New to Printing, looking for advice

Robbie · Mar 8, 2022

Hi, I’m still new to photography (started last year at the age of 37 and since left my job to study it). I learned on film because I didn’t have a laptop and could afford a dslr. I now shoot 6x7 medium format and I’m about to move house and will have space for a dedicated darkroom because I’m dying to learn how to print. I have got myself an LPL colour enlarger and a NOVA quad stand processor as well as a couple other bits. I have a friend who’s going to teach me the enlarger side because they’ve done that working in london but they use processing machines that they done have to worry about the chemicals so he’s clueless on that front. I’ve just got myself a Bellini RA4 kit, that comes with developer, blix and stabiliser, will that be enough or do I need a stop bath too? Also, are there any colour safe lights that work, I’m pretty sure I’ll trip over something in 100% darkness. Any help/advice is massively appreciated.

koraks · Mar 8, 2022

I never tried a slot processor, but I do RA4 in unheated trays and it works fine. So I don't doubt you can make the Nova work as well.
Stop bath is a good idea; simple cleaning vinegar diluted 1+5 or so with tap water is just fine for this. Get the unscented kind that is the cheapest.
As to safe lights, I have recently started to use 600nm led strips at a very dim setting and this seems to work quite well. Previously I worked in a pitch dark room and it's surprisingly easy; I never tripped, hurt myself or knocked anything over. You can use small glow in the dark stickers (pointed away from any spot where they might face the paper!) as 'beacons' to mark e.g. the corner of a table etc.
Good luck, and don't overthink it; this is easier than you may think.

Robbie · Mar 8, 2022

koraks said:
I never tried a slot processor, but I do RA4 in unheated trays and it works fine. So I don't doubt you can make the Nova work as well.
Stop bath is a good idea; simple cleaning vinegar diluted 1+5 or so with tap water is just fine for this. Get the unscented kind that is the cheapest.
As to safe lights, I have recently started to use 600nm led strips at a very dim setting and this seems to work quite well. Previously I worked in a pitch dark room and it's surprisingly easy; I never tripped, hurt myself or knocked anything over. You can use small glow in the dark stickers (pointed away from any spot where they might face the paper!) as 'beacons' to mark e.g. the corner of a table etc.
Good luck, and don't overthink it; this is easier than you may think.

I think that’s exactly it, I’m overthinking it. Thank you for the advice though, appreciate it.

tbeaman · Mar 8, 2022

Yeah, just get the bare minimum you need to muddle through and then you’ll be in a better place to figure out if and what you need more of. Rather than letting the facilities be a burden that drives you to print, let the magic of the prints themselves (especially those first ones) be the motivator instead!

Robbie · Mar 9, 2022

Thanks for that, I’m really looking forward to it, was looking at the jobo maxilux as a colour safelight. Any thoughts? I was always under the impression colour was in 100% darkness.

koraks · Mar 9, 2022

Crohnsie said:
jobo maxilux

I used to have one. It was utterly useless. Pointed sufficiently away from the paper so as not to fog it, it generated no useful visibility whatsoever. If pointed in such a way to make anything visible at all, it severely fogged the paper.

I currently use 600nm (the wavelength is very critical; ideally 595nm) led strips which I PWM dim down to a very low level. Brief exposures to this light of less than a minute or two seems to not have any effect on the paper, but it makes the entire room pretty visible and easy to navigate.

However, as I remarked before, I used to work in total darkness and that works surprisingly well. I'd give that a start at first; you'll get used to it pretty quickly.

Robbie · Mar 9, 2022

It’ll be more than likely that I’ll start in darkness anyway and I think having my nova processor will make that a little easier. I’ll have a few dry practice runs first to ensure I’m aware of my steps. I was nervous loading 4x5 in the dark for the first time and managed that no problem.

pentaxuser · Mar 9, 2022

Crohnsie said:
Thanks for that, I’m really looking forward to it, was looking at the jobo maxilux as a colour safelight. Any thoughts? I was always under the impression colour was in 100% darkness.

