Help me set up my B&W darkroom, please.

[MattKing]

Spin the enlarger around and look at the back of the plate that has the "Caution" sticker on it. There might be some markings indicating what model of enlarger frame you have.

 

[MattKing]

I see no means of adjusting the negative size.

The 23CIII colour head accomplishes the adjustment by switching out diffusion boxes, in the same way that the colour head for the 67 series enlargers work. The pictured head looks like those.
How big is the light diffuser at the bottom of the colour head? If it is already big enough to illuminate 6x9, it will work with all formats that are smaller.
The other diffusion boxes will give you more light for smaller formats, and therefore speed printing times for those formats.

 

[Ariston]

The 23CIII colour head accomplishes the adjustment by switching out diffusion boxes, in the same way that the colour head for the 67 series enlargers work. The pictured head looks like those.
How big is the light diffuser at the bottom of the colour head? If it is already big enough to illuminate 6x9, it will work with all formats that are smaller.
The other diffusion boxes will give you more light for smaller formats, and therefore speed printing times for those formats.

The back plate says it is a 23Cii Dichro. My manual does not mention adjustments for the lamp height, and there are no bellows, except to the lense standard. Mgb74 sent me the manual for the 23Ciii, and it looks identical. For the 23Ciii, the manual explicitly says no adjustments are necessary for different negative sizes.

My guess is that it is a late model 23Cii in name, but is basically the same as the 23Ciii. Hopefully this doesn't mean I will have crazy long print times for 35mm negatives...

My paper is supposed to arrive on Wednesday.

 

[MattKing]

When you look at the bottom of the colour head - the part that goes down on to the top of the negative carrier - how big is the piece of diffusing glass?
If it is 6x9, you are fine.
I doubt you will have problems with overly long times, unless you are printing really dense colour negatives.

 

[Ariston]

When you look at the bottom of the colour head - the part that goes down on to the top of the negative carrier - how big is the piece of diffusing glass?
If it is 6x9, you are fine.
I doubt you will have problems with overly long times, unless you are printing really dense colour negatives.

Thanks, Matt. It definitely looks large enough to cover 6X9.

More questions:

1) Everyone talks about how critical darkness is, but this enlarger uses the lamp to light up the three color dials so you can see, and it is definitely white light coming out.

2) On the photo below, there are two holes threaded for screws that light is coming out of. It doesn't appear to affect the projection, but I've not exposed any paper. Should I cover these?

3) While trying to learn to operate the enlarger, I tried to remove lens board but could not. There are two screws each on the flange below the lens board toward the front and back (see below, the top is toward the front) that appear to be attaching the flange to the lens board. The manual says that the lens board is supposed to kind of slide up and in. Is this maybe the previous owner's attempt at making a way to tilt the lens standard front to back? I can't get the lens out, and I don't want to apply more pressure. I guess I'll remove those screws and see...

Thanks again to everyone for the help.

 

[logan2z]

Thanks, Matt. It definitely looks large enough to cover 6X9.

More questions:

1) Everyone talks about how critical darkness is, but this enlarger uses the lamp to light up the three color dials so you can see, and it is definitely white light coming out.

2) On the photo below, there are two holes threaded for screws that light is coming out of. It doesn't appear to affect the projection, but I've not exposed any paper. Should I cover these?

3) While trying to learn to operate the enlarger, I tried to remove lens board but could not. There are two screws each on the flange below the lens board toward the front and back (see below, the top is toward the front) that appear to be attaching the flange to the lens board. The manual says that the lens board is supposed to kind of slide up and in. Is this maybe the previous owner's attempt at making a way to tilt the lens standard front to back? I can't get the lens out, and I don't want to apply more pressure. I guess I'll remove those screws and see...

Thanks again to everyone for the help.

View attachment 264418

The lens board mount is spring loaded. If you grab the lens and push it towards the back of the enlarger, the lens board should slide backwards against the spring. The front of the board will then be free of the mount and the board can be removed.

