I have used 2yr old poe boy that has been fridged with intermittent breathing. Quite wonderful chemistry. I love it over the work horse. Just wish I had the patients to make it myself. Wonderful video thank you!
Curious. I have a batch I make 12-18 months ago & just finally had the time to do some plates. My solution is very watery now rather than viscous...im getting an image but not great. Any idea on how to revamp my mixture or have to make another batch? We have very limited chemical resourses where I live so I like to keep it simple. Thanks.
Hi ,ur video is very usefull. i want to know about collodion. in India getting collodion is impossible ,any body knows the formula of making collodion.
Love the process and Video! Is there any reason why you add the 20ml alcohol later instead the 270ml in the beginning at once? (just a newcomer not yet in to the mixing) cheers from switzerland
Hi and thanks. Yes, my plain collodion is 4%, non-flexible. Density written on the bottle says 0.76. I haven't considered flash point values. I buy collodion from a company that creates their own wetplate images, so I know the chemicals they sell will work for me. The thickness of the collodion is normal. I've never experienced difficulty using it, although sometimes I think it would be better with some extra alcohol in the salted solution. No problems though.
Hi GPV. All the U.S videos say use denatured alcohol and it looks clear of colour/color. Methylated spirits in the UK has a purple dye in it, can you still use this with a dye or will it cause problems?
+andy van "Poe" is traditionally considered a New Orleans Blues-derived version of the word "Poor". John Coffer invented the Poe Boy collodion recipe because it doesn't use additional ether, making it cheaper to make for us poor photographers :)
Hello, I need some advice, Im trying to do this formula, but when pouring alcohol into collodion, collodion becomes solid, a big cotton floating in alcohol, it doesnt dissolve. Im using 6% collodion and ethil alcohol. Do you know what Im missing? Or some idea? Regards.
Note the process given is to add the collodion to the ethanol!! Stir the alcohol, and while stirring slowly add the collodion. Do not add more collodion until what you have added is dissolved. If working in a cold room, you may need to warm the solutions slightly.
hi, thanks for sharing this. I'm a newbie in collodion process so excuse my silly question.. is this a working solution you use for developing or do you add water once you decide to use this solution? I'm guessing you poured this into two 500ml bottles for some reason by leaving them half full. In total your solution comes to 546ml and you used two 500ml bottles... :) Thanks a lot.
Thank you for the great video! I've been using this formula for a while, feels a little bit safer now. Do you have an idea if it's ok, from the safety reasons , to store the mixture of collodion 4 % and ethyl alcohol ( I'm using that instead of denatured) and than just add the mix of salts when needed? Although I eliminated ether from my practice but I'm still worried about collodion forming peroxides and I though alcohol could stabilize it. I've heard thats the practice in case of pure ether storage but I'm not sure if it does't harm the working solution.
No need to worry about peroxide formation if you've eliminated ether from your mix. The small amount of ether in the unsalted collodion isn't enough to cause peroxide problems if you keep the bottle firmly capped, but you're more likely to suffer from solidifying collodion from a loosely capped bottle. Only opened bottles of ether should be cause for concern.
Very good video please give Collodion details 4% or not and what is the gravity as my collodion is .765 Density and its 4% flash point is -52Digree how come yours so thick?? please advice
hi thx for prompt reply what are the temp. in your country when u made video (Aprox) in India its 36 DigC now and Density.76 is rated at 20Dig C may be thats the point
+Maxime Fayaud It's better for preservation. As you use a bottle of collodion, opening and closing the bottle exposes the collodion to the atmosphere, oxidizing the chemicals and aging it faster. If you keep your collodion in two bottles, you can keep one bottle unopened, thereby preserving half of your mixture against oxidation. Ideally you should divide the mixture into four bottles of 250ml each, storing them in the dark with lids tightly capped and wrapped in sticky tape.
