Book 3 — An Inexpensive Dry-Plate Kit

This Dry-Plate Kit is Made of Cardboard and Serves the Purpose Admirably if Carefully Fitted

Wishing to use some 2¹⁄₄ by 3¹⁄₄-in. plates in a 6¹⁄₂ by 8¹⁄₂-in. camera, I made kits that proved satisfactory, as follows, the method being adaptable also to other sizes: A piece of cardboard the size of the camera plate was procured. A rectangle, as at A, was cut in the center, ¹⁄₁₆ in. larger each way than the plate. Paste, over the back of the cut-out rectangle, a sheet of tough, thin paper, B, and glue two small pieces of cardboard, as at C. Cut cardboard pieces D, E, F, and G, proportioned as at H, and glue them into position, G being over the others, the piece E sliding. If a dry plate is placed in the rectangle and E is slid toward the plate, it will hold the latter in position. The plate holder is loaded with the kit, and to prevent warping, a couple of pins are driven into the plate holder, as at H. Figures J and K indicate the open and closed positions. The ground glass is marked to correspond with the rectangle, so that one can tell where to focus the image.—L. L. Llewellyn, Piedmont, Calif.