Simplification, and Cheapafying Wet Plate Collodion, and Making it Safer!!!

I thought I would make a list of the things I have done in wet plate (Ambrotype making) to make it both simpler, cheaper and safer. I think I have invented some of these systems or created a variant from another wet plater.

So many folks out there overplay the wet plate is hard and super expensive card, it is a bit hard and kinda expensive.

1- No added ether collodion.  Why have extra ether hanging about if it is not necessary? It is cheaper and safer to go with a non ether added Collodion (Gerry). Another possible bonus is my plates stay wetter longer.

2- No Potassium Cyanide. Why have a deadly poison in your kit, if its not needed? Plus its expensive and hard to get! Dangerous to everyone and everything around you.

3- Use pool chlorine remover Chlor Out as my Pottasium Thiosulfate (Hypo) source chemical. Its far cheaper than the higher quality lab versions and works fine, with a bit of filtering. I mix 1200-1600grams for ever 5 litres of fix. A 25 Kilo of Chlor Out sells for $183 CAD and I can pick it up locally (got 3 pails yesterday). A strong Hypo mix is cheaper and much safer, I can also pick it up country wide (a version) at any pool store.

4- Sugar as a restrainer, easy to find, easy to purchase and very safe. I can make some pies on the side!

5-  Ethanol instead of Everclear Alcohol. I use this stuff all the time, Ethanol is far cheaper, a fraction of the cost of the 100 proof Everclear and I can order it by the large box with free shipping from Quebec.

6- Buy my 2 main salts bulk from India. I bought my 2 main salts Ammonium Iodide and Cadmium Bromide in bulk form from a chemical maker in India. Saved a ton of money buying large, and it works fine for a long while, if stored properly (no light, no wetness, cool dark place, individual lab bottle containers).

7- Honey instead of glycerine  to store plates before washing. Honey is cheaper in Alberta and available everywhere, PLUS its good for my tea. I do a 2/3 honey 1/3 water mix. The honey can keep the plate kinda wet undamaged for days, perhaps weeks. A great working method, as my time on shooting site can be greatly reduced, allowing later washes when I get to a good water source. Honey alleviates the need to use the more dangerous Potassium Cyanide fixer, as the longer washing times for Hypo fixes are no longer a problem.

8- For easy mixing of new fixer. I place 1200grams of Chlor Out (Potassium Thiosolfate) in a zip lock back. When in the field I can simply pour the chemical into a large 5 litre graduate, add water, mix and wallah!! I have a working solution of hypo. I thought of this one today, no scales, no carrying large pales of chemicals that I do not use etc. 

9- White vinegar developer. No need to carry around dangerous purer forms of Glacial Acetic Acid and larger amounts of water. I can simply pour in the required amount of white vinegar (diluted Glacial Acetic Acid) then add sugar, ethanol and iron. I will have fast, good developer in a few seconds of mixing. The vinegar is available in every grocery store in Canada. Thee freezing point is also much better, Glacial Acetic Acid freezes at 16.6c, while white vinegar freezes at -2c. That's a big bonus in the ease of use category! I will almost never have to deal with frozen chemistry.

10- Using beer pumps to agitate and circulate the water in Ambrotype trays. I safe, cheap and much easier way to agitate and circulate the water in the tray. probably less disturbing to the fragile wet colllodion on the plates, versus rocking the tray.  

LINK: Speaking about my Work with Tomasz Trzebiatowski Editor in-Chief of FRAMES Photography Magazine

 Here is the ZOOM talk from Saturday May 16, 2027. The talk covers several of my photography projects.

FRAMES magazine ZOOM talk 

75 Kilos of Sodium Thiosulfate! Chlor Out!!!

Another expensive but necessary expense today. I bought 3 pails of Chloe Out which is a lower grade, but still acceptable Sodium Thiosulfate (Hypo). It was $183 CAD a pail. Total cost was $586.45 CAD.

Bought me a Suncay Icecove Portable AC Unit

One of the big problems I face every year is heat which affects the wet plate Ambrotype work in a very negative way. You end up with all kinds of terrible artifacts all over the plates. It is very hard to control and leads to lots of wastage of collodion, developer and silver nitrate, raising costs. The worse part is how difficult and frustrating it is to work in the heat. The interior of FREDDY the darkroom trailer is hotter than the air outside, making things worse. It becomes a sweat shop, that makes shitty Ambrotypes.