Thank you for your useful video. When I made this before I found the salts were hard to dissolve fully in such a small amount of water before adding to the collodion. I wonder if anyone else found this to be an issue and how did you get around it/does it matter if they are not fully dissolved? Thanks
Occasionally the salts will refuse to dissolve entirely. You can try warming the solution as you stir, though this rarely does the trick for me. The best method is just to add water, one drop at a time, while stirring. Eventually the salts will dissolve. It should only need two or three extra drops, but don't be concerned if you need more. The salts need to be completely dissolved before the process can continue.
Is Absolute Alcohol the same as Ethanol Ethyl Alcohol? Could Everclear 190 proof Grain Alcohol be used instead? Would you still add the 30ml of Distilled Water? Great Video and thanks for sharing!
Denatured Alcohol, is actually drinking alcohol (Ethanol/Ethyl)with some poisons added to make it undrinkable. Methanol/Methyl or "Wood Alcohol" is typical one of several agents added in small amounts to 'denature" the alcohol. I see no reason why grain alcohol cannot be used. You may need to compensate for the water contained in grain alcohol by reducing the amount of water added to the collodion. Experiment. Keep in mind that photographers working in the countryside from wagons successfully produced photos. Good luck.
Hi! Thanx for the video! I'm trying to cooc this but when I add the second salt it doesen't dissolve (in 6 ml d water). Not the whole of it. Do you have an idea why and how can I fix this? Thanx
Firstly, place your mixing beaker in hot water and heat the salted solution while mixing. If the salt does not dissolve after heating, add another drop of distilled water to the 6ml of salt solution (use an eyedropper) and mix again. If the salt still won't dissolve, warm it up again and add another drop of water. The salt should be completely mixed now.
Possibly you're correct. I mixed this batch of collodion at the end of winter, so the temp would have been around 12 degrees C.
I have used 2yr old poe boy that has been fridged with intermittent breathing. Quite wonderful chemistry. I love it over the work horse. Just wish I had the patients to make it myself. Wonderful video thank you!
Curious. I have a batch I make 12-18 months ago & just finally had the time to do some plates. My solution is very watery now rather than viscous...im getting an image but not great. Any idea on how to revamp my mixture or have to make another batch? We have very limited chemical resourses where I live so I like to keep it simple. Thanks.
Hi ,ur video is very usefull.
i want to know about collodion. in India getting collodion is impossible ,any body knows the formula of making collodion.
Love the process and Video! Is there any reason why you add the 20ml alcohol later instead the 270ml in the beginning at once? (just a newcomer not yet in to the mixing) cheers from switzerland
Hi and thanks. Yes, my plain collodion is 4%, non-flexible. Density written on the bottle says 0.76. I haven't considered flash point values. I buy collodion from a company that creates their own wetplate images, so I know the chemicals they sell will work for me. The thickness of the collodion is normal. I've never experienced difficulty using it, although sometimes I think it would be better with some extra alcohol in the salted solution. No problems though.
Hi GPV. All the U.S videos say use denatured alcohol and it looks clear of colour/color.
Methylated spirits in the UK has a purple dye in it, can you still use this with a dye or will it cause problems?
hi, nice video, GREAT to see you wearing protective gloves!!, by the way; for us " non-chemists" what does "poe_boy" mean?
+andy van "Poe" is traditionally considered a New Orleans Blues-derived version of the word "Poor". John Coffer invented the Poe Boy collodion recipe because it doesn't use additional ether, making it cheaper to make for us poor photographers :)
Whats the point of using absolute alcohol if its going to be diluted anyway? its an unnecessary expense.
Hello, I need some advice, Im trying to do this formula, but when pouring alcohol into collodion, collodion becomes solid, a big cotton floating in alcohol, it doesnt dissolve. Im using 6% collodion and ethil alcohol. Do you know what Im missing? Or some idea? Regards.
