Copied in full from a wet plate collodion forum where people are making there own paper with very good results!
Collodio-Chloride Printing Out Paper also known as Collodion Aristotype Paper
By Mark Osterman
Process Historian,
Advanced Residency Program in Photograph Conservation
George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography, Rochester, NY
The use of collodion for emulsion processes was first suggested by Marc Gaudin in1861 but his efforts never went further than the experimental stage. Collodion chloride emulsion papers were made commercially by G. Wharton Simpson as early as 1865, but the papers were not universally accepted until the1880s when clay coated paper stock was adopted for photography. In 1884 Liesegang introduced a collodion chloride emulsion for paper which he called Aristotype, a name that is associated with both gelatin and collodion chloride papers manufactured by the Aristotype Company in Jamestown, New York.
Collodion, the binder for this emulsion, is a clear viscous solution made by dissolving nitrated cellulose in ether and alcohol. Needles to say, it is flammable and you should take care not to expose open containers of collodion or coat papers in the presence of sparks or flames.
The Aristotype Company in Jamestown, NY introduced the most popular collodion papers in two different finishes; glossy and matte. The formula below is for making a glossy finish paper. Glossy papers were typically toned to a purple brown using gold chloride. Matte papers were tone with platinum and gold and look very much like a platinum print. Regardless of the finish or toning approach, collodion papers were the most archival of all silver halide photographic papers and are easily identified today because they are usually found in excellent condition.
Collodio-Chloride Emulsion
Formulae and emulsion mixing directions:
The alcohol listed in this formula is ethyl alcohol (also known as ethanol or grain alcohol). The strength should be as strong as possible since water will be used to dissolve some of the solid chemicals. Some water is necessary in collodion formulas, but too much will cause chambered markings in the film called “crepe lines.”
The following can be done under common household light.
Solution A
Strontium Chloride 1 gram
Alcohol 4 mls
Glycerin 4 mls
Distilled Water 5 mls
Add the strontium chloride to distilled water and dissolve by gentle heat and agitation using a glass rod. Add to this the alcohol and glycerin and mix well.
Solution B
Collodion USP 250 mls
Alcohol 85 mls
Add the alcohol to the collodion and mix until dissolved. Add chloride solution A to the collodion solution B and mix well. This is now called “Salted Collodion.”
Solution C
Citric acid 1.8 grams
Alcohol 2 mls
Add the citric acid to the alcohol and mix until dissolved. Add this to the Salted Collodion Solution.
Solution D
Silver Nitrate 6 grams
Distilled Water 7 mls
Alcohol 20 mls
Add the silver nitrate to some of the distilled water and dissolve. The less water you use to dissolve the silver the better. Add the alcohol to the silver solution and mix until dissolved.
You will now have two distinct solutions; the Salted Collodion and the Silver Nitrate. The emulsion is made by carefully combining these two solutions.
Making the Emulsion
A mechanical magnetic stirrer is great for emulsion making. In lieu of that, you may stir the solution with a glass rod in one hand while adding the silver solution with the other. The following should performed under safelight conditions, using either amber or red light.
Making an emulsion, either gelatin or collodion, involves adding silver nitrate solution in a controlled manor to the halide solution with constant agitation. The silver may be added by using a plastic hypodermic syringe with a fine opening. In collodion emulsions the silver may be added in a thin continuous spray while the collodion solution is being stirred. As the silver is added the collodion will change from a clear liquid to an opalescent color.
Once the silver is added, pour the emulsion into a very dark brown glass bottle, or better yet search your local antique shop for the less common black glass bottle. Cork the bottle and shake it vigorously for a couple of minutes. Set the bottle aside, undisturbed for at least a day. Never allow the emulsion to be shaken again, as this will stir up any precipitates and produce millions of fine bubbles, both of which will make it impossible to make an even coating. The mixed emulsion has a remarkable shelf life if kept in a cool dark place.
Coating Paper with Collodio-Chloride Emulsion
Because collodio-chloride emulsions are alcohol/ether based, paper for coating must be either heavily sized with hardened gelatin or coated with a baryta layer. The baryta layer (as used in all commercial gelatin based photographic papers) contains an inert white solid suspended in hardened gelatin. Baryta coated papers are becoming more difficult to find as traditional silver based photographic papers fall from the marketplace. If uncoated papers are used, the solvents in the collodion emulsion will flow right through the paper fibers.
Cut a sheet of glass an inch larger on all sides than the paper you wish to coat. De-sharpen all the edges with a sharpening stone to prevent accidental cuts. Fold up a ½”margin on all the edges of your paper and carefully secure the paper onto the glass sheet using small pieces of masking tape.
If you already do the wet collodion process, the following technique is the same for coating plates. Holding the glass supporting the paper in one hand, pour the collodion emulsion onto the center of the paper. Tilt the paper so that the emulsion flows to all the corners covering the entire sheet. Pour off the excess emulsion from one corner back into the bottle. This draining step may result in diagonal lines forming in the surface of the coating. To prevent these, rock the plate from side to side during the draining step. Keep the corner from which the collodion was drained lower than the rest until the collodion starts to set to a firm gel.
Once the collodion has set, carefully detach the paper and pin it up by one corner to dry in a darkened room. Because collodion emulsions are solvent based, the emulsion will dry to a hard film in minutes. Once coated, it can be printed immediately or preserved for days in a light tight box. Collodion printing out paper is toned and processed using the same technique as described in the salt printing directions.
The only difference between collodion coated papers and all the others is that during processing the paper may curl slightly. This is because the collodion side will not easily absorb the processing solutions. This effect can be corrected by using solutions slightly warmed or a smaller quantity of solutions in each tray