To help counteract overcome the problem of heat I decided to try a 12v portable air conditioning unit in Freddy the darkroom trailer. The unit I chose is the Sunjoy Icecove. It seems to have enough power at 2500 BTU to cover my approximately 100 square foot trailer. It will run off its own battery or a Jackery 1000. I have 2 Jackery 1000 units so bought the Icecove without their battery.

I expect to be able to get about 5 hours of cold air at the highest setting but probably more at lower settings. If I could get 8 hours at a mid range setting, that would be wonderful. 

As a bonus a local store is selling the unit at a steep discount. It usually runs at $851.99 CAD and I bought it today online for $510 CAD (plus tax).  That is a $341 savings. Other stores are still advertising the unit in the $800 range.

Hope thus works for me, with the 2 Jackery's as a power supply. My research seems to indicate it does. On remote location where there is no A/C, I should be able to charge one Jackery with solar panels while I am using the other. The charging time is long with the panels, but it is a viable option.

Note* As a bonus I can use the unit in the RV to help sleep when it is very hot outside. FANNY the class C motor home really heats up under the sun. 

Note** Another nice bonus is the the unit can be run from either inside or outside the trailer on AC power or 12 volt.

Sunjoy Icecove portable AC

What Did Sebastiao Salgado Die of?

Sebastião Salgado died of complications from severe leukemia, which developed from a particularly aggressive case of malaria he contracted while working in Indonesia in 2010.The award-winning Brazilian documentary photographer and environmentalist passed away in Paris on May 23, 2025, at the age of 81.

 

Photo by ? Self Portrait?

Sweet Yellow and Light Red Collodion Comparison

Here are 2 collodions I mixed up in the last week. The red one on the left used old USP collodion that was about 1 1/2 years old. The yellow one on the right is from fresh USP collodion. I know the yellow will work great, not sure on the read. Possibly more contrasty and definitely slower in speed.

Red old USP Collodion, Yellow new USP Collodion

Table for Tile and Glass Cutting

Picked all this stuff tonight. Total cost $140 CAD. I will use the table for cutting tiles on, and also later for cutting glass on. 

I picked up all the tile/grout/cutter and trowel for $45, the Ryobi table saw (used once) for $70 (new price $148 CAD). The table cost $25, was handmade by the seller.

Note* This is part of my self work, money saving, insurance payout plan. Do it yourself with found materials, will save me lots. A lot cheaper than if I would have gotten their team to do it. Now I need to watch some YouTube, how to vids!

Tile cutting gear, tiles and table

Kaolin Clay!!

Got a bag of Kaolin Clay today. A bit expensive but necessary. With shipping $45.35 CAD for a small 2 pound bag. 

This stuff is a safer way to treat exhausted silver nitrate solutions. 

The old school way to redo the silver was to boil away the water, until you have only silver left. The problem there is there is a danger of explosion!!! 

With Kaolin Clay you put some powder in the solution and let it sit 12 hours plus. Then you sun and filter it out. The clay powder attaches itself to the impurities in the silver bath, removing them. Making your Silver Nitrate solution strong and powerful again!!!

The $45 cost is a worthwhile safety expense! 

What AI says of Silver Nitrate boiling dangers.

Kaolin Clay!

“ Boiling liquid silver nitrate is extremely hazardous. It is a powerful oxidizer that can trigger violent explosions. When heated, the boiling liquid decomposes to emit toxic, corrosive nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) fumes. It also acts as a severe corrosive, causing irreversible skin burns and permanent eye damage.

Key Hazards

• Explosion and Fire Risk: Silver nitrate is a strong oxidizer. Boiling it—especially near its decomposition point—can trigger violent, explosive reactions if it comes into contact with combustible materials (like organic matter, wood, or plastics) or reducing agents.
• Toxic Gas Emissions: At around \(250 \text{ } ^{\circ}\text{C}\) and particularly near its full decomposition point (\(440 \text{ } ^{\circ}\text{C}\)), it degrades to release metallic silver, oxygen, and nitrogen dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide gas is a toxic, red-brown vapor that can cause severe respiratory tract injury and pulmonary edema.
• Severe Chemical Burns: In liquid form, it is highly corrosive to human tissue. Spills or splashes on the skin cause severe, slow-to-heal burns, while eye contact can lead to permanent damage or blindness.”

