Make a 35mm Daguerreotype 

For those of you wondering what the proportions of fixing chemicals and gilding chemicals to use: For fixing - 15 grams of sodium thiosulfate dissolved in 500ml of water. Store and use as needed. For gilding: 1 gram of gold chloride dissolved in 250ml of water, and 2 grams of sodium thiosulfate dissolved in 250ml of water. Store separately, and combine the gold chloride to the sodium thiosulfate in the amount you want and give it about 12 hours for the solution to mix. *NEVER ADD THE THIOSULFATE TO THE GOLD CHLORIDE - ALWAYS ADD THE GOLD TO THE THIOSULFATE.* About 4-5ml of solution is required to form a proper meniscus on a 35mm plate. Also, be very careful about heating up the plate before the gilding process. Becquerel daguerreotypes are extremely sensitive to heat and too much will fog the image, making it all but invisible. Practice makes perfect! It took me a couple tries to get it right!!

Wow! I don't know whether to thank you or not. I'd ruled out ever trying Daguerreotypes on the grounds I would never have access to a fume hood for the mercury vapour. Now you've shown me a way to do them without mercury! I'm going to have to add another technique to my bucket list.

Your great Nick of showing this old photographic process :)

If you don't want to spend money on the silver plates, you can alternatively use a mirror of all things! Apply paint stripper to the back of the mirror until it removes the back layer. Citri-strip apparently works the best as it lacks volatile substances. Wait until the back layer rises and wrinkles, then remove the copper layer. Try to avoid letting the stripper touch the silver layer Instead of buying iodine crystals, iodine tincture for cuts and wounds can be used. It's slightly less harmful to breathe in but, still exercise caution. It takes longer this way as well, but it is cheaper. About 45 minutes to an hour. Development can be done the same as done in the video Fixing the image can be done in a solution of 2.5g sodium thiosulfate and 2.5g of sodium sulfite in 200mL of distilled water It's a bit more fragile and slightly less detailed than using a true silver plate and actual iodine crystals, but it is far cheaper and a good entrance for those interested in daguerreotypes.

Amazing, thank you.

I started this way 17 years ago. It takes a longtime to get good at it. Spent two years perfecting my technique. Cheapest way to make plates are dead soft .999 silver sheet from rio grande jewelry supply. They come 6" by what ever length you need. Just order a 6" strip to whatever length you want and cut small plates from it with a paper sheer They work great but are soft. If you are careful you can polish them and not bend them. If you are a bit clumsy epoxy them to brass sheet as its stiffer. You will never polish through these like a clad plate. Don't try .925 the copper reacts with the iodine and makes funny patterns. Getting used to iodine fuming takes some time. It is temperature dependent, will change with iodine volume, distance to plate, level of polish, ect.........keep a log book. Base exposure for neutral subject in full bright sun 30sec at f2.5. Don't worry about reciprocity if you have a slower lens. Adjust from there. Ive ruined many a good plate gilding, not really required but when it works boy is it awesome. I have many not gilded and they are fine. After you master this try cold mercury in a vacuum.

Fantastic!! Thank you so much!!!!

Wow didn't know there was a non-toxic way to make daguerreotype. Adding this to my photographic bucket list :D

Thanks a lot for this, I like it a lot and will try it maybe sometimes!

thank you

Brilliant. You really clarified, and helped de-mystify, the process. Now if someone would only explain how to make 35 mm autochrome film.

That was pretty dang cool. I want to know more about the silica beads and the iodine.

Oh my! I had never even thought about developing the image that way, thank you so much for making this process so much more practical! Anybody interested in buying my surplus mercury? (the last bit was a joke)

thank you bro, this was more informative on the daguerreotype process than my college text

Dude wow. Any idea of the equivalent iso of the plate? And how to adjust it?

Love the video！How long should the fuming takes？

Nice!! :)

This is amazing! Would love to try this. That was sodium thiosulfate that I heard at the end with the bath where you want to avoid a line forming, correct?

Have you scanned any of these plates? If so, do you have a link where the digital scans could be veiwed?

Great video! We are so going to try this! Any ideas on where to find plates?

Question about the plates: Is there any reasonable way to store prepared plates? Say, you fume the plate and then store it for later use. Of course you'd have to store it where light can't get to it, but what about the chemistry itself, does it oxidize or degrade over time?

Does anyone by any chance know how the mixing of silica gel beads and elemental iodine works ? And in what proportions it has to be done ?

Sorry, question unrelated to photography: what is the background music?

I see you're gilding the bequereldag's. Is that necessary for the bequerelproces ? Thx

Any idea what ISO it would be to expose it at?

Hello nice work .its work a normal red filter for camera ?

Bye! Has anyone tried plate-impression with a negative (as with cyanotype)? If so, have you worked out the exposure times and then fixing with red glass?

How long do you keep the shutter open?

Probably a very silly question but when you fume the silver plate to make it light sensitive does this need to be done in a darkroom under safelight?

Fuming process doesn't require red protective light?

what iso would you rate the plate?

So if I understand right, I could also expose the silver plate under a UV-light machine (like it is used for cyanotypes) and make a contact print from film? And when using slide film, I'd even get a positive image.

What speed would this film be?

A few questions. 1. What sort of exposure times can one expect with this specific process? Assuming a cloudless sunny day shot with a 50mm at f8? As I understand it ISO ratings are pretty much useless for this medium. 2. What sort of shelf life do the prepared blanks have after fuming? Could one in theory prepare multiple plates in advance and swap them out in the field (with proper measures to protect them from incidental exposure.) Furthermore do they need to be developed immediately after shooting, or can they be set aside in complete darkness as in the aforementioned scenario?

Modern-day magic!

Freestyle has wet plates for sale but they have a black coating. Which gives a good normal image. I wonder if this will coat those plates and work the same ?

Where did you find those tiny frames?

Wauw, but where to get that stuff?

Would you write all the list of materials used ?

Are there safety precautions for using iodine vapour? I've made a half plate Becquerel daguerreotype before and I remember having to use a fuming cabinet for the iodine step.

Any suggestions on where to source said materials?

Hello, I am passionate about photography and I am very interested in Daguerreotype. I found the video excellent, but I would like to know where to find or how to make the silver-covered plates. Is it possible to make them at home?

Anyone knows how to make those iodine infused silica gel beads?

this daguerre only potrait? can not landscape?

is it just me or are the plates impossible to find?

That people figured this kind of thing out almost two hundred years ago makes me appreciate how retarded I truly am.

Where do you find plan silica gel and pure elemental iodine

Gold chloride could be expensive. Any substitutes like selenium?

I learned this from Mr Jefferson's class

the iodine is very expensive her in the philippines

Using a Pentax in a Eastman museum? Ironic 😂

wow imagine going through all these processes in 1840s ...like nuclear physics and chemistry..the only chemical i have at home in this modern era is bleach 🤔

i need iodine