Type (faux wet plate collodion)

Posted on February 21, 2013 by spilledinkguy

Fake ambrotype typewriter bits… just for grins. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Elvin: “It’s 2012 Winston. Typing is not a special skill.”

– Blake Garrett Rosenthal – New Girl

About this image: digital photograph (Canon 600D) heavily modified to replicate wet plate collodion

65 thoughts on “Type (faux wet plate collodion)”

Syncopated Eyeball on February 21, 2013 at 1:13 am said:

Nice choice of processing for an old typewriter, Robert.
Please consider the like button pressed, I can’t do that from my phone anymore. 😦

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 8:44 am said:
  
  Thank you so much, S.E… I sincerely appreciate that! 🙂
  Ugh… things look a bit different on my end, too (there’s a scroll down arrow by all the avatars of the people who click on ‘like’. Also, I’ve noticed on some blogs those avitars seem to overlap the ‘like’ button and I often have a difficult time getting to it, too. Hmm… I think I liked the old set-up better…
  😦
  
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ks3nia on February 21, 2013 at 1:35 am said:

Could it be a secret message?

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 8:43 am said:
  
  If I’m the one who has been typing it just might be! Where is the spell-check on this thing?!
  🙂
  
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stylentonic on February 21, 2013 at 3:45 am said:

Cool!

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 8:42 am said:
  
  Thank you very, very much, sir!
  🙂
  
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nrhatch on February 21, 2013 at 7:33 am said:

I love typewritters . . . and typesetting . . . and typical topical type! 😉

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 8:41 am said:
  
  Thank you very much, Nancy – me, too! And metal has such great textures (always more than I’m expecting), too, so win, win!
  🙂
  
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thedailydish on February 21, 2013 at 9:29 am said:

I am loving these wet plate reproductions, Inky. Seriously cool stuff. Hope you’re staying warm though! 😉

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 11:01 am said:
  
  Thank you so much, Dishy! I really like doing these, because they’re always different, and I never really know what to expect (although I still have lots of room to ‘tweek’ the serendipity). The best of both worlds, I think.
  🙂
  
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youngamericanwisdom.com on February 21, 2013 at 1:27 pm said:

There is a scene in the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower where the main character receives an old typewriter as a gift. I can’t help but be reminded of this from your photo. If you haven’t seen the movie, you should. It just came out on dvd.

Love this!

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 6:06 pm said:
  
  Thanks for the tip, Nancy – I’ll have to see if I can find it! After a quick ‘Googling’ it looks vaguely familiar to me for some reason… I wonder if I’ve seen a preview somewhere… hmm…
  🙂
  
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Deb on February 21, 2013 at 1:48 pm said:

I love this, so old looking and very authentic looking! 🙂
Have a great weekend! 🙂

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 6:04 pm said:
  
  Covered with some genuine antique dust, too. Which helps, I think.
  Thanks so much, Deb! I hope you have a wonderful weekend as well!
  🙂
  
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Bill Jones, Jr. on February 21, 2013 at 1:51 pm said:

Love the image and the processing. Very nice work.

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 6:03 pm said:
  
  How incredibly kind of you to say, sir!
  Thank you very, very much!
  🙂
  
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Madame Weebles on February 21, 2013 at 2:17 pm said:

I love this one extremely. But then again, I’m pretty sure you could do a fake ambrotype of a twist-tie and I’d love it.

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 6:03 pm said:
  
  Aw thanks, Madame!
  Hmm… I’m SO tempted to try that now…
  🙂
  
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  - Madame Weebles on February 21, 2013 at 6:07 pm said:
    
    Do it! Do it!
    
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    - spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 6:40 pm said:
      
      🙂
      
      Reply ↓
Unapologetically Mundane on February 21, 2013 at 2:53 pm said:

Because nothing makes me grin more than . . . typewriters. I remember when my mom got her first one with the ability to “erase”. Major. (I like the cobwebby look.)

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 6:02 pm said:
  
  *thwack thwack thwack* *ding*
  Thank you very much, U.M!
  🙂
  
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bearmancartoons on February 21, 2013 at 3:35 pm said:

Couldn’t you have thrown water on it so it could be real wet instead of faux?

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 6:02 pm said:
  
  Hahaha… I might have been in real trouble with Annabelle if there was any real rusting, though.
  🙂
  
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Bo Lumpkin on February 21, 2013 at 4:43 pm said:

While you have that handy will you take a letter for me?

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 6:01 pm said:
  
  No problem, Bo… just give me a second to see if I can find a spot on the ribbon that still works a bit…
  🙂
  
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  - Bo Lumpkin on February 21, 2013 at 6:28 pm said:
    
    I don’t miss ribbons at all. 🙂
    
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    - spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 6:39 pm said:
      
      I’m with you on that, Bo!
      🙂
      
      Reply ↓
pegoleg on February 21, 2013 at 5:14 pm said:

Very atmospheric. Typing is TOO a skill – it was the most useful class I took in high school!

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 6:00 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Peg!
  You do some pretty amazing things with it – and that’s definitely a skill-set!
  🙂
  
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pattisj on February 21, 2013 at 5:27 pm said:

Old typewriters are great! (to look at, dust, and create art around)

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 5:59 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Patti!
  As you can see it’s been a while since this one was dusted… I may or may not be responsible.
  🙂
  
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frigginloon on February 21, 2013 at 6:28 pm said:

Mary Shelley’s typewriter by any chance ?????

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 6:39 pm said:
  
  IT’S… ALIVE!
  No… wait… I think it’s too dusty to be alive.
  False alarm, sorry.
  🙂
  
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The Bumble Files on February 21, 2013 at 6:34 pm said:

Oh, this is cool, antique feel to it, Robert. Once upon time, I owned a typewriter and I knew how to use it. Boy, I feel old. Those were the days…liquid paper, and getting the paper in straight. I’m glad that’s done. It is nice to reminisce though.