Etching - Press Free, Sorta

The press with extras was expensive ($3800 CAD) but I am playing with found money. 

After the flood from the pipe burst, the insurance people gave us two options. They bring their own contractors in and do all the work. Or they give us a check for 85% value of the renovations minus the deductible of $900. 

I took second options, hiring cheaper contractors myself and doing some of the repair work myself. 

The left over money is for the press! So the press is a bonus, kinda a free, sorta. I need to figure out the total cost of repairing the house with my contractors. Then I will know how much money will be saved by doing it my way.

Note* My hope, unlikely, but still a hope. Is that I can sell some limited edition box set Photogravures, or single large Photogravures made with the press, that will eventually pay for the $3800 press! 

LINK: Terrible Train Crash

Brutal, wonder if it was YABA?? Drivers use it to stay awake. The bus that was hit is an AC bus I would take often in Bangkok. These poor people did not stand a chance. How terrifying to be stuck in the bus, in traffic, and to see that train coming. Condolences to all who loved the victims.

Terrible Train Bus Crash

——

“Train driver tests positive after fatal crossing collision in Bangkok, Thailand

A train driver involved in the deadly May 16 collision at the Makkasan railway crossing in Bangkok, Thailand, has tested positive in an initial drug screening, police confirmed. The crash occurred when a freight train struck a crowded BMTA bus, killing eight people and injuring at least 35 others.

Investigators said black box data showed the train was travelling at around 35 km/h before impact, with emergency brakes activated roughly 100 metres before the collision. Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the crash, while the Thai government has ordered urgent railway safety reviews and coordinated compensation for victims and their families.”

Yellow Collodion! Gotta Love It!!

This morning I mixed up 3000ml of fresh Gerry Collodion, using brand new USP Collodion I got from Antique Pictureology in Quebec. It is turning beautiful Yellow like it should, not the bright red the old USP Collodion (1.5years old?), was giving me.

I am hoping to do some portraits of my friend Larry with these newly mixed bottles.

This Gerry Collodion will be a nice sweet yellow by tomorrow, and ready to use!

New, New Family in Dump Image

Found this today by accident. Thought I would give it a editing go. It is a underexposed image so tough to work on. It was shot in near total darkness, with the only light coming from my small hand held headlamp. Very difficult picture to make. Not sure all the editing I did, helped much. At least I got something.

Note* They were sitting under their lean two home, in the dark, on the garbage, a mother with 3 children.

New family to the dump #5, THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP, Mae Sot Garbage Dump, Thailand 2018 

My ZOOM Set Up

I tried improving my ZOOM set up look today. Will need to do something similar for the 2 artist talks coming in January 2027, Kelowna and Victoria.

ZOOM set up

FRAMES Interview Talk Session

Just did an interview FRAMES ZOOM session with Tomasz from Switzerland and with questions from 4 or 5 folks from around the world. There were something like 59 viewers. Not bad for this old security guard.

Loads of fun!! I am supposed to get a copy, will upload a link later.

Roof Vent Fixes

Who knew changing vent lids was so easy!! Did 2 on the motorhome FANNY and one on the darkroom trailer FREDDY. Total cost around $100 CAD. Now no more dripping water inside the vehicles, under the vents!

Note* The motor home and trailer vents were 2 different types. The key to these things is getting the right type hinge, the overall size is the same around 14x14 inches. There are 5 or 6 different type of hinges, get the right hinge and its an easy install.

FREDDY darkroom trailer vent

FANNY motor home vent

7 Litres of Silver, 6 Litres of Collodion!!

 

LINK: Learning Photo Gravure!

I put the cart in front of the horse again. Bought my etching press, now learning the Photogravure process!

Photopolymer Photogravure Demonstration 

Print by Silvi Glattauer

LINK: Zoom Interview With Tomasz from FRAMES Magazine

Am doing a interview with Tomasz from FRAMES photography magazine on Saturday morning, May 16th. Our talk will be about THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY story, which is in the current issue of FRAMES, 7 photographs.

Will post more when I know more. 