Yes the impression that colour was in 100% darkness is one that will never disappear. Indeed some will swear that it's the only way. Others such as I bought what is called a DUKA 10 or 50 safelight which at a low setting but one that makes it perfectly possible to see while being a safelight for RA4 paper

These are powered by sodium bulbs and can be used for b&w darkroom work as well where a higher illumination is safe. Most darkroom equipment in the U.K. at least seems to have risen in price quite markedly in the last couple of years but the DUKA lights seem to be the exception to this trend

It is worth seeking one out in my opinion. The only problem with them is that replacement bulbs are extremely difficult to obtain so my "solution" is to use the DUKA only for RA4 paper, I revert to normal b&w safelights for b&w paper

I hope this helps

pentaxuser

perkeleellinen · Mar 9, 2022

Hi Crohnsie - I have almost the exact same set up as you for colour. I used this RH Designs safelight which hangs around my neck:

https://rhdesigns.co.uk/product/safelight-torch-colour/

To be honest, I hardly use it, once you know your way around the darkroom, you will be fine in total darkness.

Robbie · Mar 9, 2022

That

pentaxuser said:
Yes the impression that colour was in 100% darkness is one that will never disappear. Indeed some will swear that it's the only way. Others such as I bought what is called a DUKA 10 or 50 safelight which at a low setting but one that makes it perfectly possible to see while being a safelight for RA4 paper

These are powered by sodium bulbs and can be used for b&w darkroom work as well where a higher illumination is safe. Most darkroom equipment in the U.K. at least seems to have risen in price quite markedly in the last couple of years but the DUKA lights seem to be the exception to this trend

It is worth seeking one out in my opinion. The only problem with them is that replacement bulbs are extremely difficult to obtain so my "solution" is to use the DUKA only for RA4 paper, I revert to normal b&w safelights for b&w paper

I hope this helps

pentaxuser

That does! Thanks a lot, they seem to come with a red and a white filter. Which is used with RA4?

Robbie · Mar 9, 2022

perkeleellinen said:
Hi Crohnsie - I have almost the exact same set up as you for colour. I used this RH Designs safelight which hangs around my neck:

https://rhdesigns.co.uk/product/safelight-torch-colour/

To be honest, I hardly use it, once you know your way around the darkroom, you will be fine in total darkness.

excellent, I’ll have a look at their site, always good to be shown a darkroom supply site I hadn’t found myself too.

perkeleellinen · Mar 9, 2022

Another thing that will be useful for you is the Kodak Colour Print Viewing Kit, it looks like this:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81B9jqwFH5L.jpg

They used to be dirt cheap but seem to be creeping up in price (like lots of film stuff). Set an ebay search alert to snag one.

Robbie · Mar 9, 2022

perkeleellinen said:
Another thing that will be useful for you is the Kodak Colour Print Viewing Kit, it looks like this:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81B9jqwFH5L.jpg

They used to be dirt cheap but seem to be creeping up in price (like lots of film stuff). Set an ebay search alert to snag one.

Actually managed to get one on ebay this week for £21, was happy with that because I've seen them go north of £80

Robbie · Mar 9, 2022

pentaxuser said:
It is worth seeking one out in my opinion. The only problem with them is that replacement bulbs are extremely difficult to obtain so my "solution" is to use the DUKA only for RA4 paper, I revert to normal b&w safelights for b&w paper

pentaxuser

So, I just ordered a duka 10 from mrcad, they had it advertised as a b&w safelight, are there more than one cover because I seen a duka 5 on ebay and it said it came with a white filter? What kind of bulb do you use in yours for ra4? Do you have any links? Sorry for the onslaught of questions.

koraks · Mar 9, 2022

Oh man...for less than half that money I would have just gotten 5 meters of 600nm led strip + 12V adapter and a pwm dimmer module...No more worries about the replacement bulbs either.

pentaxuser · Mar 9, 2022

Crohnsie said:
So, I just ordered a duka 10 from mrcad, they had it advertised as a b&w safelight, are there more than one cover because I seen a duka 5 on ebay and it said it came with a white filter? What kind of bulb do you use in yours for ra4? Do you have any links? Sorry for the onslaught of questions.

