Re: Daguerotypes
SCHRAMMR@WLSVAX.WVNET.EDU
Mon, 22 Apr 1996 11:44:18 -0400 (EDT)
I don't know if this will help you, but I will post it anyway. I have
never made a Daguerreotype, but I am working on it and assembling materials
e.g. silver plates, polishing materials , iodine, mercury, old wood, 4x5
plate holders, etc. One of the primary things I have yet to solve is
how to mercury develop the plate without damaging myself. Yes, mercury
vapor is VERY dangerous. We physicists use to use it in mercury diffusion
pumps in high vacuum systems, but a lot of accidents caused the Hg diffusion
pumps to be retired to museums. Oil diffusion pumps are now used. There
is a developing process which uses intense red light rather than mercury
called the Becquerrel (sp?) process, which I don't understand at all, that
is supposed to work. It would be safe. Of course there is the problem of
iodine and bromine fumes, but that is easilly solved with a fume hood and
anyway relatively safer than mercury vapor. I read about at least two
contemporary daguereotypists who ended up in the hospital with chest pains
from Hg vapor. Of course well all know how the "mad hatter" got that way.
Bob Schramm
schrammr@wlsvax.wvnet.edu