FRAMES PHOTOGRAPHY MAGAZINE 

Note* The FRAMES magazine hard copy version, volume #23, is being shipped in May from the UK. I should receive 3 copies of the issue, plus $200 USD which will be used to help the people in the photographs. 

Working on the Press Room

A while back I had a flood in my home after a pipe burst during winter. When everything thawed the water came running down. I discovered it within a day but a fair amount of damage had been done. After a tear out by the insurance company, I am hiring contractors to fix up the damage, I will also do some of the work myself to save money.

I will use the room for the new Etching Press. It will be a tight fit but doable. I will put the press on 2 sheets of 3/4 inch plywood to help support the weight. I will also have to maneuver around the floor level root cellar door. 

After the room/floor and wet drywall was removed. I took out an old stove, microwave, dryer and clothes washer yesterday.

Got the install of upstairs and downstairs drywall at a good price. Thank you Shally.

Note* Tomorrow the taping and mudding happens, then the linoleum/vinyl floor is put. I will paint it room myself.

Bought Me a Press!

Bought the Etching - Press, $3800 CAD!! I was very undecided and confused about whether I should buy it. Then I thought why not, do it while you can, do not be afraid, live life to its fullest.

I am 62 and will most likely be gone before 83. I will use the press to make limited edition photogravure prints of my life’s work in photography. I can make 10-20 photogravures of each of my projects and place them in box-sets.

 

THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY

THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP

MY FATHERS LAST DAYS

BODY SELLERS

KODOKU

3 HEARTS

  

HUNTER PENROSE LTD.  No. 8 Etching and Printing Press 

VIDEO: Nick Working His HUNTER PENROSE LTD. No. 8 Etching and Printing Press

 Here is a video of Nick working his press. A lovely old tool, look at this beautiful baby work!

Update* Bought the press, now it's mine. I feel lucky!!

Etching-HUNTER PENROSE LTD. No. 8 Etching and Printing Press Printing Press for Photogravure Prints?

I have an opportunity to buy a large high end printing press! Could use it for photogravure and other printing processes.

It is a real dilemma for me. Buying it could be a mistake, a big mistake or it could lead to the creation of a lasting and important body of work.

I cleared an area in the basement that might work for the press. Need to replace floor and drywall in the area after a broken pipe caused water damage.

Cost around $4000 CAD

HUNTER PENROSE LTD. No. 8 Etching and Printing Press

Will it fit? Not sure! It will be tight on the wide end and the door in the floor cannot be covered as it leads to a root cellar.

Fixing up Fanny and Freddy!

 

1 Year Already!

A year now and I am still in Canada. I need to get back, make more photos, do donation work.

I told the old ladies under the freeway that I would be back, NEXT YEAR.

From original Facebook post, made 1 year ago. Tired looking selfie (61) in the subway washroom mirror after a day of shooting in the slum. Second image "under the freeway". Photos made a few weeks back,

 

Almost Ready!

Freddy the wet plate darkroom trailer is ready for action!! Filled the tires and greased the trailer wheel bearings!! All the chemistry, water and glass loaded. I need to pack all my camera gear, then we are a go. Will take the trailer out next week Ambrotype making!

Grocery Store Shopping, Ambrotype Making!!

Everything Belongs To Everybody

 

Quote: Auguste Rodin (Sculpture)

 “The artist simply gives shape to his own dreams.”

Greasing Darkroom Trailer Tires

I greased the darkroom trailer wheels for the second time today. A messy job that requires you crawl under the trailer to jack it up. Not the funnest task but necessary to maintain Freddy! You add the grease to the 4 tires as you spin the tires. When your new grease colour comes out you’re done that tire.

I learned how to do this greasing work from YouTube videos. Today I also had to watch several videos on how to change the grease in a grease gun. You gotta love YouTube as it gives me knowledge I never had growing up. Dad never did mechanic work, so I never learned from him. With the invention of YouTube I now have worldwide instructors.

Note* Last night also watched vids on using torch wrenches, changing inner dually tires on a RV and how to use an impact driver. I want to be able to change my dually tires in the fuels if necessary.

6 Years Ago!

Gosh 6 years ago, before the darkroom trailer was scared with silver nitrate and other stains! The ice fishing tent is also for wet plate work, only used it a few times.