[Darkroom] want? Daguerréotype

[Ben Rupert]

I would love to have that camera, because of its antique-ness, but it's well
outside my price range.  As Audrey said it's really just a wooden box with a
lens.  I built one out of cardboard and a magnifying glass to use as the
front to my scanner camera.  I would like to build a nicer one out of wood
and a better lens to use with the scanner bed, or possibly a design with
bellows instead of the sliding box.  Anyway if anyone wants to build a large
format box or bellows camera I'd be happy to work on it.  Also I'd be
interested in Daguerrotypes, but I don't have the time or experience to lead
anyone else in it right now.  However, I could probably easily design and
build a chamber for mercury vapor that would keep the user relatively safe.

Ben


On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 5:12 PM, Audrey Penven <audrey at lostinthenoise.net>wrote:

> That camera is a wooden box with a lens on it.  There's nothing too
> special about a Daguerreotype camera.  At Rayko, they've done
> Daguerreotypes in a normal large format camera.  The film holder was
> modified to hold the metal plate.  As long as you have a way of
> sticking the metal plate in the camera in the correct place, you've
> got a Daguerreotype camera.  That "way" could be as janky as just
> taping it on.  It's not at all elegant, but it would totally work.
>
> If anyone wants to do Daguerreotypes, I highly recommend talking to
> Michael Schindler at Rayko.  I think it's an awesome process, but I
> don't at all have the bandwidth to lead a group in doing them.  It's a
> highly toxic process, involving mercury vapor as the developer.  I
> hear that if you do it wrong, it sucks a whole lot more than cyanide
> poisoning.  So do it!  but be careful!
>
> - Audrey
>
> On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 4:42 PM, John Magolske <listmail at b79.net> wrote:
> > It looks to be expensive only on account of it's antique-ness, seems
> > making such a camera would be fairly straightforward. Or, maybe just
> > retrofit a "daguerreotype film back" onto a 35mm film SLR for making
> > little medallion-sized images.
> >
> > Brings to mind something I've wondered about... not sure what the
> > resolution and archival quality of daguerreotype is (I think both are
> > pretty good), but could this medium be used as a sort of steam-punk
> > microfiche for archiving important text files & such?
> >
> > John
> >
> >
> > * Kelly <hurtstotouchfire at gmail.com> [100129 16:19]:
> >> Oh I wish......... That is very expensive. Are there specs online for
> >> daguerrotype cameras? I bet we could make one.  Ben?
> >>
> >> -Kelly
> >>
> >> On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 3:52 PM, Joachim Pedersen <joachimp at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >> > Daguerréotype von 1839 am 29. Mai bei WestLicht Photographica Auction!
> >> > http://www.westlicht-auction.com/
> >
> >
> > --
> > John Magolske
> > http://B79.net/contact
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> >
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