COATING THE PLATE.
Lay a piece of clean blotting paper on the table, larger than the plate we are about to use; place the clean plate on this, and then bring the pneumatic plate holder to bear on the centre of the glass, making sure that it has laid hold firmly. We then raise the plate with the left hand, and bring the surface upwards which was previously on the blotting paper; it will no doubt be found that small particles of dust have attached themselves to the plate, these must be removed by a broad and soft camel's hair brush, kept for this purpose only.
Fig. 2.
The Collodion is then to be poured on, as shown in the diagram ([Fig. 2]), and the superfluous quantity returned to the bottle from one of the corners of the plate. It does not matter which of the corners is used for this purpose, that which is most convenient to the operator assuming the preference. If the Collodion should have a tendency to set in ridges across the plate, a rocking motion, while the delivery corner is in the mouth of the bottle, may be given to it, still keeping the plate in a vertical plane. This will restore the film to perfect evenness and freedom from irregularity of any sort. The plate should be held in the vertical position for a few moments before being placed on the dipper to undergo the next operation of