 

[Ariston]

The lens board mount is spring loaded. If you grab the lens and push it towards the back of the enlarger, the lens board should slide backwards against the spring. The front of the board will then be free of the mount and the board can be removed.

Thank you! The manual described it so much more convolutedly (is that a word?). I was pressing up on the back side...

 

[glbeas]

Yes, those two holes need to be covered, they really dont belong on the lensboard. They will cause overall fog and lack of contrast on a print otherwise.

 

[MattKing]

Yes, those two holes need to be covered, they really dont belong on the lensboard. They will cause overall fog and lack of contrast on a print otherwise.

They might have been intended for f/stop setting illuminators.
As discussed in this thread: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/pilot-light-on-a-lens-board.7100/

 

[jvo]

If this is to be permanent darkroom... REMOVE CARPET. Anything else will make you disappointed in no time. For window make light trapped cover that you can still open/remove easily.

i've had 2 darkrooms converted from bedrooms with carpets in them - one in NY and the 2nd in FL, each for more than 15 years. I never had a problem with dust - ever. I vacuumed about every 2 weeks usually 2 days before film processing, (occasionally day off). I had an 8' foot wooden table with 7 trays of chemicals that i left out - they are covered/sealed when not in use and tested often. never had a problem and preferred the padded floor. I think the rug actually helped minimize any dust or dirt by "sequestering" it till i vacuumed.

i painted the walls a nice dark grey color, mostly because i liked the color and wanted the walls to be "clean" (weird - huh?).

since i've just shut the Fl one down and painted and re-carpeted the place I can report no surprises, and everything was clean and easily restored.

 

[Ariston]

This post is long. Sorry.

Success! I printed my first two photos tonight. It was fun.

The red lights I had were soooo dark and difficult to work with, even after my eyes adjusted. Luckily, I happened upon a company that sold low wattage red LED lights that customer reviews said were suitable for darkrooms. I think I paid $10 for four. After printing my first two photos, I tested one of these lights with the coin test (I know it isn't the best) at ten minutes, and had no fogging on Kentmere VC paper. The LED light is much brighter and will make work easier, so I will use it going forward. If anyone wants to know where I bought them, let me know and I will dig it up.

Although I tried to align my enlarger by looking at grain, I had a hard time seeing anything at the edges. It turns out it is not aligned. I am going to have to buy a rigid ruler, or I may have this tool here printed, which would be awesome.

QUESTIONS AFTER HAVING PRINTED:

- On one of my prints, my son's white t-shirt was blown out even though his face and eyes were correctly. On the scan, there is plenty of detail in the shirt. If I have learned correctly from reading and videos, I need to use the 00 contrast filter to bring back details in the highlights, correct?

- Is it possible/advisable to use HC-110 for paper? I bought some paper developer, but I wonder if HC-110 is usable in a pinch.


Thank you again to everyone for your help - I am so happy right now!

 

[MattKing]

- On one of my prints, my son's white t-shirt was blown out even though his face and eyes were correctly. On the scan, there is plenty of detail in the shirt. If I have learned correctly from reading and videos, I need to use the 00 contrast filter to bring back details in the highlights, correct?

That might help, but I would suggest first trying burning in the T-shirt using the filter you are using.
It might be easier to do that if you switch filters to a lower contrast filter for just that burning in.

Is it possible/advisable to use HC-110 for paper? I bought some paper developer, but I wonder if HC-110 is usable in a pinch.

Print developer is a lot more active than film developer. If you intend to try HC-110 for prints, you will need to use it more concentrated, which tends to make it quite expensive.

 

[logan2z]

- On one of my prints, my son's white t-shirt was blown out even though his face and eyes were correctly. On the scan, there is plenty of detail in the shirt. If I have learned correctly from reading and videos, I need to use the 00 contrast filter to bring back details in the highlights, correct?!

You don't have to burn in using the 00 filter, you can burn in using the same grade you used for your primary exposure, or any other grade you want. The 00 filter is useful, however, if you are burning in an area that is adjacent to a shadow area and you want to ensure that you don't inadvertently darken the shadow area while burning the highlights (the 00 filter will have a relatively small affect on shadow areas even if you 'spill over' a bit while burning).

