Here's a really cheap trick I came up with for flashing black-and-white paper using items I had at hand. It doesn't require a second enlarger, and even works with the negative still in the enlarger.
I had some 5-mil mylar diffusing material hanging around as I occasionally use it to make pencil masks. I cut a 3" square, popped it into a Nikon AF-1 gelatin filter holder that's been in my closet for about forever, and attached it to my enlarging lens with the appropriate step-up ring (40.5mm - 52mm in my case). I cranked the lens well out of focus, moving it closer to the negative. That was it. For the particular negative, paper, enlarger height, and aperture, with my Rosco R389 green filter above the negative, an 8-second exposure was all it took - 10 seconds gave me the very slightest hint of exposure.
Don't have mylar diffusion material, you say? You could use tissue paper, toilet paper, or even copier paper, though these will all require longer exposure. Or cut a piece from the flat side of a translucent plastic milk container (not the newer really white ones). Any way you can come up with to attach it to the enlarging lens will probably be fine, I just happened to remember the AF1 holder and had the step-up ring. But even if you buy an AF-1 and a step-up ring you won't be out much cash. AF-1s are common on eBay.
I had some 5-mil mylar diffusing material hanging around as I occasionally use it to make pencil masks. I cut a 3" square, popped it into a Nikon AF-1 gelatin filter holder that's been in my closet for about forever, and attached it to my enlarging lens with the appropriate step-up ring (40.5mm - 52mm in my case). I cranked the lens well out of focus, moving it closer to the negative. That was it. For the particular negative, paper, enlarger height, and aperture, with my Rosco R389 green filter above the negative, an 8-second exposure was all it took - 10 seconds gave me the very slightest hint of exposure.
Don't have mylar diffusion material, you say? You could use tissue paper, toilet paper, or even copier paper, though these will all require longer exposure. Or cut a piece from the flat side of a translucent plastic milk container (not the newer really white ones). Any way you can come up with to attach it to the enlarging lens will probably be fine, I just happened to remember the AF1 holder and had the step-up ring. But even if you buy an AF-1 and a step-up ring you won't be out much cash. AF-1s are common on eBay.
