Postcard Exchanges - Which easel do you use?

[tezzasmall]

I was in the darkroom again yesterday, and it reminded me once more, how I struggle on each occasion, to get matching straight borders around my smaller prints. My latest efforts have quite irregular borders and I'm not happy about sending them out and trimming them of the borders would make them too small to send.

I today returned to the darkroom to oversee what I have available to me, to work with Ilford's 6" x 4" RC paper.

I have two solid Beard easels, at 12" x 10" and 12" x 16", which are a bit cumbersome for such small prints.

I unwrapped a Paterson two armed easel, but the arms were easy to put at an angle, so not giving straight margins.

I tried an Speed - Ez - El easel yesterday, but the paper often failed to line up with the two bumps, which are supposed to make the paper true.

I've looked on ebay at a selection of easels for sale, and I am wondering on getting a 10" x 8" from there, or maybe splash out on a new one?

I am also wondering whether to make a custom one, out of black card, of which I have used before to make film holders for my enlarger. As I would only use it occasionally, I'm beginning to wonder if this is the best bet? It would definitely be cheaper than buying another easel, from where ever, only to find it, again unsuitable.

Please give me your thoughts and tell me what you all use for printing smaller prints, for such as the Postcard Exchange.

Many thanks,

Terry S

 

[MattKing]

I print mine borderless.
I use a Saunders 11" x 14" 4 blade easel with the arms set to create a "hole" that is just slightly larger (1/8" or so in each direction) than 4" x 6".
The 4" x 6" paper is just dropped into the "hole".
You need an image that doesn't require absolutely precise positioning on the paper.
And you use a relatively small aperture, so as not to have to worry about paper curl.
I've done something similar with a 2 bladed easel, but the thicker arms on the Saunders, along with its heavier weight, makes it slightly better.
If I need borders, the 5" x 7" channel on my 11" x 14" Saunders easel works reasonably well.

 

[mfohl]

I have an old Beseler borderless easel. It has two movable edges on the sides. These edges will not cover any of the image. It also has a "stop" at the top end. I move one of the edges all the way to the side to ensure a 90 degree angle with the top. I cut out a piece of white cardboard (or some paper thicker than standard paper) the same size as the postcard, then I drew three parallel lines vertically, and three lines horizontally, all parallel to the edges. When I compose, I put that paper in the corner of the easel. Then I can put my postcards there also.

Way back in the day, the AJ Ganz company made Speed-E-Zels, in the standard sizes. And for a small fee, they would make custom sizes. A nice feature, alas, gone by the wayside.

 

[pentaxuser]

I have a feeling that the OP is only interested in a print with borders so borderless may not cover his needs. Given the lack of custom-made easels like the Paterson 5x7 in a 6x4 size, the only thing I can come up with short of ,say, welding an easel's blades together at an exact right angle to give an exact equal border on all four sides is a right angled borderless easel with a laser cut mask in plastic or metal but this needs access to such a cutter and a competent operator

pentaxuser

 

[John51]

From the £shop I got a pair of 6x4 photo frames. What I bought them for was to make a contact printing frame for 6x9 negs. Large border on a postcard print and maybe a vignetting effect.

With a little work, they could be adapted for use as a printing easel with whatever size of border you want.

 

[awty]

I dont use an easel, just a plate of glass over the photo paper. Could stick a mask on the glass cut from card if I wanted a border.

 

[bedrof]

Terry, for the postcard exchange purposes I made two cardboard mat cards of appropriate size (13x18 cm to fit the paper I now use for exchange) with square and rectangular windows.
I put the card on the easel, fit to the bumps, fix with blades and compose the image.
It works fine.

 

[tezzasmall]

Thanks all for some interesting solutions.

I have managed to purchased at a good price, what looks like in new condition in the ad, a 9" x 7" easel, that hopefully should fulfill what I want it to do.

I have looked at a lot of 'Speed-Ez-El's' on ebay, but they are all overseas and the postage is just too much for such a small item.

I will give the easel a try when it arrives, and hopefully it will do what I want it to do. If not, I will be trying out some of the solutions offered.

Terry S

 

[tezzasmall]

Just to update this thread:

Well, my ebay purchase of a 9" x 7" Meopta easel arrived this morning, and apart from the box, the item looks new. It's got a solid and heavy plastic base, with lovely STRAIGHT arms and an unusual (in that I've never seen it done in this way before) way of producing the margins.

I've got high hopes for it and can't wait to get back into my lovely (but cold) darkroom to try it out. In fact I can see the majority of my prints up to 10" x 8" being done on it in the near future, rather than on my much bulkier but excellent, other easels.

Don't we all love a happy ending?

Terry S

 

[drpsilver]

14 Nov 2019

I, like Matt, use an 11x14 Saunders four-blade easel. I create a template with the boarders I want on the paper size I am using to set the blades to the correct position.

Terry, I hope your new (to you) easel works as you hope it will. A good easel make printing a lot more fun.

Regards,
Darwin