The web is really big. I mean really, really big. OK, so that’s not profound, but there it is. I spent about an hour today looking at daguerreotype related resources. I know a bit more about the process now. I realize if this website is going to be useful I am going to have to come up with a plan for organizing and keeping links fresh. No clue at this point. In true www fashion I wandered off topic for while. I found a site that had polished copper plates available. A 12″ by 12″ plate cost over $50 USD. That kind of freaked me out. I knew that a daguerreotype would cost more than a 4×5 from Walgreen’s, but yikes! So I started wondering if blank printed circuit boards (copper clad) would work; which led to looking up board prices (less success on this – but maybe something to explore later). Then I got to wondering if I could use mirror/silver glass and that led to a site called Angel Gilding and an email to their customer service people about the thickness of silver plating on mirrors.

Probably the only useful thing I did was to register the domain name thedaguerreotypist.com.

So here is the process as I understand it thus far:

1) Obtain or make silver plated copper in the required size
2) Put a mirror finish on the silver
3) Sensitize the plate by fuming with iodine
4) Increase the sensitivity by fuming with bromine
5) Put the plate into a camera and expose
6) Fume the plate over mercury (!) to develop
7) Fix the image with a stop bath
8) Rinse with distilled water
9) Seal the image behind glass to prevent tarnishing/degradation
10) Display image to adoring crowds of wealthy patrons

OK, so I made up the last one but it sounds nice. I can see I have my work cut out for me – there are a lot of materials to obtain, a lot of equipment to find (or more likely make), and a complex (and dangerous?) technique to master. Oh well, one step at a time.

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