Re: Daguerreotype Question

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From: Jeff Sumner (jdos2@mindspring.com)
Date: 07/26/02-09:03:49 AM Z


The St. Louis guy is expensive, my last quote was $32 for a 4x5 plate, whereas a plater in Chicago quoted me $18 for plating
(and polishing) the same, copper Lithographers plate being $3 from art supply places. I believe that the brass undercoating isn't
important- it is possible to take daguerrian images on solid silver.

Contact printing would scratch the bejeezus out of the silver, I'd guess, and even if THAT didn't happen, silver iodide (and
bromide, if you choose to multiply sensitize) would probably hurt your negatives.

If you want a quick camera for daguerreotypes, take a 35 mm camera with a copper/brass plate of the appropriate size and
simply tape the plate into the film gate in subdued incandescence light. The Daguerreotype has the resolution and the picture
formed is 'gemlike', incredibly sharp, and DOF is narrow if your lenses are of a wide aperture.

If you want to do a 4x5, simply purchase a couple of the extraordinarily ubiquitous film pack holders for Graflex back cameras.
Film Packs aren't in use anymore so are almost worthless (except in THIS case, and possibly for wet-plate stuff too) in most
photographic piles.

JD

JD

On Fri, 26 Jul 2002 07:45:28 -0700 (PDT), Paul Martinez wrote:

>Hi-
>
>I'm in the process (still) of assembling equipment for
>a foray in the wild and wooly world Dags and I have two
>general questions...
>
>Does the material of the plate that going to get coated
>eventually matter? There is a place in St Louis that
>will silver plate brass instead of copper and I would
>think that it shouldn't matter as long as the polishing
>is good.
>
>Also, (and this is kind of a dumb question) can I
>contact print with regular negs instead of retrofitting
>a camera or building something new? What does you lose
>if you contact print (other than the inherent cache of
>toting a handmade camera around)?
>
>thank you.

JD
2001 Moto Guzzi V-11 Sport
1999 Triumph Trophy (Shop Bike) 1200


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