A minimal-cost contact printing solution.

[Skiver101]

The latest low-budget solution on my large format odyssey.
Much credit to wisdoms garnered from contributers on APUG and Photrio.



JP


<Edit by jdc> OP needed the video removed</edit>

 

[Skiver101]

Apparently my choice of audio overlay triggered some greedy people...

 

[pentaxuser]

Looks good the way the darkroom is set up and dismantled within minutes. Back in the 50 and 60s when a separate darkroom was a luxury few could afford but there were no other means of producing prints this was the kind of ingenuity that had to be exercised. The only thing that puzzled me was that the lightbox seemed to be suspended in mid-air. Why is this? Let me say that I presume the box is loaded on the bench but then hoisted up for reasons of space but I may have completely misunderstood that part?

Just out of curiosity, nothing to do with the video and feel free not to answer this bit but I didn't get the reference to the audio bit and greedy people.

Thanks

pentaxuser

 

[Skiver101]

Thanks for the encouraging words pentaxuser...
As to the light box, it's suspended from the plastic wire, and the ''drawer with an aperture cut in it'' that I made, slides in and out easily, so once the light is positioned all I then need to shift is the drawer in and out for filter changes. As a side note to that point - I found the bulb to be way too powerful through the open aperture, so on the first trial I had to add three cuts of regular A4 printing paper over the aperture; to give me 6-10 second exposures. It worked well enough as seen in the first print, but I am considering using my ND(3 stop) filter in the ''drawer'' and also my yellow and red filters in the same manner to see how that might work out. I have been trying to source a decent set of Ilford contrast filters on the cheap, but no luck so far - they are either too expensive brand new or in questionable condition from risky e-b*y sellers...but I should source them eventually.

The video reference you asked about is a reflection of my outrage at getting a copyright violation warning from the moderators at youtube - seems some faceless corporation was not happy that I used their music for my audio backing track; without giving them money...so I had to remove it.
My remarks are just my way of giving the copyright complainants the FINGER !!

Cheers
JP

 

[pentaxuser]

Thanks for the explanation and musical clarification .

pentaxuser

 

[Zelph]

Why are you going off on those who caught you illegally using their intellectual property? They own the rights, not you.
Being a copyright thief is bad enough. Bitching because you are caught and too cheap to pay for the use just makes it worse.

 

[Mick Fagan]

A spare toilet, wow.

Pretty much how I did most of my darkroom work for decades in various rented places.

I'm not too sure if your Skiver name applies, you don't seem to be lazy.

Mick.

 

[mshchem]

OUTSTANDING! A variable contrast diffuse light source for the cost of a nice LED lamp. Well done!
Best Regards, Mike

 

[Steve Goldstein]

Your light source solution is brilliant! I'd been wondering how I would print on variable contrast paper once my Intrepid 8x10 arrives. Have you done any experiments using bulbs of different colour temperature? My understanding is that filters were designed for use with tungsten bulbs, which are normally quite warm, around 2700K. I realize that the spectrum from a 2700K LED bulb is rather different from that of a tungsten bulb, and my guess is that the same filter with different bulbs would give different contrast levels. The engineer in me is curious, I suppose I'll just have to build one and try it.

 

[Skiver101]

I'm not too sure if your Skiver name applies, you don't seem to be lazy.

Mick.

It's a name that teachers at school gave me due to my regular truancy Mick.
Only years later when employed as a shoe-repairer in a family business did I learn that ''skiving'' is applied when someone cuts slivers of leather.
And also it refers to stick-whittling, which might be the link to idleness.

JP

 

[Skiver101]

The engineer in my is curious,

Me too Steve, when I source a set of filters, I will likely try different light temperatures - the bulbs are minimal cost.
I'm currently constructing a cardboard scale-model of an enlarger; in the same frugal style as this, but constructed of wood instead of foam-board. Rather more complicated than this; but fun, satisfying, and ultimately practical...I hope.

JP

 

[Skiver101]

Why are you going off on those who caught you illegally using their intellectual property?

...send me 20 Bucks and I'll tell you !

JP