16x20 Contact Printing Frame

[Dan Pelland]

I only made one of these. I guess you could call it the prototype. Some one asked just before Christmas (2010) if I would be building any larger sized frames. After stocking my shelves with some nice 9x12s and 11x14s

which, by the way, are not selling very fast, I decided to go ahead and build a larger (and less expensive) frame.

The brass springs and channels got real costly and almost impossible to find, and as much as some folks like the shiny stuff, I'm going out on a limb and eliminating those very expensive parts. The springs on this frame are made of wood. I didn't use brass spring tip channels. I also went with a plain plywood back design. The hardwood edges are nice, but don't add a lot to the frames (except time to build).

Believe it or not, oak makes a great spring. I compared the force from the brass springs to that of some oak pieces I made up, and clearly, oak is the winner.

I used 3/4" ply for the back on this one, but I think it's overkill. I'll use 1/2" on any other 16x20s.

Here are a couple of other shots of the finished 16x20 inch frame. I hope you like it.

I'll call the new reduced-brass design "Utility Frames" even though I still use corner finger joints, wide hinges, and nicely finished cherry.

The price for any one reading this post is $189 US plus shipping. Contact me with your address for a final quote.

Details (dimensions in inches):
Overall: 17 7/8 X 21 7/8 X 1 3/4
Paper space: 16 1/16 X 20 1/16
Exposed area: 15 3/4 X 19 3/4
Felt padded split back with oak springs
Full width hinge

 

[jp498]

That still looks great and is competitively priced.

I'll start saving for one. I've most recently blown my photo budget hoarding film. I can cut back on that now for a bit.

 

[lns]

Boy, that looks like a beautiful piece of work.

-Laura

 

[photomc]

They aren't just beautiful....they are a joy to use. I have one of Dan's 11x14's from - I guess it must be 3-4 years back. Would not trade it for anything.

 

[timlayton]

Clearly the frames look fantastic. Since I don't know Dan I was wondering if anyone has practical experience with these frames? The larger the print the more difficult it is to keep the pressure across the negative and paper. Based on what I see I would think these would do a great job but would like to confirm before spending the money.