"grungy" borders on prints

[wilfbiffherb]

i know these are a love/hate thing but i have a few prints that i think would look better with these grungy, tatty print borders on them.

i know a lot of people file down their negative carriers to make them but mine carrier is an adjustable 6x4.5 - 6x7 one so i don't really want to do that?

does anyone have any alternative suggestions? i was considering making a carrier from foam core bard or card perhaps...

 

[bdial]

A foam core or mat board carrier would work, or you could make a paper mask to use with your adjustable carrier, hold it in place with a bit of masking tape outside the negative area.

 

[M Stat]

Maybe you could give us an example of what you mean by "grungy, tatty print borders".

 

[ath]

make a paper mask to use with your adjustable carrier, hold it in place with a bit of masking tape outside the negative area.

+1.

 

[wilfbiffherb]

like so...

 

[Chris Lange]

you can also get one by cutting a piece of exposed photo paper to the size of whatever format neg you're printing, use a razor to foul up the edges, and then make a second exposure...that way you can get it even if you crop.

 

[George Collier]

i've seen neg carriers made from 1/8" masonite, then laquered or shellacked that lasted years (community darkroom that couldn't affort the real aluminum ones). The coating helps them not to shed dust from the cut edges. They cut easily with a band or coping saw, and the material is stiff enough to use by iteself.

 

[mesantacruz]

I agree with making one from paper, but if it must be at the negative stage, you can use mat board and glass.

this all sounds interesting, and would like to hear other suggestions.

 

[bill h]

I made a negative carrier for Widelux negatives from heavy matboard, plenty of grunge, works fine.

 

[gandolfi]

try liquid emulsion...

You'll get grungy borders - like it or not....

 

[Chris Lange]

I might add that I have always thought that super grungy borders look tacky as all get out, and that a cleanly printed black border never distracts from a print...grungy blurry sprockets often do.

When I used to print more than just a thin (often 1-2mm) black line around full frame prints, I used a glass carrier with a mask cut from 4x5 film.