5 Lights for $20 CAD!!

After a tiring night of renovation work and an exhausting day of work of hauling a bunch of items to the garbage. I pushed myself a bit further.

I managed to get a series of indoor dome ceiling lights off FaceBook marketplace. Got 2 beautiful large lights for the ceiling of tge press room at $10 CAD each. And got 3 more slightly beat up but still nice dome lights FREE that I will use in the carpentry shop. Dad had the wiring set up there but never installed lights.

Sometimes pushing yourself is a good thing. 5 quality lights for $20!!! Can’t beat that!

Will try installing the press room lights after I sleep. I also need to repair a bunch of switches and 1 power plug in the house basement. Bought some of those plugs from a Restore shop a while back, will need to find them.

The Origins of Photogravure! 1826-1879

 Here is a bit of Photogravure history.

Note* I will be working on a modern form of the process. It would be fun to try using original copper plates someday!

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Photogravure was invented in stages. The earliest iteration was developed by Nicéphore Niépce in 1826. However, the mature, high-quality intaglio process still used by artists today was perfected and introduced in 1879 by the Czech painter Karel Klíč. 

Key Milestones in the Invention

• 1826 (Niépce): Niépce created the very first photogravure, known as héliogravure, using light-sensitive bitumen of Judea on a pewter plate.
• 1852–1858 (Talbot): British inventor William Henry Fox Talbot (creator of the calotype) patented "photographic engraving," experimenting with dichromated gelatin and resin dust to transfer photographs onto steel and copper plates.
• 1879 (Klíč): Klíč successfully refined Talbot's process by combining it with Joseph Wilson Swan'scarbon tissue method. This allowed for the detailed mechanical translation of continuous photographic tones and birthed the modern Talbot-Klíč process.

How It Works

Photogravure is a photomechanical intaglio process. 

1. A photographic positive is exposed onto light-sensitive gelatin paper.
2. This gelatin "carbon tissue" is transferred onto a polished copper plate coated with a fine resin dust (aquatint).
3. The plate is etched with acid. The acid eats away at the copper in varying depths based on the tones of the image.
4. The copper plate is inked, wiped clean, and run through a specialized press to transfer the rich, velvety, continuous-tone image onto fine art paper. 

Legacy

While commercial photogravure gave way to cheaper halftone printing methods in the mid-20th century, it remains the most luxurious means of reproducing photographic images in ink. It is still practiced today by dedicated printmakers to capture extreme depth, velvety shadows, and transparent midtones that modern inkjet printers struggle to replicate.”

Found this on a Old Phone

A wet plate flash from the past!! I need to get off my lazy ass and create new work!

Old imagery with the 8x10

Book Money Saved!

I am trying to find out as much info as I can on the photogravure processes. The problem is most books on the photogravure process are super expensive! I found one book that I almost ordered at $100+ CAD but the price was daunting. I did a search online and found a PDF copy of the book for free. A bit underhanded but gosh I do not have the money to pay hundreds of dollars for a single book. I will read the PDF copy and see if it is worth the cost, if so, I could still buy it.

Note* Photo lots of pdf files relating to Photogravure printing, will download and read them all. I need to LEARN, LEARN, LEARN!! 

Toyobo Printing-Prints, Another Way to Say Photopolymer Gravure!

Here is a description of the process I will try to do with my new Etching Press. All photos are prints made by master printer Eric Levert, photographers listed below in pics. As you can see stunning work can be created.

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Toyobo printing (also known as photopolymer gravure) is a Japanese printmaking technique that acts as a bridge between photography and traditional etching. It involves using a light-sensitive polymer plate to transfer an image using UV light, resulting in a tactile print that looks like a hand-crafted intaglio. 

The Toyobo Process

• The Plate: A metallic plate with a photosensitive polymer layer is used.
• Exposure: Your digital image (inverted, such as an x-ray or high-contrast photo) is printed onto a transparent acetate sheet. This is placed on the Toyobo plate and exposed to UV light.
• Development: The light hardens the exposed polymer, while the covered, unexposed areas remain soft. The plate is then washed with water, which washes away the unexposed polymer to create a subtle, 3D relief.
• Printing: The plate is inked and wiped just like an intaglio etching, then run through a printing press to transfer the image onto high-quality fine art paper 

Etching-Press Room Coming Along

The room I plan to place (squish) the press into is coming along. The drywall is on the walls, the painting 1/2 done. I might have a floor guy coming in tomorrow, to lay new vinyl. The drywall work and painting (upstairs and downstairs) cost $1550 CAD and the downstairs floor should cost $150. 

The more I can save hiring my own contractors and doing work myself, the better. The more Insurance money I will have left over to help fund my photography, Screen Printing, Photogravure, Wet Plate Collodion and printing my life's work in photography.

Note: I will need to fix up the upstairs house area myself, do the tile work, repair the sink and cupboard. Probably will let a plumber reconnect the sink.  That is all OK, as along as I have more money for the photography! I have my carpentry tools nearby and can watch YouTube how to vids, to figure out the rest. It will not be a good a job as the pros do, but it should be safe, and strong.

Downstairs press room, where I can make Photogravure prints in limited editions for sale

Tiles that need both adding and replacing

Lower End Exhibition Opportunity

I have a possible lower end exhibition opportunity. Non paying but it would have some unique qualities, and it’s very close to Edmonton.

Nothing set yet, we shall see what happens.

Note* I am divided on this exhibition. No money but possibly some uniqueness to it. I might be able to exhibit some of the found dump artifacts as well as 10 large prints in handmade wooden frames. It is a very close location and I am more desperate for exhibitions now. It would be a good opportunity to educate some locals to the life thee my friends in the dump experience. 

Note**  Asked for a talk as well.

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

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“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