contact printing frames

bill schwab · Mar 29, 2006

Jeremy Moore said:
Bill, I don't know where you can see a photo online, but I can take a picture of mine and email it to you.

That would be great Jeremy! Thank you. I will PM you with an address. Or you can post it here and I will check back.

Thanks again!

Bill

WarEaglemtn · Mar 29, 2006

The best contact printing frames I have seen were from Great Basin. Beautifully made and they work well. Have moved to a vacuum frame now but if I were doing it manually I would look for one made by Great Basin Photographic.
On that note I have a friend working on a split back vacuum frame. We'll see if it pans out and if so I will definately try it for Ziatype work.

sanking · Mar 30, 2006

WarEaglemtn said:
The best contact printing frames I have seen were from Great Basin. Beautifully made and they work well. Have moved to a vacuum frame now but if I were doing it manually I would look for one made by Great Basin Photographic.
On that note I have a friend working on a split back vacuum frame. We'll see if it pans out and if so I will definately try it for Ziatype work.

I have owned two of the Great Bassin contact printing frames and also found them beautifully made. I still have one, 14X24" and it works well, though I now use vacuum frames for nearly all of my work.

Be careful if you obtain one of the Great Bassin frames because the builder did not provide them with sanded edges, at least the two I owned did not have sanded edges, and I severly cut myself on the glass one day when cleaning it and had to have about nine stitches. I called the builder up to complain abou this but he just gave me some dog and pony show about how sanding the edges caused scratches on the glass.

Sandy

Dave Wooten · Mar 30, 2006

Great Basis Frames were made here in Nevada, due to some lung problems with wood dust they are no longer made...they now have an online business of radio controlled boat products etc....

Dave Wooten · Mar 30, 2006

Dark side of the moon

Don t want to be pre mature (all here have been down that road) but a new line of print frames will be out this spring from "ZonesGray"...will be announced on this planet first here on APUG'S Sponsor's forum, also to be announced, some panorama equipment we have been testing for over 6 months, here in the desert and in NYC, and on the dark side of the moon.

Dave in Vegas

bill schwab · Mar 30, 2006

Dave Wooten said:
Don t want to be pre mature (all here have been down that road) but a new line of print frames will be out this spring ...

We can all jump on the bandwagon! I too have just started offering hand-crafted frames... the first is a 10 x 20 inch model designed for the 7x17 format. Newer models are being built with the brass channel to protect the wood and cut down on splinters. So far, so good. You can see one here.

Bill

Peter Schrager · Mar 30, 2006

Contact frame

Bill-can we just buy one without the bidding? I'd be interested
Peter

bill schwab · Mar 30, 2006

Peter Schrager said:
Bill-can we just buy one without the bidding? I'd be interested
Peter

Wow... Sure Peter. This is really new and we haven't really set a price for them yet. It is hoped to keep them well below the usual costs though. We have several on the bench in various stages from cut-outs to finishing and they get better with each generation. The eBay frames we have listed are the prototypes we're using to test the market and have been received very well. The newer versions are going with heavier springs, thicker glass and brass channels for the springs.

Can I get back to you next week? We really want these to be great and I want you to have the best we can do.

Thanks for the interest Peter!

Bill

Jeremy · Apr 3, 2006

8x10 PF frame on the left (you can see where one of the clamps has come out... again)

16x20 Doug Kennedy frame on the right.

ps: the 8x10 was shipped to Mr. Kennedy today to be modified with his spring system.

micek · May 23, 2006

I have just received one of Bill Schwab's 11x14" printing frames (purchased on eBay) and I'd like to say that it looks great, it smells even better and the enormous box it came in will make a heck of a pinhole camera...

bill schwab · May 23, 2006

micek said:
I have just received one of Bill Schwab's 11x14" printing frames (purchased on eBay) and I'd like to say that it looks great, it smells even better and the enormous box it came in will make a heck of a pinhole camera...

Thank you so much for the kind comment Micek. I hope it serves you well. If you have any problem at all, let me know.

Happy printing.

Bill

PS... I love the smell too!

toddstew · May 23, 2006

Hi Bill,
Can you direct me to where I might find your printing frames? I've got one now that is poorly designed and gives questionable pressure.
Thanks,
Todd

michael9793 · May 24, 2006

micek said:
Hello. I'm looking for a contact printing frame (16x20), and I have noticed that those sold at the Photographer's Formulary are half the price of those on offer at Bostick & Sullivan. Has anyone got any experience of the former, do they do their job properly? Are there any other that you could recommend?
Thanks.

I have a 11x14 B&S and have had no trouble with it. the metal springs in the back are very strong. Which I like this means it feels tha it is flating the paper better. I also have a old Zone VI 8x10 frame and it was made with real craftsmenship. Any one know if they make a 8x20 frame anywhere. I'm tired of pushing on the glass to keep it flat Yes I have a vacuum frame but it wouldn't work with my enlarger light. I use it when I can use AZO or someother contact paper, which is of short supply right now.

bill schwab · May 24, 2006

toddstew said:
Hi Bill,
Can you direct me to where I might find your printing frames? I've got one now that is poorly designed and gives questionable pressure.
Thanks,
Todd

Hi Todd,

We're currently building a few to offer again and I will let you know when they are ready to go. There has been a great response and we got a little behind there. I want to have a few in stock before offering them up again. I plan to offer them through the classifieds here in APUG soon.

Thank you very much for the interest Todd.