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 6:46 pm said:
  
  Thank you very much, B.F! Definitely not as convenient, were they (particularly for editing)?! This is Anna’s – very, very old (if we could find a ribbon for it I’d be kind of nervous to use it – although it is built like a tank). Too bad, in a way, because although I’d hate to use one for too long every now and then I’d like to have some ‘type’ for a project (I really like how each letter is just a bit different… a hint of the creator in that, and much ‘warmer’, I think).
  🙂
  
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elmediat on February 21, 2013 at 6:36 pm said:

Love this “Type” of processing. 😀

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- spilledinkguy on February 21, 2013 at 6:46 pm said:
  
  HA!
  Well played, sir… well played!
  🙂
  
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Patti Kuche on February 21, 2013 at 6:48 pm said:

Oh for the days when writing was such a dirty business . . .

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- spilledinkguy on February 24, 2013 at 1:51 pm said:
  
  It takes me SO long to type a paragraph on a computer…
  I shudder to think / remember!
  🙂
  
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Binky on February 21, 2013 at 9:05 pm said:

Very interesting effect. It’d make a good mystery novel cover.

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- spilledinkguy on February 24, 2013 at 1:46 pm said:
  
  Thank you very much, sir! I sure like the sound of that!
  🙂
  
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pix & kardz on February 21, 2013 at 9:36 pm said:

you just brought to mind memories of my Grade 9 typing class. good old Mrs Laurie was very cool, and had us type to songs like ‘Cracklin’ Rosie’ and ‘Sweet Caroline’ etc to get us typing in a steady rhythm rather than the conventional boring ones. They were on 45 discs and she put them on a record player, the kind with a needle… yikes i am dating myself.

but this is not about typing class, this is about your image. very cool it is. even though now i am humming Neil Diamond tunes…. 🙂

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- spilledinkguy on February 24, 2013 at 1:45 pm said:
  
  That sounds much more entertaining then my typing classes, P&K! We had some pretty… ‘standard-ish’ stuff. And I usually stared at it all for quite some time, too, because I was painfully slow!
  🙂
  
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cocomino on February 22, 2013 at 6:47 am said:

Oh, typwriter is very nostalgic. Your photo bring us old age. 🙂

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- spilledinkguy on February 24, 2013 at 1:42 pm said:
  
  Thank you very much, sir! I really like looking at things that have a history to them.
  🙂
  
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ristinw on February 22, 2013 at 9:35 am said:

I love the rusty feeling! I’ve seen this type of typewriter when I was at high school. My speed of typing was quite slow. 😛

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- spilledinkguy on February 24, 2013 at 1:40 pm said:
  
  Thank you very much, Cristina!
  My speed of typing is still quite slow! Even on a computer!
  🙂
  
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Jackie Cangro on February 22, 2013 at 12:19 pm said:

I used to have a typewriter with these strike keys. Can’t tell you how many times I pinched my fingers against them trying to change the ribbon. Oh, the good old days! 😛

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- spilledinkguy on February 24, 2013 at 1:39 pm said:
  
  This one is Annabelle’s (it’s very, very old). My mother has a newer older typewriter somewhere, too. That one is in need of giving a finger pinching – might have to do some serious searching to find a replacement ribbon somewhere, first, though!
  🙂
  
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Japanese Ghost on February 22, 2013 at 3:25 pm said:

What are these mysterious bits with digits? Are they from ancient Egypt? 🙂

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- spilledinkguy on February 24, 2013 at 1:37 pm said:
  
  Ancient Egypt?! Just how much younger than me are you?!
  🙂
  
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Mary on February 22, 2013 at 7:09 pm said:

Cool photo…I was thinking glyphs same as Japanese Ghost 😀

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- spilledinkguy on February 24, 2013 at 1:36 pm said:
  
  Hahaha… that was a bit AFTER my time, Mary!
  🙂
  
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Carol O. on February 22, 2013 at 11:07 pm said:

I reeeeeally like this one, too!

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- spilledinkguy on February 24, 2013 at 1:36 pm said:
  
  I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you!
  🙂
  
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jbstoons on February 26, 2013 at 12:47 pm said:

Man just immagin trying to text on that.

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- spilledinkguy on February 27, 2013 at 5:39 pm said:
  
  HA! And trying to carry it around in your pocket!
  🙂
  
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Tony McGurk on March 1, 2013 at 3:09 pm said:

I couldn’t help but think of this

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- spilledinkguy on March 2, 2013 at 1:48 pm said:
  
  That’s pretty cool, Tony – I’ve never seen this before! 🙂
  I’m beginning to think that bell was rigged, though. 😉
  
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  - Martin on March 6, 2013 at 5:18 pm said:
    
    Yes, but fun wasn’t it – I can remember that from when I was a kid 🙂 Good spot Tony!
    
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Gray Dawster on March 5, 2013 at 6:52 pm said:

You have been busy since I was gone 🙂
But what treats you have added, I really
like this one, I used to have an old version
and boy was that heavy 😦 lol

Enjoy your Hump Day SIG 🙂

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- spilledinkguy on March 6, 2013 at 1:09 pm said:
  
  You know me, Andro… always up to no good!
  🙂
  
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Martin on March 6, 2013 at 5:19 pm said:

Nice work on the good old Tripewriter Bob. Just watch out for those teeth 😉

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- spilledinkguy on March 7, 2013 at 7:23 am said:
  
  *thwack thwack thwack*
  Thank you very much, sir!
  🙂
  
  Reply ↓