From: Sandy King (sanking@CLEMSON.EDU)
Date: 10/08/02-01:43:43 PM Z
Chris wrote:
>I've been trying to think of a way to seal a daguerreotype plate
>with some sort of substance so that I don't have to have it under
>glass. Can anyone think of a way to do this? I don't want it to
>alter the finish so it would have to be some sort of
>material/chemical that can be applied without severely affecting the
>finish. It will have to be neutral as well in order not to tarnish
>the silver. Third it would have to be able to be applied carefully
>because the slightest touch destroys the image. So I'm thinking a
>sort of liquid that I can either dip the plate in or spray the plate
>with.
>
>I couldn't come up with any ideas that I'm just willing to try. It's
>not that I want to be able to put my paws all over the image and
>then be able to use window cleaner to wipe them off. But I like the
>quality of just the plate without glass. The problem is showing it
>to someone who might not understand that just the slightest touch
>will ruin it. Plus transportation, my own viewing (I'm very clumsy)
>dust, etc. Right now I have been using neutral plastic film holders
>sheets. But even with those if you take the plate out of them a
>couple of times start to scratch the image because of dust
>particles. Just keeping the plate in the sleeve and looking through
>it you lose subtle qualities.
>
To the best of my knowledge there is no substance of the type you
need that will resist scratching, though some will resist much more
than others.
One substance that does come to mind is epoxy. If you mix the
hardener and resin carefully to avoid bubbles you can just pour the
substance on the print and flow it over the surface by tilting the
plate from one side to the other, as when coating wet plates. Once
the entire surface is coated just place the image to dry on a fairly
level surface. You will need to do this work in a very clean room to
avoid dust particles from settling on the surface while the epoxy
dries. If done correctly you will have a very clear, almost
mirror-like surface that is very hard. You may be able to achieve the
same look with shellac but the surface will not be as hard.
Of course, this is a non-reversible operation, and eventually even
the epoxy will scratch. It will also degrade in time if exposed to
high levels of UV light.
Sandy King
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