Good darkroom work revealed

[Bob Carnie]

Using a pre flash and lower grade burn is helpful, but for my money burning in with grade 5 over top of flash and low grade burn, really makes the highlights work.
In all highlight areas, or most, I am not talking about open areas of bright white with no detail, but highlight areas with detail, using the 5 will darken any lower tones within and greatly give the eye more to look at.

 

[batwister]

Order of events doesn't matter. It's probably easier, though, to pre-flash and then make the print.

I've been using a square piece of frosted glass just below the lens. Of course, most of the light is absorbed (no negative detail passes through) so there's no need to take the negative out. I can also stick appropriately cut pieces of card on the top side of the glass to flash selected areas - something you wouldn't be able to do with pre-flashing.