ANR Glass and negative carriers

[DREW WILEY]

No, Focal Point is long gone. Scan Tech also seems to have shut down, but more recently, during the pandemic. I bought AN glass from both outfits. But the earlier Belgian glass characteristic of Durst is my favorite.

 

[ic-racer]

I recently re-glassed my two Durst 10x10" carriers. As Drew indicated above, the usual places to get the glass no longer seem to be in buisness.
I did contact Knight Optical and was able to order from them as below.

I wasn't very happy with them. I sent them pictures of the original Durst glass so they could taper the edge. The glass itslef was nice but apparently they were unable to taper the edge so it would fit in the negative carrier. I thought that was crazy that I had to taper the glass myself. What glass company can't taper the edge of the glass??
When I tried to send it back they indicated I agreed to the "protective chamfer on edges" on the quote, which I thought was their description of the bevel in the picture I sent them.

In the end I got my glass, but what an expensive and time consuming headache!

 

[logan2z]

There was a company in Florida making top and bottom glass for various size enlargers, I wonder if they are still in business I think they were named focal ''''

I believe Focal Point is out of business.

 

[DREW WILEY]

I already mentioned that. Focal Point in Florida was a spinoff of back when OCLI here in the Bay Area split up.
A glass edging machine isn't all that expensive. Every glass shop has one - all except one apparently. The last set of AN glass I bought, from Scan Tech, was perfectly sized and beveled.

If you do have to edge relieve it yourself use black silicon carbide abrasive cloth.

 

[eli griggs]

I already mentioned that. Focal Point in Florida was a spinoff of back when OCLI here in the Bay Area split up.
A glass edging machine isn't all that expensive. Every glass shop has one - all except one apparently. The last set of AN glass I bought, from Scan Tech, was perfectly sized and beveled.

If you do have to edge relieve it yourself use black silicon carbide abrasive cloth.

And remember, even silicon carbide paper or fabric can be sliced by sharp edges, so wear a slice proof woven glove, which won't stop sharp points but will give some protection against slicing your hand.

 

[DREW WILEY]

It's better to use the abrasive sheet on a linear sanding block. Use water as a lubricant. The correct type of sheet will be classified as a wet/dry abrasive, usable either way. Select a relatively fine grit and go slow.

 

[BHuij]

Generic anti-newton glass

Hope this helps.

Roger

Paging @Roger Thoms - I printed all summer with my cheap float glass and got excellent results. Once or twice I got a Newton ring, but was always able to solve it by just opening, air dusting the neg and glass, and re-closing.

However, as we've moved into fall, and the average humdity in the house has gone up, I'm getting Newton rings on nearly every print. It's time to buy some real ANR glass.

The 6x8 sheet in the link you provided is large enough, but will need to be cut down to fit my design. I didn't have any trouble using hardware store tools to cut down my float glass. This ANR glass is the same thickness. Any special considerations here? Have you ever cut this stuff yourself? Or will KHB cut it for me if I ask?

 

[ic-racer]

I cut this 6x7cm glass from a broken 4x5" piece of Durst AN glass. I used a regular glass cutter and beveled the edges under running water with wet sandpaper. Be careful not to scratch the surface.

 

[ic-racer]

I also cut down a broken 5x7" piece of Durst AN glass to 4x5" for my Omega. This one needed more of a bevel, so I used the diamond bit of a hand motor tool. The sponge and water are for dust control and to keep it from getting hot and cracking. If you go slow, it does not really get hot.

 

[BHuij]

Great, thank you!

 

[Roger Thoms]

Paging @Roger Thoms - I printed all summer with my cheap float glass and got excellent results. Once or twice I got a Newton ring, but was always able to solve it by just opening, air dusting the neg and glass, and re-closing.

However, as we've moved into fall, and the average humdity in the house has gone up, I'm getting Newton rings on nearly every print. It's time to buy some real ANR glass.

The 6x8 sheet in the link you provided is large enough, but will need to be cut down to fit my design. I didn't have any trouble using hardware store tools to cut down my float glass. This ANR glass is the same thickness. Any special considerations here? Have you ever cut this stuff yourself? Or will KHB cut it for me if I ask?

I haven’t cut any of it, I did buy an 8x10 sheet, which fit in my contact frame. I would guess that you could cut it with out any problem, but I would contact KHB and ask them. Also I don’t know if KHB will would cut the ANR glass for you but it could hurt to ask.

Roger