The “Calotype” or “Talbotype” process may be performed as follows, recollecting that all these processes must be conducted by candlelight, or in a room having the window covered with yellow silk, or some other substance excluding white light. Select a piece of paper of an even surface and structure, such as Whatman’s paper, brush it over with a solution of nitrate of silver--about sixteen grains to an ounce of water--and let it dry, then fold up the edge of the paper all round and dip the surface to which the solution of nitrate of silver has been applied into a solution of iodide of potassium--an ounce to a pint of water--contained in a shallow vessel, and let it partly dry; float it for a quarter of an hour in a vessel of clean water, moving it gently about so as to remove all soluble matter, and hang it up by a corner to dry, taking care to let nothing touch the surface. When about to be used, this paper must be brushed over (using a soft camel-hair brush) with a mixture, in equal quantities, of a solution of nitrate of silver--fifty grains to an ounce of water--and a saturated solution of gallic acid, forming what is called the “gallo-nitrate” of silver. Leave this solution on the surface for ten minutes, and again immerse the paper in two or three successive portions of pure water, moving it to and fro; this, when nearly dry, is in a fit state to place in the camera, and is an exceedingly sensitive paper, which in a good light will be affected in a few seconds. When the image has been impressed by the camera, the paper should again be brushed over with the gallo-nitrate of silver, and held either near a fire or a plate of hot iron, so as to receive a gentle warmth; the impression will now come out, of a deep rich colour. Dip it into warm water for a few minutes, and put it into the hyposulphite of soda bath--an ounce to a quart of water--from which it is finally removed and placed in a large vessel of pure water for several hours. When dry, it is complete, forming a good negative, which, when waxed, may be used to print positives as before described.
The “Collodion” process is conducted as follows. Having selected a plate of glass of the required size and of good quality (patent plate answers well), clean it thoroughly with rottenstone and spirits of wine, and polish it with a clean dry linen cloth; then hold it on the tips of the fingers and thumb in a horizontal position, pour upon it a small quantity of the “iodized collodion,” and so incline it from side to side, that all the surface shall be covered with the collodion, that which is superfluous being returned to the bottle by pouring it from one corner of the glass. In a few minutes the coating of collodion will be dry, and should form a perfectly even surface, without air spots or uneven markings. The iodized collodion is made by dissolving gun-cotton in ether, and adding spirit of wine and iodide of ammonia. The glass plate coated with collodion is now dipped into a solution of nitrate of silver--thirty grains to an ounce of water--and allowed to remain two or three minutes; when all the superfluous fluid has drained off, the plate is ready for use, and is extremely sensitive to light. When the impression has been produced by the camera, a solution of pyro-gallic acid, mixed with a little acetic acid, is poured over the surface, which brings up the image; when this is developed to a proper extent, the surface must be washed with clean water and afterwards with a solution of hyposulphite of soda, which dissolves out all the silver from those parts not darkened by the light in the camera, leaving the glass in those parts quite transparent. A negative is thus obtained fit to print from in the usual way, but glass being more transparent than the waxed paper, it produces a more perfect positive. The surface thus prepared should be coated with a varnish, made by dissolving amber in chloroform, which is done by pouring it on and decanting the superfluous varnish similarly to the mode of coating with collodion; this varnish dries in a few minutes, and preserves the surface from injury. Sometimes these negatives are converted into positives, instead of being used to print from; in these cases the surface is coated with black japan, and the collodion, having a whitish surface, owing to reduced silver, shows up in comparison with the black varnish which is seen through the transparent parts. These positives are extremely sharp and well defined.