Bill

blokeman · May 25, 2006

I'm sitting here in Melbourne feeling green with envy at all the choices of frames you guys have in the U.S. ..... Until recently, the only frames I had were from nick-nack stores but they're getting harder to find nowadays. But larger ones are impossible to find. So I set about making some of my own, the most difficult thing was sourcing the sprung-steel and boy is that stuff expensive! Luckily I was under-quoted for 8 lengths of the sprung-steel at $100 so I got out of it very well. Usually those 8 pieces would've cost me around $250 (AUD). High price because it requires heat treatment to keep the spring. If I'm ever in the U.S. again I'll be hunting down some of those great looking (& smelling) printing frames. But I write this comment because it isn't so hard to make a good frame. I'm certainly no handyman genius but the four I've just finished 2 10x8's and 2 11x14's are very strong and the pressure is evenly spaced. Try it!

BarryWilkinson · May 25, 2006

billschwab said:
Hi Todd,

We're currently building a few to offer again and I will let you know when they are ready to go. There has been a great response and we got a little behind there. I want to have a few in stock before offering them up again. I plan to offer them through the classifieds here in APUG soon.

Thank you very much for the interest Todd.

Bill

Hi Bill,

I appreciate you are busy at this time but there is something you might consider in the future?

There are several of us here with 5x12" cameras, used mostly for contact printing. It would be great to have a contact printing frame specifically for the 5x12" format. Worth considering?

Barry

bill schwab · May 25, 2006

blokeman said:
But I write this comment because it isn't so hard to make a good frame.

This is certainly true Blokeman. I had been planning to build some for years and finally just got down to it. A few of the right tools helps immensely. An ocillating drum sander, band saw, table saw, router , drill press, clamps and a grinder/buffer and you're home free. Keeping the cost lower than other higher-end frames as well as making the odd sizes were more our goal.

Bill

bill schwab · May 25, 2006

BarryWilkinson said:
There are several of us here with 5x12" cameras, used mostly for contact printing. It would be great to have a contact printing frame specifically for the 5x12" format.

Hi Barry!

Already on it. We are also working on a 4 x 10 and 8 x 20 version. (Also experimenting with frames for the cirkut, but shipping will be a problem.) I realize these sizes can be done on other frames I've been building, but to some the physical size is an issue. I go for a size about 2 inches larger than the neg on each side so an oversized piece of paper can be used and borders can be achieved.

Thanks Barry,

Bill

BarryWilkinson · May 25, 2006

billschwab said:
Hi Barry!

Already on it.

Thanks Barry,

Bill

Thanks Bill, that's fantastic. I'll keep an eye out for your apug adds.

Regards

Barry

Markus Albertz · May 25, 2006

Bill,

Do your contact printing frames have a brass channel to allow for easy gliding of the springs?

Thanks & best regards,

Markus

bill schwab · May 25, 2006

Markus Albertz said:
Bill,

Do your contact printing frames have a brass channel to allow for easy gliding of the springs?

Thanks & best regards,

Markus

Hello Markus,

Thanks for asking. We've done a few that way, but our supplier has been spotty. The ones we've done have been by special request so far and the wait is longer as the channels have been back-ordered a few times. The only ones I can find a good supply of are inferior and I won't use them.

I've found that by sanding the edges of the channel that is cut into the wood that they slide pretty easily and the Cherry is hard enough that there seems to be little wear and no splintering. The 2 frames I have been using personally have wooden channels and have worked just fine. They have been sprung and re-sprung many times so far and still look new. I am reluctant to raise the price, so I have kept them the way they are. The channels will ad about 10 - 15 dollars to the prices which now range from $90.00 for the 8x10 version to $110.00 for the 11x14. I have every intention of offering them both ways soon.

I hope to become a sponsor of APUG soon and will get more info set-up online. My problem was that I didn't realize the demand and I have had a bit of a time catching-up. Finally am caught up and all orders have been shipped. Regrouping now and looking for someone to work steadily on this for me. Several other hand crafted wood items are in the works as well. I'll get it together soon!

Thanks again Markus,

Bill

Markus Albertz · May 25, 2006

Sounds great, Bill. Thanks very much for your prompt follow-up. I would certainly be keen to get an 11x14 frame (actual frame size ~12x15?) with brass channels at some point... I am slowly accumulating all the necessities for 11x14 ULF photography...

Thanks again,

Markus

bill schwab · May 25, 2006

Markus Albertz said:
Sounds great, Bill. Thanks very much for your prompt follow-up. I would certainly be keen to get an 11x14 frame (actual frame size ~12x15?) with brass channels at some point... I am slowly accumulating all the necessities for 11x14 ULF photography...

I'll let you know Markus. I actually make the 11x14 version at an outside dimension of 15 x 18. It gives a couple inches either way for borders and such.

I have recently made a jump back into 8x10 after many years and I know what you mean! That inexpensive Calumet C-1 I got on ebay has become pretty expensive with holders, tripods, heads, film, etc. It is like the puppy advertised as "free to good home"... it is never "free".

Thanks again,

Bill

BarryWilkinson · Jun 23, 2006

Hi Bill,

How are things going with those contact printing frames? Is it stiil a go?

Barry

jamie young · Jun 25, 2006

Contact frames are fairly easy to build.
I have a few on my site , and a bit on how I do it.
Jamie
http://jamieyoungphoto.com/cirkutcameras2.html

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