A tray measuring 20.5 × 16 cm for flowing collodion onto plates up to 5×7" (13×18 cm).
What it is for
Flowing collodion is the messiest step of the process: the excess runs off the plate and has to go somewhere. A tray sized to the plate catches it, keeps the bench clean, and lets you return some of the collodion to the bottle rather than pour it away.
How to use it
Sized for plates up to 13×18 cm. Collodion dissolves many plastics, which is why a dedicated tray is used rather than whatever dish is to hand.
How it compares
Wet plate is a mid-nineteenth-century process: the plate is flowed with collodion, sensitised in silver nitrate, exposed and developed before the layer dries — the whole thing in a matter of minutes, from pouring to fixing.
A small thing that makes the work much easier. You can do without, but usually at the cost of a ruined bench and wasted collodion.
