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News — historical photo processes

Closing the Circle

Dale Wilson Canada Canadian collodion dale wilson Dartmouth Heritage Museum Evergreen House Halifax Regional Municipality historical photo processes Program Support Building The Rooms at Evergreen tintype wetplate

Closing the Circle

Some wise soul once said something along the lines of satisfaction comes to those who wait. Regardless of such lore, this past Friday was a most satisfying and enjoyable culmination of more than five years in the making. Brutus, aka Century 7 studio camera, made his appearance at Dartmouth Heritage Museum in October 2016. Following some refurbishment, including new bellows, he stood as Lord of the Manor representing little more than a piece of furniture for a variety of reasons. Brutus needed a home so people could start making images with him.   Figure 1: October 2016 and Brutus is...

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Silver Recovery Unit

Dale Wilson dale wilson darkroom historical photo processes silver recovery studio studio equipment

Silver Recovery Unit

Metallic Replacement Silver Recovery Units. MRUs use a chemical process to recover the silver in the fixer solution. This process involves the use of canisters ranging in sizes from 5 to 20 gal containing either steel wool or wound screen. These units do not need a power source and are only connected with hose attachments. There is a bypass tube that is connected at the top of the cartridge, which allows the fixer solution to go directly to the drain instead of through the cartridge if the cartridge becomes plugged. These systems are extremely efficient, with recovery of silver up...

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Construction Grinds to Halt

Dale Wilson Canada Canadian dale wilson Dartmouth Heritage Museum Evergreen House Halifax Regional Municipality historical photo processes Program Support Building studio William Valentine

Construction Grinds to Halt

The Evergreen Program Support Building on hold pending CORONA-19,

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Debunking the Myth on Denatured Alcohol north of the 49th

Dale Wilson ambrotype Canada Canadian collodion denatured alcohol historical photo processes

Emotions and opinion run the gamut when it comes to utilizing denatured alcohol within the collodion process. Some suggest it should be avoided at all cost while others report you can pour with confidence. Both opinions have merit. The first realization must be the understanding that the majority of collodion photographers today gain their information from social media channels originating in the United States of America. Therein lies the crux of the issue: what holds true in the good ole US of A may not be compatible with other countries, and most likely isn’t.  Most countries have liquor/spirits legislation that...

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Cleaning Trophy Aluminum

Dale Wilson antique Canada Canadian collodion dale wilson historical photo processes pictureology tintype wetplate

If it is good enough for $500 eye glasses, the tissue should surely clean aluminum plates without scratching.

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