Does any red light work, or I need a special one?
Can I put a LED bulb in the enlarger, although the old 100W incandescent light still works for a start.
can't use Rodinal and adofix for photos?
Not to mention the asbestos plate in there that might flake off due to the thing having been thrown around for several decades. I had one of those once, very briefly. It served no purpose and was just a liability to keep around.If that is a print glazer at the back (the thing with a typically dirty canvas cover), throw it away immediately! It will ruin your prints and drive you insane in the process. Besides, they have been considered extinct for at least 50 years, so its loss will not be noticed.
If that is a print glazer at the back (the thing with a typically dirty canvas cover), throw it away immediately! It will ruin your prints and drive you insane in the process. Besides, they have been considered extinct for at least 50 years, so its loss will not be noticed.
Red LED bulbs or strips work in principle, but some/many need additional filtering with e.g. rubylith, or keep intensity/power down by dimming, bouncing the light onto a wall/ceiling or just not installing too many of those bulbs. Of course all the old-skool safelights with (good) filters also still work, but personally I've moved to LEDs several years ago.
Maybe. It's a can of worms you're opening. Frankly, if the original bulb still works, just use that at least for starters. One less variable that can go wrong.
In a true condensor enlarger, a LED bulb for home use in my understanding won't work since it won't focus properly and you'll probably run into uneven coverage issues. In a hybrid diffusor-condensor or pure diffusor enlarger, a LED bulb will work, but use one that goes on and off instantly. Many bulbs for home use have an afterglow and/or start slowly/increase intensity. For enlarger purposes, that can/will be a problem. Again, if the original bulb still works, I'd use that and if you can, order one or two spares online so you're set for the years to come. Enlarger bulbs don't die all that often. Therefore, there's also very little gain to switching to a white LED bulb instead of a true enlarger bulb.
Adofix, yes. Rodinal will be cumbersome and expensive. It'll develop paper alright, but you'll be working at a 1+10 or 1+5 dilution or so and it may not last all that long, and may start to stain at some point. I've done it in a pinch, once, and it sort of worked. But really, don't bother. Just get any decent paper developer. The fix will be OK - fix is fix, for all intents and purposes. Best not use the same bottle of working stock for film and then for paper. Keep separate bottles of working strength for paper and for film. The iodide from the film will slow down fixing paper.
Not to mention the asbestos plate in there that might flake off due to the thing having been thrown around for several decades. I had one of those once, very briefly. It served no purpose and was just a liability to keep around.
Yeah, a couple of brands still make dedicated darkroom safelights. Adox for sure does, probably some others too (and not just ridiculously expensive Heiland).
Compatible with Paterson mainly.
View attachment 331552
Flange A and (film path topper) C are connected to the top set of channels, and slide back and forth adjacent to Flange B and (film path topper) D, which are connected to the bottom set of channels.
You insert the film into the A:C and B to D gap - the dotted blue line - until (with 35mm film) the sprocket holes and the ball bearings engage.
Then you twist side to side, as mentioned.
When the reel is set wider to the 120/220 positions, a gap of about an inch/2.5 cm appears between Flange A and Flange B (as well as the corresponding film path toppers C and D). There still is though enough of a "runway" formed by A and B to make it easy to use one hand to insert the film into the A:C and B to D gap and push the end past the ball bearings. Then the film is advanced in the same way - twisting side to side.
There is an intermediate 127 position as well.
For comparison, a standard Paterson reel, with its relatively small and harder A:C and harder to locate B to D gap.
View attachment 331558
I'm confused regarding the comments about loading (2) 120 rolls onto 1 Jobo reel. Does this use less chemistry than what I will call "normal" Jobo reels with 1 roll per reel? I'm guessing the 2 rolls on 1 reel is a larger diameter reel right?
For what it's worth, I think you made the right choice. I love Jobo tanks, even for inversion agitation. They're super easy to load, and the fact that you can easily process two 120 rolls on a single reel is a bonus.
Opemus was my first enlarger, and I wish I still had it. The photograph you posted is excellent!
Print dryers that glaze or ferrotype used to work very well. As near as I can tell it is impossible to ferrotype modern Ilford 'glossy' paper.
I concurr that the dryer in the picture should be disposed of as quickly as possible. Unbeleivably filthy. The blanket of any drier should be scrupulously clean with no staining.
Consider a daylighting like a Lab box. It's more expensive, but it will allow you to load and process the film and daylight; no dark room is required at all.
Arista Premium wide flange reel:
https://www.freestylephoto.com/55043-Arista-Premium-Plastic-Developing-Reel
View attachment 331551
Are these the same reels as the Omega reels B&H sells?
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