Enlarging an entire contact 35mm sheet

ericdan · Nov 11, 2020

I have a project in mind where I’d be documenting something on a weekly basis. My plan is to then somehow arrange the 35mm roll in strips as if it was a large format negative and enlarge it.
In terms of area I think one roll of 35mm film is about 8x10 inches. what would be the best way to enlarge this? I don’t want to use negative sleeves. Can I somehow sandwich the strips between ANR glass and then enlarge it? How would that fit I to an enlarger.

I don’t have a large format enlarger but have a few rental Darkrooms around that do up to 8x10.
Thanks in advance!

ic-racer · Nov 11, 2020

You can lay the strips out on the lower glass and carefully close the top glass over them. Peter Schlessinger* used to enlarge all his contacts that way to see them better.

*Contact Theory; Lustrum Press 1980

David A. Goldfarb · Nov 11, 2020

8x10" enlarger. A few NYC labs like Modernage and Duggal used to offer enlarged proof sheets as a standard service.

Mick Fagan · Nov 12, 2020

Use removable magic tape to hold the negative strips in place on the glass. This tape does not damage film negatives, even if you get some tape on the emulsion. It is the same adhesive as used on post it notes.

I had to do many of these using 8x10" enlargers in both colour and B&W.

I suggest you also make up some paper strips to place over the negatives as in every roll, unless a whole roll in the same light setting, will invariably require less and extra density for various frames, usually (hopefully) within one stop of each other.

God Luck.

Mick.

George Collier · Nov 28, 2020

Another method, not the same but the same idea, which I do all the time - use a 4x5 enlarger, position 9 negs in the carrier and do the same thing. Takes 4 prints, but the same result.
But works best with strips of 6 rather than 5.

Rick A · Nov 28, 2020

I just sold this a few weeks ago, look for a similar model. 35mm contact proof printing frame holds 6 strips of six negatives over an 8x10 sheet of printing paper.

pentaxuser · Nov 28, 2020

Rick A said:
I just sold this a few weeks ago, look for a similar model. 35mm contact proof printing frame holds 6 strips of six negatives over an 8x10 sheet of printing paper.
View attachment 260487

How does that enlarge the negatives? Doesn't that simply produce contact prints the same size as the negatives Thanks

pentaxuser

Rick A · Nov 29, 2020

pentaxuser said:
How does that enlarge the negatives? Doesn't that simply produce contact prints the same size as the negatives Thanks

pentaxuser

Like we did in the prehistoric days Pete, replace the paper with a sheet of film and make interpositve then negative and project using an enlarger. I enlarge smaller format negatives to 11x14 on occasion this way.

Enlarging an entire contact 35mm sheet

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