From: Christopher Lovenguth (chrisml@pacbell.net)
Date: 10/09/02-09:03:58 PM Z
Well I have tried electroplating copper to my Daguerreotype and all I can
say it holy sh@t it worked! I used white vinegar (didn't have to use
sulfuric acid) with some copper sulfite (6g) that I had from a copper toning
kit. I put the copper sulfite in to 1L of vinegar (5% acid). I used a DC
power adapter that is 6V and 200ma. I clipped the negative wire to the plate
and the positive wire to a round mass of copper wire. I then held the copper
wire (by the insulated wire it was attached to) and "painted" over the plate
while in the copper sulfite vinegar solution. It worked too well at first
and I over coppered my first 2 plates (it only takes about 10-15 seconds to
start to see the plating, everything I read online said 30 minutes). But on
the third attempt I was able to get a nice effect (which is test #1 on the
website, the doll body with tape).
You can go here to see the before and after:
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=242581
I'm going to have to really decide when to use this since it effects the
image and mood. The best one is the body with tape on it (Test #1). Now
after I plated the daguerreotypes, I very gently buffed them with a cloth
and was able to wipe off excess material original from exposure that I would
never have attempted before. That is why the face and dress are less
"solarized" looking. I over plated the dress image and lost detail.
The plates are much more durable this way. You can even touch them! Of
course if your hands are grimy or you rub the plate will scratch. But the
image is defiantly on the plate and not "dust" like.
This was my first time ever electroplating and I have to say I'm addicted.
I'm going to train myself to do less and maybe selective plating areas of
the image since I can use the copper like a paintbrush.
But now I have to think about the longevity of the copper and how fast it
will tarnish. Have I lost archival-ness as well (not that this really
matters to me but the Daguerreotype is known as the ultimate archival
photographic process)?
Thanks Phillip for the suggestion you have opened a whole new world to me!
Hmmmm...what metal next??????
-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher Lovenguth [mailto:zantzant@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 11:06 AM
To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
Subject: Re: Sealing a Daguerreotype...is it possible?
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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