From: Phillip Murphy (pmurf@bellsouth.net)
Date: 10/10/02-10:20:41 AM Z
Now.... all I can say is "WOW".... great job Christopher.! I like your
improvising with the vingar and the electrical source.
Christopher Lovenguth wrote:
> 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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