Back at it

The Sun is out, and it is time to do some more wet plate work.

February 9th was the last time I was out with my gear. It was an unusually warm, and sunny day. A true false. I had hoped to get out more, but March had other plans.

Once the weather warmed up, and my water was turned back on for the season, I mixed up a fresh batch of chemicals to begin again.

My first few plates were crap, but I pressed on till I was getting better results. Part of the challenge is exposure times, and taking in to account the difference between the amount of UV light on a bright day in late March, and an equally bright day in August.

I also started off with standard rapid fixer for the plates, but was unhappy with the result, so I mixed up a batch of potassium cyanide fixer, and was rewarded with a much better result. Yes, care must be taken when working with cyanide, but I find the images far superior.

The bicycle is running well. Put “Sweetpea” up in the stand last week to switch to touring tires. All the difference in the world.

Next on the list is to work on getting gear weight down. The dark cloth for the box is made of light blocking curtain fabric, and is rather heavy, and also the legs for the box, being solid maple, need to be worked on. Chuck them up in a lathe to trim off a few ounces, or perhaps make a new set out of cedar. I have a friend that is skilled at making paddles for standup paddle boarding, and I could ask for pointers in making new legs.

Looking forward to getting out more. I have also given a good deal of thought to setting up a pop up workshop for folks who are interested in learning about the wet plate colloidion process, and perhaps doing some portraits for a little extra cash.

Be well, and keep in touch.