enlarged negatives?

[Peter Schrager]

BPF18

the BPF18 I believe from Bergger is excellant stuff....works like a charm...interneg is low contrast then you go for the throat with the neg....ortho film and the stuff from freestylee If one has a measley $400 then go to Peter's Valley this summer and take the platinum workshop from Tillman Crane...you will learn how to do this and so much more...a great teacher in a wonderful setting!!
Best, Peter

 

[Jim Noel]

The enlarged negative may or may not produce the same print as the original. If that is the goal, it can be extremely close.However, my purpose is usually to make a negative of varying density to print with one of the alternative processes. These vary in contrast needs, and thus I may have 3 0r 4 negatives each with a different contrast range and Dmax.

 

[Deckled Edge]

The enlarged negative may or may not produce the same print as the original. If that is the goal, it can be extremely close.However, my purpose is usually to make a negative of varying density to print with one of the alternative processes. These vary in contrast needs, and thus I may have 3 0r 4 negatives each with a different contrast range and Dmax.

Yeah. What he said.
I don't vary too much on the interpositive. As stated it should have a lower gamma, to retain all the details. Once you have a good interpositive, the fun starts. You can vary the contrast of the enlarged negative up, down, or sideways to conform to the medium onto which it will be contact printed.
There would be no reason to contact onto B&W paper, so far as I see it. You may as well enlarge directly from the original negative. Therefore the enlarged negative will always produce a different result on a different emulsion.

I too use test strips to determine the intepositive exposure. I enlarge onto a sheet of Efke 25 held in a film holder with the DS removed, and vary the aperture to give an exposure of 6-9 sec. I then give n-1 in HC110(b). No rocket science here.

 

[Akki14]

I'm digging up this thread again...

Since you can use lith negatives to change contrast... has anyone done this with a difficult to print negative? I've found some negatives that scan into my computer at really high contrast but they're actually a bit weak even on grade5. Just wondering if I could rescue them if i printed them like I would my cyanotype enlarged negs but then contact printed to normal silver gelatin paper (hmmm)...

 

[Ian Leake]

Since you can use lith negatives to change contrast... has anyone done this with a difficult to print negative? I've found some negatives that scan into my computer at really high contrast but they're actually a bit weak even on grade5. Just wondering if I could rescue them if i printed them like I would my cyanotype enlarged negs but then contact printed to normal silver gelatin paper (hmmm)...

This is something I've been pondering too. Logically this must be possible but I haven't actually tried it yet...

 

[keithwms]

Heather and Ian, you're losing me. Maybe I'm not understanding. Why not just try a few different developers of varying contrast or vary dilution?

when I dupe to ortho film I just do strip tests and try different developers and dilutions. So I played with everything from PQ to full strength ID11 (1+0) to ID11 2+1 etc. Contrast control seems quite easy that way.

Maybe I am missing the point. Heather, can you clarify what it is that you need to rescue, do you have an example?

 

[Akki14]

Prints in the gallery of mine at the moment are from negs a little on the thin side and grade5 paper won't give me the pure white highlights that I want.
I just tried enlarging the neg onto lith film, doing my usual developing in multigrade 1+9 for 30-40 seconds and, nah, highlights are worse. Bad idea, doesn't work.

 

[keithwms]

Heather, so you are saying that your dupe lacks density, right? Am I understanding the issue?

 

[Akki14]

The original negative is lacking in density. I was hoping to up it a bit with more contrast etc by enlarging it but it didn't work. No big deal, just a crap negative.

 

[keithwms]

Ah in that case you probably will have an easier time by first intensifying or at least Se-toning your starting neg. That'll buy you a stop or two. Beyond that there is scanning. Now I understand what you and Ian were talking about by printing first.

 

[donbga]

Ah in that case you probably will have an easier time by first intensifying or at least Se-toning your starting neg. That'll buy you a stop or two. Beyond that there is scanning. Now I understand what you and Ian were talking about by printing first.

In my experience selenium toning typically adds about a half stop or so of denstiy to the highlights, not 1 to 2 stops.

Don Bryant

 

[dr5chrome]

dr5 does to 16x20 from up to 5x7 originals, interpositives or internegs.

regards
dw

DR5 only does up to 8x10 IIRC.