Mural printing

Dwayne Martin · 2025-06-29T22:51:27-0400

Are any of you making big prints? Like 40x30” or more? If so what equipment are you using to do it with? I have been lately. I started with a sheet of plywood with a layer of sheet metal glued to it, and strip magnets to hold the paper down. I found that to be really tricky to deal with so I built myself a two bladed easel capable 30”x 48” exposed area. I’m curious what others are doing. My enlarger is a D5 that I converted to 8x10 with klaus lundsgaard’s conversion kit. My stand is basically a old super heavy duty commercial model with a table that drops all the way to the floor…

F4U · 2025-06-30T01:47:00-0400

And you're here asking questions as to how it's done? Sounds like WE need to be asking YOU. My first question would be how to afford a few sheets of 40 inch photographic paper without ending up in the poorhouse. From there, it's a matter of being a cabinet maker or carpenter to fabricate the needed things. Sounds like you got it going on already, and no I'm not being a troll with my post. Regards and good luck

Lachlan Young · 2025-06-30T04:02:14-0400

The important things I've found are: getting the relevant optimised lenses (Rodagon-G or G-Componon) if needed for your relevent size of enlargement; working out a means of paper handling that works in your space (not least as roll dispensers were so comprehensively scrapped about 15-20 years ago that they currently are about as easy to find as rocking horse excreta, and when one does appear it sells in minutes); and ensuring that you have a means to wash and dry (ideally taped out under tension) the resulting print. Some real brute power from the enlarger can help too.

Dwayne Martin · 2025-06-30T08:00:30-0400

I’m using a 240mm Rodagon G for 8x10, and a 135mm Companon S for 4x5. Even at 30”x40” the results with the Componon are good but my style of photography allows for that. I’m Rolling the prints in 24x30 trays. Not sure what others do but I make two rolls with the print then twist back and forth keeping as much paper flat in the tray as the space will allow. Then I tone out side using a pool to wash made from a sheet of plastic and 4x4’s or a border. I learned the hard way you can’t roll a print in bleach, atleast not a mat sheet of Ilford lV. It won’t tolerate the friction involved in the rolling. I ended up finding a use tray for the purpose, it’s about 36x58. It was made for some industrial purpose and was relatively inexpensive.

xkaes · 2025-06-30T09:02:32-0400

For murals, I do horizontal exposures. My Beseler 45MX flips easily to horizontal and I have an 8'x5' easel (foam-core in a wooden frame) hanging from hooks on the ceiling. I use masking tape on the edges to keep the paper in place. Processing is in four, 5-foot long, half-tubes -- created from 12" PVC pipes. I use a 50mm Rodagon G for 35mm, and a 150mm G-Componon for 4x5.

Since your enlarger does not have horizontal printing, you can attach a 45° front surface mirror to the lens, such as a Spiratone Mirrotach -- very inexpensive.

Dwayne Martin · 2025-06-30T10:21:20-0400

xkaes said:
For murals, I do horizontal exposures. My Beseler 45MX flips easily to horizontal and I have an 8'x5' easel (foam-core in a wooden frame) hanging from hooks on the ceiling. I use masking tape on the edges to keep the paper in place. Processing is in four, 5-foot long, half-tubes -- created from 12" PVC pipes. I use a 50mm Rodagon G for 35mm, and a 150mm G-Componon for 4x5.

Since your enlarger does not have horizontal printing, you can attach a 45° front surface mirror to the lens, such as a Spiratone Mirrotach -- very inexpensive.

Interesting, I also have the Beseler 45mx back to back with my D5. The reason I opted to go the floor route is the trouble of moving things around to set up the Beseler horizontal. That mirror idea is a good one…

xkaes · 2025-06-30T11:34:17-0400

Whether flipping the enlarger or using a mirror, you have to have enough space between the enlarger and easel to make the size print that you want. You're lucky, you have a high ceiling. Going horizontal was my only option.

mshchem · 2025-06-30T11:51:45-0400

Dwayne Martin said:
Interesting, I also have the Beseler 45mx back to back with my D5. The reason I opted to go the floor route is the trouble of moving things around to set up the Beseler horizontal. That mirror idea is a good one…

Giant pictures of beautiful women! I wouldn't be able to get away with that

I have a beautiful 8x10 enlarger setup that I haven't used in a long time. It's not going to waste as I have a couple things planned. I doubt I'll be going beyond 20x24, more likely 16x20.

I make no effort to sell prints so I don't know what I'd do with too many of these.

Mural printing

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