How To Produce an Ambrotype
1. Thoroughly clean plates with glass cleaner
2. Line the edge of the plate (around ¼ inch in) with albumen (egg white) and let dry - this will help collodion adhere to the plate
3. Pour the collodion in a large pool in the center of the plate and tilt to flow to each corner, then pour off any excess into spare bottle
4. When the collodion is tacky/jelly, place in a silver bath and leave for 5 minutes. The plate should come out a milky white colour
5. In red light, remove the plate from the bath, drain any excess onto the kitchen roll and place into the plate holder, collodion side facing away from you. Wipe off excess silver from the back of the plate
6. Expose the plate - with Poe Boy collodion the exposure times are roughly 6-10 in shaded areas or 2-6 in bright sunlight
7. In red light, remove plate from holder and pour over developer, ensure it covers the whole plate with a pool settled on the top. When an image appears, flush thoroughly with water
8. Agitate plate in fixer until white areas turn clear
9. Thoroughly flush with water then place on a drying rack
10. Wax plates using a microcrystalline wax or specifically Renaissance Wax. Rub a large pea-sized amount on the plate using kitchen roll, until you feel the wax begin to stiffen. Then, using a clean and soft piece of fabric, rub the wax into the plate until it feels smooth and dry