Enlarging Negatives (making large negs from small negs)

david b

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Is anyone still enlarging negatives in the darkroom as opposed to on a computer?

I'm about to do this for the first time in about 5 years.

What filter will I need for the safelights?


Any advice?
 

David A. Goldfarb

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I haven't done it for a while, but if you use ortho film, you can use a red safelight.
 

Aggie

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It takes a long time for the fog factor to set in on ortho lith films you would use. Yellow is sufficient if you are not leaving things unexposed and undeveloped for longer than 3 to 5 minutes. In fact for the making of the interpositive you need the fog factor.
 

roy

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I use Bergger BPF 18 just like a piece of paper. I do a test to get the right exposure and develop in paper developer.
 

Jim Noel

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Yes, I frequently make enlarged or copy negatives inthe darkroom using Freestyle's lith film in D-23.

Much faster and simpler than on the computer.

Jim
 

DieHipsterDie

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I really need to read the FAQ for this forum. I thought this was an Analog only site. Sorta dissapointed.
 

Jim Noel

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Forgot to mention, I use a red safelight as the fog from my sodium vapor light and safelights for VC paper is too much.

Rather than depend on fogging to get the very soft inter-postive needed, I control everything with exposure and development.
 

David A. Goldfarb

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DieHipsterDie said:
I really need to read the FAQ for this forum. I thought this was an Analog only site. Sorta dissapointed.
Click to expand...

Your point being...?

The original question is about how to make traditional enlarged negatives using ortho film in the wet darkroom. Nothing digital about it.
 

DieHipsterDie

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David A. Goldfarb said:
Your point being...?

The original question is about how to make traditional enlarged negatives using ortho film in the wet darkroom. Nothing digital about it.
Click to expand...

No, it was just that someone with 2000 posts who uses a computer instead of an enlarger makes it seem like this is pretty common here. That's all.
 

David A. Goldfarb

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Sorry, I think you missed the point of the question. He's not asking about how to make a conventional print using an enlarger.

He's asking about how to make a large format negative from a small format negative, so that he can contact print the large format negative onto something too slow for an enlarger, like Azo or platinum or cyanotype, etc. Lots of people are doing this these days by scanning the negative and creating a new negative digitally using a film recorder or an inkjet printer and transparency film that is normally used for overhead projectors. He wants to know how to do it the traditional way in the darkroom, without using digital techniques.
 
OP
OP

david b

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My assumption is that since APUG has 15,400 members, there should be more than a few folks here who make enlarged negatives on some sort of a regular basis.

And I do use enlargers. I own two. I plan on enlarging some negatives as opposed to using a computer. I am trying to keep my processes as "traditional" as I can.
 

Jersey Vic

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I've used the Bergger BFP 18 in Dektol in a 1-1 to 1-3 dilution, as well as the arista ortho in 1-9 to 1-15 dektol dilutions and have been happy with the results. As a general rule, the interpositive should look really flat and the enlarged negative should look very contrasty. Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions.
Cheers
Victor
 

David A. Goldfarb

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By the way, if you search on "enlarged negs" you should turn up a few threads on the topic. Here's one that I started a while back--

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)
 

MurrayMinchin

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Hi David,

I also use Aristo APHS ortho lith film for masking and use a sodium vapour (Thomas Duplex) safe light. I had to cover about 80% of the safe light with black paper to control fogging, making the darkroom, well, pretty dark.

Murray
 

David A. Goldfarb

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I've updated the title to clarify the topic of this thread, I hope. It's not about making normal enlargements (a print from a negative). It's about making big negatives from small negatives, which is a bit more complicated and not something that most traditional photographers do.
 
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