J Lane Dry Plates - ASA 2
Nominally ASA 2 dry plates. Silver gelatin based glass plate negative media. Handed-coated dry plates using our own emulsion formula which recreates the look and practice of early 1880s photography. Please see the Techniques and Tips page for more information.
Can be opened under any safelight which is safe for photographic paper. Developing, handling, and storage is similar to that of film, but expect the emulsion to be more fragile not having benefited from the last 100 years of emulsion-making R&D.
You will need to acquire a plate holder, either antique dry plate holders from the era or newly made wet plate holders. Used item venues such as Etsy or eBay are good sources, as well as antique camera shows and antique stores. Use your best judgement as to the condition of the holder, and mind the location of the stop rib on the plate holder.
Custom sizes available upon request!
I can coat any size plates at no additional cost (just scaled for the quantity of materials I will use) and usually with a 1-2 week turnaround. Use the contact form on the website for further information.
Plates with long dimension 12" or less are 1.25 +/- 0.05 mm thick (0.050").
Plates with dimensions greater than 12" are 2.3mm or 3/32" thick.
Stock sizes and actual dimensions (in millimeters):
4x5: 100 x 126
5x7: 126 x 177
8x10: 202 x 253
9x12: 88 x 119
Whole Plate (6 1/2" x 8 1/2"): 215 x 164
Half Plate (4 1/2" x 6 1/2"): 113 x 164
1/4 Plate (3 1/4" x 4 1/4") : 82 x 107
Sixth Plate (6.5 x 9, also Mamiya Plate Adapter): 63 x 88
Ninth Plate (2" x 2 1/2"): 50 x 63
Postcard or 3A (5 1/2" x 3 1/4"): 82 x 139
11" x 14": 279 x 355