 

[Ariston]

Ok, thanks guys!

 

[Sirius Glass]

...
Although I tried to align my enlarger by looking at grain, I had a hard time seeing anything at the edges.

Even the best Peak grain enlargers do not work at the edges.

 

[Ariston]

Gentlemen, I have another question, please... The chart that came with my Kentmere paper (see below) shows the filter settings for Durst, Kodak and Agfa. Do any of these approximate Beseler's settings? I have Ilford filters, but it is probably easier to use the color filters in the head.

 

[glbeas]

It says right on the chart to use the Kodak settings for the Beseler. Want to borrow my snakebite kit?

 

[Ariston]

It says right on the chart to use the Kodak settings for the Beseler. Want to borrow my snakebite kit?

Ha! I've been reading too much stuff. It was too clear and easy for me to find.

 

[Nige]

- On one of my prints, my son's white t-shirt was blown out even though his face and eyes were correctly. On the scan, there is plenty of detail in the shirt. If I have learned correctly from reading and videos, I need to use the 00 contrast filter to bring back details in the highlights, correct?

Probably a candidate for 'flashing' the paper. Another wormhole!

 

[Ariston]

What is the best way to test paper developer? Just blast some paper then develop it for a minute?

 

[glbeas]

Thats the easiest way. Watch the time elapsed to full black.

 

[Ariston]

I have read some (including Ilford's) instructions on split grade printing. Ilford says to do a test strip with the 2.5 grade filter, then split the difference between 00 and 5 to adjust highlights and shadows.

I tried this tonight and do not think I grasp it. I printed a photo of a classic car. I concluded a time of 9 seconds with the 2.5 grade filter. To try and pull out a little detail on the chrome front bumper, I used the 00 filter for 6 seconds, and the 5 filter for 3 seconds. This gave me a flatter print, but no more detail in the bumper. I ended up getting my best result by removing the filters altogether and printing at 6 seconds. With no filter use, I got more detail in the bumper and better contrast.

Am I misunderstanding something? I tried to pick a contrasty negative to practice using filters.

 

[MattKing]

Try this link: https://www.lesmcleanphotography.com/articles.php?page=full&article=21
With split grade printing, the most useful advantage comes when you use different mixes of contrast for different parts of the image. For example, say you get a good print using 5 seconds of each of the 0 and the 5 filters for most of the image, but not for the bumper. You can improve the appearance of the bumper by customizing (using burning and dodging) the mix and duration of the filter use for that bumper. For example, perhaps you will improve the bumper by adding in addition a 3 second 0 filter burn to just the bumper.
By the way, for convenience you may want to be using longer exposure times if you are going to be doing this.

 

[Ariston]

Try this link: https://www.lesmcleanphotography.com/articles.php?page=full&article=21
With split grade printing, the most useful advantage comes when you use different mixes of contrast for different parts of the image. For example, say you get a good print using 5 seconds of each of the 0 and the 5 filters for most of the image, but not for the bumper. You can improve the appearance of the bumper by customizing (using burning and dodging) the mix and duration of the filter use for that bumper. For example, perhaps you will improve the bumper by adding in addition a 3 second 0 filter burn to just the bumper.
By the way, for convenience you may want to be using longer exposure times if you are going to be doing this.

Thanks for that link, Matt. I had read this procedure somewhere before, but it helps immensely to have the visual aids provided by the author. I am going to give that method a try next time.

I have stopped down the lens the one or two times I have tried to dodge/burn. If I am unable to get sufficiently long exposure times after stopping down, is it alright to use an ND filter along with contrast filters when printing? Or will that skew the effect of the contrast filters?

 

[MattKing]

If I am unable to get sufficiently long exposure times after stopping down, is it alright to use an ND filter along with contrast filters when printing? Or will that skew the effect of the contrast filters?

As long as the ND filter doesn't skew the colour, it should be fine.
Are you using filters below the lens? If so, multiple filters below the lens may cause some problems with flare and reduction of contrast.