The Daguerreotype: Contemporary work by Jonathan Danforth

When you’re engaged in something as arcane as making daguerreotypes it’s important to keep notes. I always have one of my little notebooks with me so that I can jot down the UV reading, EV reading, and other information about a daguerreotype that I’m working on.  I thought that it was high time for me to customize these books.

I’ve recently become a member of TechShop Durham and, consequently, have access to all manner of exotic tools.  One of my favorite tools at Tech Shop is the Epilog Laser Engraver.

These images are cut right into the surface of the leather.  The one on the right was run at a higher power and, thus, has burned straight through to the cardboard.  The one on the right was run at lower power so it has retained some of the epidermis.  Did I mention that they smell like death after they come out of the machine?  That should wear off soon.

Lest you think me some sort of mad genius, I should point out that this is not a new idea.

The next step is to try a mashup old world gold tooling techniques with modern laser techniques.  Since the laser is nothing more than a heat beam I’m curious to see if it will activate the size on the leather through the gold leaf.  I’m sure Gavin would like to know!

Fun!

I have had the opportunity recently to purposefully “age” some daguerreotypes for a client.  I will elaborate more on this process in the future but I’d like to share some related information about daguerreotype protection.  The surface of a daguerreotype is very fragile as you can see in my video “How to Destroy a Daguerreotype.”

Protection from physical danger is essential but it’s only half the battle.  Chemical corrosion is also an enemy.  Protection from airborne chemical contaminants is very important for the longevity of the image.  You need to seal off the daguerreotype from (more…)

Well it’s 10:00AM and I have two daguerreotypes already developing outside.  Here’s hoping that I didn’t screw up the exposures.

I’m going to the ShopBot Tools open house in a minute.  I’m curious to see what a proper CNC machine looks like and if there’s a place for one in my studio (and wallet!).

Jonathan

Jon Lewis has created an online forum for the discussion of all things daguerreotype. The forum isn’t just for practicing daguerreotypists but is geared for the discussion of collecting, preservation, case making, etc. Go check it out!

-Jonathan

I’ve said time and time again that one of the hardest things about making Daguerreotypes is the creation or otherwise location of critical tools, supplies, and equipment to deliver a quality product. Though I have alternative, modern ideas for casing Daguerreotypes using exotic materials and techniques, the brass mat is a beautiful way to help protect and compliment your finished image when it is in a case or frame.

Regardless of the style or material, the mat and cover glass are necessary to prevent damage to the delicate surface of the daguerreotype just like with the framing of traditional photographs. While I have used paper, foamcore, rag, and brass to make mats for my images, I will be focusing on the latter in this post.

The first step in creating brass mats is to design them.  Because I’m a child of the digital age, I chose to design my mats using CAD software provided free (conveniently enough) from emachineshop.com. The tutorials on the website from eMachineShop are easy to follow and I suggest you build their example widgets to get the hang of the software.  My mat designs are here. You may use them however you wish.

eMachineShop.com is a fascinating service.  Free software is provided to you to draw up any object you can imagine.  Once drawn you can select from a big list of exciting machinery that will convert your computer drawing into a real-life object.  Such magic comes at a price, however.

As of writing (6/6/2008) the price for an order of 25 units of my 9-up design (2&1 brass, .024″ thick) is $2830.94 when cut using Wire EDM.  Now, keep in mind that this gets you 25 each of 4 shapes in 3 sizes for a total of 100 mats at an average price of $9.43 per mat!  This is, regardless, a spicy meatball.  Quantity is key here: the same design in an order of 100 units brings the price down to $7.75 each.

Given that my quantity demands are low and my lust for tools and machinery is (very) high, I splurged.  For $1500 and a 4-hour drive I purchased a CNC routing machine on eBay that lets me cut out mats one at a time in any shape I can dream up.  I can make four 4×5″ mats from a $15 12×12″ sheet of brass (see this post) the cost savings add up quickly.

Once manufactured you’ll need to refine the mats.  I use a Dremel tool to rough out the inner bevel and then I lap it with 60 & 80 grit sandpapers.  The mats get thrown into the vibratory finisher filled with sand and cook for a while getting de-burred and, well, mat.  I polish the bevel again to make it really shiny and then comes the fun part: nail the thing with your blowtorch until it turns purple and then douse it in water!

The blowtorch step makes the brass turn a beautiful aureate color.  If you then use a palm sander and a heavy-grit paper such as 60 on the face you’ll have a nice contrast of gold coloration.  The face will be very yellow while the bevel will be a pretty bronze/gold color.

-J