. But as you said, they are more toxic. Thanks a lot for spreading the word! Will there be a recording?

[@allbrakesnogas2712]

I am running into some problems, I mixed my sandarac with supposedly 95% alcohol and it turned a very milky color, like white cream color with the unground pieces turned white.. any ideas?

[@mhaustria]

I get this white color when I put the sandarac tubes in the dishwasher - sounds like to much water somehow. Maybe there ist to much water in the alcohol? Does it directly happen when you put the sandarac into the alcohol?

[@allbrakesnogas2712]

@@mhaustria yes as soon as it put the alcohol in the bottle that had sandarac. I basically did exactly what you did. Slightly crushed sandarac in mortar and pestle pored in bottle then measured out my alcohol and poured it in. It turned yellow/amber for a second then all pieces turned white and made like a milky film over all

[@mhaustria]

@@allbrakesnogas2712 that sounds like to much water for me. Send me over some images on my instagram

[@allbrakesnogas2712]

@@mhaustria will do thank you so much for your help!

[@serijoo8822]

Wonderful~~!!

[@mhaustria]

Thanks a lot!!

[@fotolookconde]

@@mhaustria I think I saw a FKD camera... ist a 13x18 or 18x24? I am restoring a 18x24 that I bought quite cheap!

[@mhaustria]

@@fotolookconde This is a Century 8x10 camera with a Dallmeyer 2b lens on it ;)

[@fotolookconde]

@@mhaustria ah OK it's so similar to the Soviet FKD!

[@mhaustria]

@@fotolookconde I think the fkd cameras have the same size on the front as they have on the back, right?

[@ahmadmohammadi3620]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@mhaustria]

@@ahmadmohammadi3620 🙏

[@arneheeringa96]

Cool

[@mhaustria]

Arne Heeringa thanks!

[@naedolor]

That lavender oil is more expensive than your silver syrup :)

[@mhaustria]

sadly true, but during my recent podcast I learned that there exists cheaper ones too that work well. Will test that in the future. Did you know, that you ned 1kg of Lavender blossoms to get some ml of lavender oil?

[@DominikMatus]

how durable is that layer, isn't it brittle?

[@mhaustria]

It was used from about at the beginning of the wet plate process and some of these plates are still good today. It gets more elastic because of the lavender oil.

[@DominikMatus]

@@mhaustria thanks!

[@watchyMCFCwatchy]

Hi, I want to make Sandarac varnish for wood finishing, not photograpy. What are the exact quantities of ingredients you have used?

[@mhaustria]

watchyMCFCwatchy I use the recipe from Quinn Jacobson: 40ml lavender oil, 60g gum Sandarac and 400ml grain alcohol (95%)

[@bitTorrenter]

@@mhaustria Why does one use oil here or Lavender oil specifically?

[@mhaustria]

@@bitTorrenter Very good question - thanks for asking! This is a very old recipe. They used to coat plates with that from very early on. But at some point I had the same question as you. It looks like lavender oil fits perfectly together with sandarac gum. It would not work with olive oil for example.

[@fotolookconde]

@@mhaustria I have heard about the called SS222 varnish which it's a mix of sandarac and shellac..have you tried it? They say that it is easier to aplly onto plates. Do you know the formula?

[@alexxconroy]

That was good...

[@mhaustria]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@pamanthanos9742]

now im waiting for other chemicals making

[@mhaustria]

The videos are all there ;) Collodion: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pavJXpyopNmgapI Silver Bath, Developer and Fixer: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJbbcnR8mNZkbrs

[@mhaustria]

there is one more: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zl7GqKagqd-dj5o