Brumberger 5x7 contact printer question

[Murray@uptowngallery]

I was just given a 5x7 Brumberger contact printer.

Inside there are three incandescent lamp sockets and a sheet of (flashed?) opal glass.

I looked online and found a picture of one with a frosted lamp, a clear lamp, and a red lamp.

The red lamp I understand...to get things set up, adjusting the easel blades etc.

Was there some purpose to using a clear vs a frosted lamp, considering it has an opal diffuser? Or maybe the clear lamp happened to be smaller, for different exposure times? It doesn't appear to have a switch to chose which lamp lights...it looks like it has one momentary switch to turn it on with pressure on top.

Thanks

 

[Nick Zentena]

One thing to check is how powerful the thing is. IIRC most [all?] contact printers were aimed at contact paper. Enlarging paper will be too fast.

 

[Murray@uptowngallery]

OK, maybe I put a Black Light CFL in it & use it for alt-process.

Or the smallest lamp I can find for reg. paper.

 

[richard ide]

Murray,
Plug it in to a light dimmer and it will probably work well.

 

[Murray@uptowngallery]

I had a passing thought about that but it got knocked over by another thought.

I have a Variac that should work.

Murray

 

[Joe VanCleave]

Or try a motor speed controller instead of a variac; these chop the duty cycle, rather than the peak voltage, so the color temperature of the lamp won't red shift as badly.

~Joe