From: Christopher Lovenguth (zantzant@hotmail.com)
Date: 10/09/02-12:05:52 PM Z
All I can say is WOW. I don't even know where to begin trying to figure this
out but I'm going to start researching this. Thanks. -Chris
>From: Phillip Murphy <pmurf@bellsouth.net>
>Reply-To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
>To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
>Subject: Re: Sealing a Daguerreotype...is it possible?
>Date: Wed, 09 Oct 2002 12:32:05 -0500
>
>Jeff Sumner is correct; various coatings have been attempted over the years
>with
>little success. Glass remains the preferred method of sealing a plate.
>
>However, I also deeply enjoy the pristine clarity of a naked plate... It is
>unique. The answer to your question lies in metallurgy. In the early days
>of
>the Daguerrian era , the use of the electro-galvanic cell (the battery) was
>widely experimented with. One clever technique was to copy relief objects,
>that
>were coated first with a conducting medium (usually a form of graphite),
>using
>copper. In these days, you would google "electroforming" as a search for
>information and find that a very fine copper "paint" is used for the
>conductive
>medium. (think...bronze baby shoes) In the early 1840's, realizing that
>the
>Daguerreotype plate has a relief surface, someone hit upon the idea of
>electroforming on the surface of the Daguerreotype with copper. When this
>was
>carried out until the copper had reached the thickness of a card, the
>copper
>plate was carefully removed and the result was that the Daguerreotype was
>replicated in all it's perfection. These plates were hailed at major
>exhibitions for their beauty and delicacy of tone. Very few examples can be
>found today. (as an aside: this is the very technique that Woodbury used in
>the
>original Woodburytype plate making) Also, very little energy is needed to
>electroform copper. A group of rechargeable "D" cells is plenty and you can
>have
>several plates forming at the same time using a several copper sulfate
>baths
>connected in series.
>
>Now this is how one thing leads to another: When you electroplate or
>electroform with copper, one thing you notice about copper is the variety
>of
>colors that the metal can assume under various conditions. A man by the
>name of
>Charles G. Page decided to exploit that quality by devising a way to
>"color"
>Daguerreotypes using varying thickness' and combinations of solutions of
>copper
>to create the colors. He was somewhat successful with this and I believe
>even
>had the method patented. These days, that technique is referred to as
>pen-plating.
>One thing Page discovered in his experiments is that when he electroplated
>an
>extremely fine coating of copper on the Daguerreotype surface, it brought
>more
>brilliance to the plate than even gilding does. The more interesting thing,
>however, is that it also had the property of "hardening" the surface of the
>plate. So much so, that it could be handled readily without damage. The
>story
>goes that he carried one around in his pocket for over a month without
>damage.
>A plate was kept open to the atmosphere for over a year without any
>apparent
>change. He even rubbed it with a tuft of cotton without damage..
>I've always felt that this technique might prove to be a great avenue for
>Daguerreotype experimentation.
>
>My choice would probably not be copper but perhaps Rhodium, which is a very
>bright white metal that creates a very tough surfacing.
>No time for experimenting these days for myself.... I am usually wrangling
>pixels all day. heh.
>
>Good luck on your quest Christopher. The Daguerreotype hasn't even begun to
>be
>explored for new possibilities.
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