Ferrotype

[Danner]

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I tried it, and the first print is gorgeous (A5 size).  Of course, the photo of the print does not show that well.  First image, wet print on ferrotype plate; second image, print dries and falls off by morning; third image, ferrotype print.

Specs; M6 with v4 35mm Summicron, Ilford HP5 in XTOL 1:1, Ilford MG FB Classic (glossy) paper, Arkay ferrotype plate.

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[105012]

Excuse my ignorance, but I had thought ferrotype’s were printed on a metal plate? 

[Danner]

6 minutes ago, 105012 said:

Excuse my ignorance, but I had thought ferrotype’s were printed on a metal plate? 

With ferrotype, the print is dried against a polished metal plate to create a very glossy finish on the gelatin coat, which results in deeper, richer blacks and higher apparent contrast.  Perhaps what you are thinking of is tintype, where a sheet of metal is coated with emulsion.

[105012]

Yes I had thought ferrotype and tintype were the same, thanks for the explanation. 

[TomB_tx]

I used to use a drum print dryer, where the prints were rolled with the emulsion face pressed against a polished chrome cylinder which had a heating element inside. A spring-loaded canvas belt held the prints against the drum while they dried. It gave a nice, glossy finish, but also a lot of curl. I found the dryer deep in my garage last year and disposed of it...

[105012]

12 hours ago, Danner said:

With ferrotype, the print is dried against a polished metal plate to create a very glossy finish on the gelatin coat, which results in deeper, richer blacks and higher apparent contrast.  Perhaps what you are thinking of is tintype, where a sheet of metal is coated with emulsion.

Interestingly, there does seem to be some definitions similar to what I had thought:

https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/find-out-when-a-photo-was-taken-identify-ferrotype-tintype/

[Danner]

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14 minutes ago, 105012 said:

Interestingly, there does seem to be some definitions similar to what I had thought:

https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/find-out-when-a-photo-was-taken-identify-ferrotype-tintype/

Thank you for that link.  Very interesting.

 

The more I look at the print I made, the more I am loving the look/finish.  Really nice for the that 'special' shot.  Photography is awesome ...

[250swb]

On 8/31/2021 at 1:55 PM, Danner said:

With ferrotype, the print is dried against a polished metal plate to create a very glossy finish on the gelatin coat, which results in deeper, richer blacks and higher apparent contrast.  Perhaps what you are thinking of is tintype, where a sheet of metal is coated with emulsion.

If this is what you did

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tintype

then it's a ferrotype or tintype. If you didn't do that it's not a ferrotype. I see the term 'ferrotyping' is in common use, but this is a pastiche process, something that try's to mimic the look of a ferrotype without actually doing any of the work. 

[TomB_tx]

Exactly for true Tintype or Ferrotype. My grandmother (born in the 1880s) had quite a collection of old family tintypes, including several of our ancestors in their Michigan Volunteer civil war uniforms, etc. Light had to be just right for it to look "positive" instead of negative. I believe my sister has that collection now, including the uniform caps, bullet molds, and fifes (from the fife & drum corps), but she was going to donate them to the local museum.

[Danner]

"Maximum image brilliance is obtained on a smooth, glossy-surfaced paper, which can have a reflectance range of up to 100:1 and higher. ... Ferrotyping is a method of drying a print on a special metal sheet which imparts a very high gloss to the surface"; The Ansel Adams Photography Series, Book 3,The Print, (1983, Little, Brown and Company). 

[Danner]

And...

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Edited September 5, 2021 by Danner

[Pyrogallol]

Ferrotyping is just a fancy name for drying  old style “real” paper darkroom prints made on glossy surface paper on a polished metal plate, usually chromed, what we called a “glazing plate”. They fell out of fashion when resin coated paper came in in the late 1970’s. When I started in photography and did not have a glazer I would stick the wet print on the bedroom window, sometimes it fell of dry and glazed, other times it stuck to the window and had to be scraped off !

see https://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Johnsons_of_Hendon/JoH_Home-Photography.html

Edited September 5, 2021 by Pyrogallol

[250swb]

33 minutes ago, Danner said:

"Maximum image brilliance is obtained on a smooth, glossy-surfaced paper, which can have a reflectance range of up to 100:1 and higher. ... Ferrotyping is a method of drying a print on a special metal sheet which imparts a very high gloss to the surface"; The Ansel Adams Photography Series, Book 3,The Print, (1983, Little, Brown and Company). 

Ferrotyping does not make a print a ferrotype in much the same way Rocky Mountain Oysters are not oysters. Ferrotyping makes a print look something like the glossy finish of a ferrotype, and testicles look somewhat like oysters. I think it's vitally important to know the difference, between oysters and testicles.

Edited September 5, 2021 by 250swb

[jimofnyc]

I haven't done any ferrotyping in decades but what I remember is that when you apply a wet paper print to the surface of the shiny ferrotype (and using a brayer to squeeze out any air bubbles) I had best success by adding a drop or two of wetting agent to the final water before rolling out the wet paper onto the plate.  Plus putting some kind of water absorbing cloth or paper over the drying print to hold it down on the plate while it dries.  Otherwise the print will dry from the outer edges inward and without the pressure of something on top of the drying print - as the print dries the dry parts pop up off the plate first and then a little more will dry and pop off leading to rings of progressive drying and popping away from the plate - and that will show on the surface of the dried print.