>15x enlargements from 135 negatives? [SOLVED]

pdeeh thanks for the incredibly detailed response, very helpful to me and I'm sure will be to others in the future. I've tried a similar process with some OK results but still a work in progress for me.

Interesting that you're using dilute D-23, that's one developer I haven't tried in my efforts to tame the Arista lith film. I have the chemicals to make it and will definitely experiment with it over the winter.

one of the regulars here put me onto the dilute d23 thing. can't remember who or which thread though, but I guess if you search for my username and lith or arista you might find it?

anyhoo, glad to be of service!

pdeeh said:

It would definitely be in my case, as I don't possess a jig-saw, a workbench, a space in which to put the latter or any of the craft skills required

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Workbench, who has a workbench?
I just put wood/lumber on a couple of short ladders or the porch to cut it with the jig saw.
You might be able to find a "handy-man" to make this up for you.

@adelorenzo --

pdeeh said:

one of the regulars here put me onto the dilute d23 thing. can't remember who or which thread though, but I guess if you search for my username and lith or arista you might find it?

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Found it: it was desertrat in this thread: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

There's also a discussion of managing contrast in lith film (specifically Arista) here: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)


good luck!

Over the past couple of days I've, ahem, acquired, a couple of large but not enormous garden trays, so that I could do a few test runs at a smaller size (around A3) to see what I'm letting myself in for.

The weather was rotten this morning so I set up and had a go. I made three negatives, and here's one of them:



I'd made this negative before at a smaller size so I used the (L2/L1)^2 formula for exposure factor to estimate the new exposure time. Bit long as it turned out, but I guesstimated a shorter time for the next ones and made quite a decent negative in the end.

Easel: taped the film to a sheet of cardboard taped to the wall. Hi-tech stuff.

D23 1+14 + some benzotriazole as before and about 8 mins in the tray.

Conclusions thus far:

Vibration is a potential problem. Very great care (or a footswitch for controlling the enlarger) is required.

I'd have no qualms about processing the final print in a single tray using makeshift kit, but processing a negative nearly half as big again as this one gives me much pause for thought. I may have to save my pennies and get the big Paterson trays.

Also, none of my time or materials has been wasted or cost me more than I can afford or want to spend. Just in case anyone thought I might do that. Not mentioning anybody in particular of course

You might look into putting an outlet with a ball valve on one end of the tray.
That would make draining the tray MUCH easier than trying to lift a tray filled with chemicals.

As for vibration. After you finish with the enlarger head, leave it for about a minute, for the vibrations to settle down, then hit the switch/timer.

pdeeh said:

But what puts me off trying them is that I think they are generally made of polystyrene and are relatively brittle. I'm not sure that one would stand the constant tipping/pouring/lifting that's going to be needed for a one-tray setup in my little space without cracking quite quickly. By contrast, Paterson trays are rigid polyethylene or polypropylene and will take lots of abuse without flinching.

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Interestingly different. Here in NL the drip trays I have seen (and bought, I use it as my print washer) are made of fairly thick polythene! Also, the larger sizes of Paterson trays seemed rather too floppy to me. I have some very, very rigid (and heavy unfortunately) large trays, over 16x20", made from glassfibre. They are some Polish brand from last century I think.

tbh Martin, it's proved impossible to find a shop which sells them so that I can actually examine one - I've only looked at them online and made some assumptions from looking at the materials that washing machines etc. are made of. So I may be wrong.
INternet shopping has opened up amazing opportunities, but it has also closed others off and one of these is the ability to actually look at goods before purchasing. if one finds an item to be not quite whats wanted, it costs money to return.
of course other countries like NL perhaps value local resources better than we do over here.
i'll keep looking.
the weather is now likely to be poor until we see the winter high pressure systems arrive, so making prints isn't really a priority just now anyway

Another option is a large stainless steel baking tray.
Though, you may have to get the size you want from a restaurant supply house.

pdeeh said:

tbh Martin, it's proved impossible to find a shop which sells them so that I can actually examine one

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These things were stocked in the first place I checked here in NL, and also the second shop! Those places were Praxis and Gamma, which are more-or-less the same type of establishment as Homebase in UK. Any general builders-merchant that keeps plumbing parts will also have them.

yknow when I say I can't find them, I'm not making it up. the nearest stores of this type to me require a 50-60mile round trip.
not everyone lives in or even near a town large enough to have something like this accessible. diesel is now close to £1.20 a litre so making a special trip isn't cheap.