Enlarger issue

daphne · Mar 18, 2007

I've just recently set up my darkroom again and printed for the first time in 4 years. I am printing with a Beseler 45 Condenser. My 8 X 10 prints from a 35mm neg have what appears to be a small amount of light spill onto the negative during printing.

I tried everything I could think of to eliminate the problem. Turned the lens around, turned the neg around printed without the safelight, changed the neg altogether. I even changed the lens and printed a 2 1/4 but the square format didn't cover the 8 X 10 and I don't see the problem. I want to say that I can see this "shadow" when the negative is not in the carrier, but I'm not sure. The one thing I haven't done is to print a small print to see if the problem is still there. Regardless, it is there on the 8 X 10.

I would appreciate any comments.

Mick Fagan · Mar 18, 2007

Daphne, are you printing a full frame image on the 8x10 or are you enlarging more to cover the 8x10 paper completely?

I'm not quite sure where the "shadow" you refer to is coming from.

If you are enlarging enough to have a full frame image on an 8x10 sheet, it may be possible that the negative in the negative carrier, is not exactly in the middle of the carrier.

This can allow a very small amount of white light to escape along the long or short side of the negative with the result being a darkened area, where it would normally be paper white..

Mick.

Monophoto · Mar 18, 2007

Daphne -

It would be helpful to see a print.

But I would wonder about a reflection. Most enlarges leak a little light, and if there is something shiny nearby, that light can be reflected onto the print to cause some localized fogging.

daphne · Mar 18, 2007

Thanks for the reply.

The image is enlarged and it covers the 8 X 10 with the image extending past the easel.

daphne · Mar 18, 2007

Louie,
That is possible. My darkroom is set up in the office. I have covered the windows with an insulator and covered that with black material to eliminate light bouncing around the room. The room is painted white, but I had my husband stand where the light would be coming from and got the same result.

daphne

Ed Sukach · Mar 18, 2007

Whenever I hear "uneven illumination" coupled with a "condenser" system, my first knee-jerk reaction is "condenser" troubles: misalignment, misassembly, wrong/ missing condenser lenses/ elements. At least I would investigate those areas first.

cowanw · Mar 18, 2007

I had the same problem and opened 3 boxes of paper before I figured it was the stray light reflecting of my grain focuser nearby
Bill

glbeas · Mar 18, 2007

First of all what lens are you using? Second, what is the spacing between the negative stage and the condensor set. A 50mm lens should have the spacing set at the "35mm" mark of the indicator, or about the maximunm spacing. A 100-90mm should be set on the 2 1/4 setting with the spacing about midway and a 150mm or thereabouts should be on "4x5" or in the closest position. A mismatch will cause these uneven illumination problems as the lens and condensor set is nearly starting to focus an image of the light bulb.

daphne · Mar 18, 2007

Ed Sukach, How do I tell if there's a misalignment, misassembly, wrong/ missing condenser lenses/ elements?

Gary, I'm using a 50mm for the 35mm neg and the upper bellows are extended to the 35mm marker. For my 2 1/4 X 2 1/4, I used a 105mm with the lower bellows extended.

I'm also noticing (I think) a shadow when I put my 50mm lens on the enlarger. I bought the lens new 4 years ago. My eye is not seeing any abnormalities when I look through the lens. But I'm a novice and untrained.

Konical · Mar 18, 2007

Good Evening, Daphne,

Thoroughly check the light path. Ed's suggestion about the condenser lenses is good. The head comes off easily, and it's easy to tell if a condenser lens has somehow shifted or tilted. (Don't really see how that can happen, but I suppose it's possible.) Check the filter drawer for any foreign object, especially a reflective one. If you're seeing a shadow, something somewhere in the light path is causing it.

Konical

John Koehrer · Mar 18, 2007

Probably not the lens. You could have reflections from the wall.
Do you have the same problem if you make an exposure with your safelight turned off?
I would check the area directly behind the enlarger, reflections from that area are pretty common.

weststarflyers · Mar 18, 2007

Hello Daphne:
I agree with Ed and Konical... and one more thing... check the enlarging bulb for any "chips" in the frost and if you are using a enlarging bulb such as the recommended 212. I do work with the same enlarger. Just another idea.
Best wishes.

Ole · Mar 18, 2007

Check the easel too. One of mine sometimes gives a reflection off the edge when the negative masking blades aren't set correctly, the light that hits the easel itself is reflected down onto the paper.
Try making a print smaller than the open area of the easel.

daphne · Mar 19, 2007

Hi, John, yes I did try with the safelight off and same problem.

Will check all other suggestions. And thanks very much for all the comments.

Daphne

Reinhold · Mar 19, 2007

Daphne,

A few other things to try:

Put something opaque in the negative carrier, put a mirror on the easel, turn on the enlarger, and look to see where any stray light might be coming from. Tilt the mirror around and you just might find several unexpected sources of light.

Beselers are really good at spilling light out around the negative carrier, which bounces around the room most enthusiatically. That's why I glued some strips of black fabric onto the upper aluminum frame to form a "skirt" around the negative carrier slot. -Poof- no more light spilling from there ever again.

Don't let the light bugs bite...

Reinhold

www.classicbwphoto.com

daphne · Mar 20, 2007

weststarflyers said:
Hello Daphne:
I agree with Ed and Konical... and one more thing... check the enlarging bulb for any "chips" in the frost and if you are using a enlarging bulb such as the recommended 212. I do work with the same enlarger. Just another idea.
Best wishes.

Where can I get the 212 bulb? Who makes it or sales it?

Daphne

daphne · Mar 20, 2007

Tonight my husband and I took the enlarger apart and cleaned the lens and the light bulb - which happens to be a 40 watt....what should it be?

Everything was pretty dirty. I bought it used and its been sitting around for 4 years. Just knew this would solve the problem...but it didn't. Finally, my husband raised the light source, rotated it until the shadow had disappeared and my meter reading showed more even lighting. Then we wedged cardboard strips under the housing.

Looking to get a new light bulb to see if I can lower the light source to its normal position. And if this will solve the problem. I'm only assuming it's the light bulb since the shadow moves around as the light bulb moves.

Thanks for all the help.

Daphne

Konical · Mar 20, 2007

Good Morning, Daphne,

I'm going strictly by memory here. I have just moved; my darkroom is down, my Beseler 45 MCR-X is disassembled, and I can't recall right now which box the head is in. If your enlarger is the 45 MX type, I'm reasonably certain that the 212 it takes is a 150 watt bulb. It is more heavily frosted than standard household bulbs for even illumination. 212 bulbs should be available at any good photo store or by mail. A standard household bulb would probably project the filament image onto the easel.

Konical

Ed Sukach · Mar 20, 2007

What Konical writes sounds good to me.

I am fairly familiar with collimated optical systems (read: condenser); centering, and positioning the lamp longitudinally, is important, if not critical.

Substituting a common 40W bulb for a #212 enlarging lamp would NOT be a good idea ... not that it is "weaker", but there may be less control on the ultimate placement of the filament.

I am not specifically knowledgeable when it comes to Besseler enlargers - there may well be NO adjustments for "lamp positioning", in which case the use of the proper lamp would solve the problem.

Konical · Mar 20, 2007

Good Evening,

Ed is right. On the Beseler 45 enlargers (at least my model) there is no provision for adjusting the bulb position. It's simply centered over the negative position. My enlarger is a mid-1970's version; perhaps later models feature some horizontal adjustment, but I doubt it. Get a 212 bulb; they're not hard to find. Actually, while you're at it, buy several, because, while they seem to last a long time, they usually pick very inconvenient times to give up the ghost.

Konical

Enlarger issue

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