My DUKA 10 has no red filter and I use it OK for RA4 so the red filter or in fact red cover that fits on top of the built-in white cover is I presume for b&w

My bulb is an Osram No 10 FL but this may simply be the Osram number and other perfectly acceptable bulbs may have a different number
When you get the DUKA I'd open it up anyway to make sure the metal shield that is used to cover the bulb to lower the amount of light that escapes is correctly being operated by the lever that sits on the outside of the light. This slides up and downwards inside a slot that has numbers on it for gauging the amount of light that escapes

When it arrives tell us the range of numbers and anyone who has a similar DUKA can say what setting they use.

You may get a reply from BMbikerider whom I know does RA4 regularly and he is more of an expert on both RA4 and DUKAs than I

If you want or need to touch or remove the bulb, avoid touching it with bare fingers. This won't harm you but it is best to avoid getting any sweat or grease from your fingers getting on to the bulb

pentaxuser

Robbie · Mar 9, 2022

koraks said:
Oh man...for less than half that money I would have just gotten 5 meters of 600nm led strip + 12V adapter and a pwm dimmer module...No more worries about the replacement bulbs either.

Yeah but I got it for half the price that secondhanddarkroom are selling it for and I’m not savvy with led strips etc so the duka’s perfect for me.

Robbie · Mar 9, 2022

pentaxuser said:
My DUKA 10 has no red filter and I use it OK for RA4 so the red filter or in fact red cover that fits on top of the built-in white cover is I presume for b&w

My bulb is an Osram No 10 FL but this may simply be the Osram number and other perfectly acceptable bulbs may have a different number
When you get the DUKA I'd open it up anyway to make sure the metal shield that is used to cover the bulb to lower the amount of light that escapes is correctly being operated by the lever that sits on the outside of the light. This slides up and downwards inside a slot that has numbers on it for gauging the amount of light that escapes

When it arrives tell us the range of numbers and anyone who has a similar DUKA can say what setting they use.

You may get a reply from BMbikerider whom I know does RA4 regularly and he is more of an expert on both RA4 and DUKAs than I

If you want or need to touch or remove the bulb, avoid touching it with bare fingers. This won't harm you but it is best to avoid getting any sweat or grease from your fingers getting on to the bulb

pentaxuser

Yeah that’s what I’d assume, so you can use it for both. I’ll post some photos here when it arrives and hopefully it’s good to go.

gone · Mar 9, 2022

Youtube videos will be your friend. There's some great stuff on there about darkroom printing. I find it easier to learn by watching someone do it, vs reading about it or having it explained.

Robbie · Mar 9, 2022

I’ve watched a few, sometimes when you’re looking to find something specific, it’s nowhere to be seen. I tried to find someone using nova processors and there’s nothing on YouTube,

DREW WILEY · Mar 9, 2022

I haven't found any kind of color safelight that is of any use to me at a distance, other than to tell you which end of the room is which. I do own a little Jobo amber Minilux, which can be momentarily turned on if necessary, like for loading big film rolls onto the cutting spool. But otherwise, and even then if possible, I work in strict total darkness. Perhaps that RH neckstrap light linked earlier is analogous to the Jobo Minilux & Maxilux concept.

mshchem · Mar 9, 2022

Crohnsie said:
I’ve watched a few, sometimes when you’re looking to find something specific, it’s nowhere to be seen. I tried to find someone using nova processors and there’s nothing on YouTube,

"THE NAKED PHOTOGRAPHER" YouTube videos. He's not naked

Robbie · Mar 13, 2022

mshchem said:
"THE NAKED PHOTOGRAPHER" YouTube videos. He's not naked

Good shout, seems mega knowledgeable

markbau · Mar 13, 2022

koraks said:
Oh man...for less than half that money I would have just gotten 5 meters of 600nm led strip + 12V adapter and a pwm dimmer module...No more worries about the replacement bulbs either.

Has anyone done a proper safelight test on B&W paper on these? I'd love to make my darkroom a bit brighter but don't want to plonk down any cash only to have the product fail a safelight test.

koraks · Mar 13, 2022

markbau said:
Has anyone done a proper safelight test on B&W paper on these?

I don't know. As far as I'm concerned, that's not what there there for anyway and I never bothered testing it. I use deep red (660nm) for B&W.

New to Printing, looking for advice

Robbie

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