19th Nervous Breakdown

pinhole_dreamer · Feb 18, 2011

I'm still in the process of trying to make contact prints with no enlarger. It's a bit of a pain in the...well...backside.

I did get the roll scanned - making my scanner think it was 35mm film, NOT 127. I tried everything I could think of after the contact printing wasn't working so well. (I'm not done trying other things out when I go back downstairs to do some laundry, I'll set up the chem trays again and try out some different ways to set up the light, ect.)

In the meantime, have a look-see at some folks protesting outside the IL Supreme Court building :

I never bothered to figure out just exactly WHAT was being protested as I was more interested in finding myself some lunch - and I had a date with my husband that day.

*edit*

I'm going to try setting the negatives on the paper - and both of those on something FLAT as it seems the washer lid is a bit curved and holding the light higher over the paper. Maybe I'll get something to look at this time...instead of some really spooky freaky chemical stains on the paper over the contact print.

*edit*

In lieu of fowl language, the phrase "OH GUY FAWKES DAY IT!" comes to mind.

Christopher Walrath · Feb 18, 2011

Disassemble a picture frame and try setting the glass over top to mash it down flat.

Christopher Walrath · Feb 18, 2011

Or, duh, frame the negs on the paper inside the frame behind the glass.

2F/2F · Feb 18, 2011

Printfile makes these very handy negative files that also have a slot for a contact sheet. I don't store my negs and proofs together as Printfile intended with this product, but its real benefit IMO is that you can slide a piece of unexposed paper into the slot intended for the proofsheet. It will be perfectly aligned with your negative strips, and held fairly flush to the negs. All you have to do is put it in a proofer or underneath a double-thick sheet of glass (with rounded and/or taped edges) and you get sharp and perfectly aligned proofsheets very quickly every time.

pinhole_dreamer · Feb 19, 2011

Christopher, I did finally take apart two picture frames and tape the edges. Since the top of my washing machine doesn't sit even, I then put the paper on top of a rather heavy book (an old hard bound that will end up in the Goodwill pile), the paper on top of that, the negative and then the double glass. After all that work (ha ha), I found that if I wrapped my LED flashlight in a t-shirt to soften the light a bit and used a 3-4 second exposure, I was doing 'okay'. I still have one that's a bit too dark but there's always tomorrow to try again.

2F/2F : Those sound like a rather good idea - and then stick all that under the glass. Depending on which room in the basement, I may or may not still need the book for the bottom layer of the open faced photographic sandwich.

MattKing · Feb 19, 2011

Try this:

1) take sheet of glass and tape black paper to it;
2) put photographic paper on top (emulsion side up);
3) put negatives on top;
4) put second (heavier) glass on top of that - you have a contact print sandwich!;
5) put on flat surface (the floor is great);
6) suspend your light source a few feet above it.

Squeezing the paper and negative between two hard, flat surfaces helps ensure good contact.

pinhole_dreamer · Feb 19, 2011

It would be great and work wonderfully...if my floors were even. lol! I ended up making the contact print sandwich doing the same thing but using an old book for my flat/even surface and an LED flashlight with a t-shirt wrapped around it to soften the light. *sigh* I need to find a spot in the laundry room or bathroom that's got an even floor. This house was built in the '20s and hasn't settled evenly.

I finally got the process to work with a few test strips (and mumbling). I'm sure that I can find a better room to use, though.

lxdude · Feb 19, 2011

pinhole_dreamer said:
In lieu of fowl language,

I hear fowl language all the time. I've got birds nesting in my trees and they squawk and sing constantly.

Steve Smith · Feb 19, 2011

MattKing said:
Squeezing the paper and negative between two hard, flat surfaces helps ensure good contact.

My 35mm strip contact printing frame has a piece of felt on the backing board to push the paper up to the film. A piece of foam would work too.

Steve.

pinhole_dreamer · Feb 19, 2011

lxdude said:
I hear fowl language all the time. I've got birds nesting in my trees and they squawk and sing constantly.

I've not heard too many fowls, lately. Most of the birds are frightened off by either the owls or the hawks that are in the neighborhood.

pinhole_dreamer · Feb 19, 2011

Steve Smith said:
My 35mm strip contact printing frame has a piece of felt on the backing board to push the paper up to the film. A piece of foam would work too.

Steve.

I've found a site that shows how to make one...but it's nothing like what I've ever used. The ones in college were metal - and a hinged lid that held down the negatives. I'll experiment a little more this evening. I'll try the felt, though, as part of the sandwich.

MattKing · Feb 19, 2011

pinhole_dreamer said:
It would be great and work wonderfully...if my floors were even. lol! I ended up making the contact print sandwich doing the same thing but using an old book for my flat/even surface and an LED flashlight with a t-shirt wrapped around it to soften the light. *sigh* I need to find a spot in the laundry room or bathroom that's got an even floor. This house was built in the '20s and hasn't settled evenly.

I finally got the process to work with a few test strips (and mumbling). I'm sure that I can find a better room to use, though.

You don't need a flat/even floor - that's what the bottom piece of glass is for.

Why do you put the sandwich on the floor? Because it makes it easier to hold the light source far enough away to ensure even light and reasonable exposures.

Adding foam to the sandwich is great, if you have even, flat foam.

I repeat (merely for emphasis) - the reason for the glass on the bottom and the top of the sandwich is that it isn't particularly hard to find two pieces of flat glass.

pinhole_dreamer · Feb 19, 2011

But it's hard to find a spot in my house where things don't end up against the north wall. :/ I may just try setting everything in front of the door...that way it won't slide away from me.

lxdude · Feb 19, 2011

pinhole_dreamer said:
I've not heard too many fowls, lately. Most of the birds are frightened off by either the owls or the hawks that are in the neighborhood.

That would put me in a fowl mood.

wblynch · Feb 20, 2011

pinhole_dreamer said:
...Since the top of my washing machine doesn't sit even, I then put the paper on top of a rather heavy book (an old hard bound that will end up in the Goodwill pile), the paper on top of that, the negative and then the double glass...

For best results, ensure washing machine is not running at the time...

2F/2F · Feb 20, 2011

Since no image is being projected by the light in a contact print, a running washing machine would not necessarily preclude good contact sheets.

Rick A · Feb 20, 2011

2F/2F said:
Since no image is being projected by the light in a contact print, a running washing machine would not necessarily preclude good contact sheets.

No, but have you ever had to clean up glass after it's jumped off something, which it has a good chance of doing with a washing machine thats out of balance just a tiny bit.

wblynch · Feb 20, 2011

I was just thinking the vortex of the spin cycle might result in some interesting Bokeh !!

pinhole_dreamer · Feb 21, 2011

No...I don't even attempt at contact printing when the washing machine is running! (Or if I do, I just put everything on top of the dryer.)

Here's my second attempt at contact printing with the negative sandwich, minus the felt.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5217/5460036217_afeb14b0da_z.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5256/5460635012_b598a18aeb_z.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5013/5460038157_933fbc9f09_z.jpg

Those were taken with my Duaflex II.

Like I told a friend of mine who made fun of the old camera, "it's hip to be square!"

19th Nervous Breakdown

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