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→Overview of the Process
== Overview of the Process ==
{{note | Chemical safety is always important. In DCG-based holography, the gelatin and water used are completely safe; isopropyl alcohol and dichromates are not. Alcohol is highly flammable, especially at the higher concentrations used in drying a hologram; dichromate is a strong skin irritant and a known carcinogen. Treat them both with the respect they deserve. | gotcha }}
Conceptually, making dichromated gelatin plates then processing them after exposure is fundamentally simple. The emulsion is made from ammonium or potassium dichromate, gelatin, and water. Often the formula used is expressed as a series of three numbers, where the numbers represent the ratio of the three components. The recipe, 5-30-250, means 5 grams of dichromate to 30 grams of gelatin to 250 milliliters of water (also grams). The gelatin is first added to cold water and allowed to swell, the mixture is heated while stirred continually until the gelatin is completely dissolved. The dichromate is then added with continued stirring until completely dissolved.