Note the process given is to add the collodion to the ethanol!! Stir the alcohol, and while stirring slowly add the collodion. Do not add more collodion until what you have added is dissolved. If working in a cold room, you may need to warm the solutions slightly.
hi, thanks for sharing this. I'm a newbie in collodion process so excuse my silly question.. is this a working solution you use for developing or do you add water once you decide to use this solution? I'm guessing you poured this into two 500ml bottles for some reason by leaving them half full. In total your solution comes to 546ml and you used two 500ml bottles... :) Thanks a lot.
Thank you for the great video! I've been using this formula for a while, feels a little bit safer now. Do you have an idea if it's ok, from the safety reasons , to store the mixture of collodion 4 % and ethyl alcohol ( I'm using that instead of denatured) and than just add the mix of salts when needed? Although I eliminated ether from my practice but I'm still worried about collodion forming peroxides and I though alcohol could stabilize it. I've heard thats the practice in case of pure ether storage but I'm not sure if it does't harm the working solution.
No need to worry about peroxide formation if you've eliminated ether from your mix. The small amount of ether in the unsalted collodion isn't enough to cause peroxide problems if you keep the bottle firmly capped, but you're more likely to suffer from solidifying collodion from a loosely capped bottle. Only opened bottles of ether should be cause for concern.
hi. I can't fine Collodion in my country is there any solution i can use to subtiture Collodion? Pls Any one?? :((
Very good video please give Collodion details 4% or not and what is the gravity as my
collodion is .765 Density and its 4% flash point is -52Digree how come yours so thick??
please advice
hi thx for prompt reply what are the temp. in your country when u made video (Aprox)
in India its 36 DigC now and Density.76 is rated at 20Dig C may be thats the point
Hi there and thanks a lot for the video. Definitely helpful !
But why should we use two 500ml bottles instead of a 1000ml one ?
+Maxime Fayaud It's better for preservation. As you use a bottle of collodion, opening and closing the bottle exposes the collodion to the atmosphere, oxidizing the chemicals and aging it faster. If you keep your collodion in two bottles, you can keep one bottle unopened, thereby preserving half of your mixture against oxidation. Ideally you should divide the mixture into four bottles of 250ml each, storing them in the dark with lids tightly capped and wrapped in sticky tape.
Thank you for your useful video. When I made this before I found the salts were hard to dissolve fully in such a small amount of water before adding to the collodion. I wonder if anyone else found this to be an issue and how did you get around it/does it matter if they are not fully dissolved? Thanks
Occasionally the salts will refuse to dissolve entirely. You can try warming the solution as you stir, though this rarely does the trick for me. The best method is just to add water, one drop at a time, while stirring. Eventually the salts will dissolve. It should only need two or three extra drops, but don't be concerned if you need more. The salts need to be completely dissolved before the process can continue.
Is Absolute Alcohol the same as Ethanol Ethyl Alcohol?
Could Everclear 190 proof Grain Alcohol be used instead?
Would you still add the 30ml of Distilled Water?
Great Video and thanks for sharing!
Denatured Alcohol, is actually drinking alcohol (Ethanol/Ethyl)with some poisons added to make it undrinkable. Methanol/Methyl or "Wood Alcohol" is typical one of several agents added in small amounts to 'denature" the alcohol. I see no reason why grain alcohol cannot be used. You may need to compensate for the water contained in grain alcohol by reducing the amount of water added to the collodion. Experiment. Keep in mind that photographers working in the countryside from wagons successfully produced photos. Good luck.
Hi! Thanx for the video! I'm trying to cooc this but when I add the second salt it doesen't dissolve (in 6 ml d water). Not the whole of it.
Do you have an idea why and how can I fix this?
Thanx
Please, excuse my bad English.
Firstly, place your mixing beaker in hot water and heat the salted solution while mixing. If the salt does not dissolve after heating, add another drop of distilled water to the 6ml of salt solution (use an eyedropper) and mix again. If the salt still won't dissolve, warm it up again and add another drop of water. The salt should be completely mixed now.
Cute Gloves. :D