Practical Cropping in the Darkroom

Brook Hill · Jul 6, 2018

I have a sheet of plywood on top of the base board whis is held in postion by angle brackets screwed to the wall. If you have surfaces which allows the easel to slide easily into postion then it needs to be locked in place . I use four small G clams and timber battens with an angle bracket screwed on at one end. I can then postion the battens against the sides of the easel and clamp them to the base board with the G clams. I sometimes need to use some additional blocks if the batten is out of reach of the G clamp but I have always managed to clamp enough battens in place to stop the easel from moving.

Tony

Patrick Robert James · Jul 6, 2018

The easier you make it to move the easel, the easier it will be to knock it out of place when you open and close it.

I have a Beseler 16x20. I just lift the front when I want to move it. If I need to move it only a small distance, I just put pressure under it from both sides which cuts the friction down. Easy peasy.

Pieter12 · Jul 7, 2018

Pieter12 said:
I found a 16x20 sheet of acrylic that I am going to put on the table top below the easel, and will look for something to replace the cork strips that are on the bottom of the easel right now. (BTW, the Omega D5 allows the negative carrier to be rotated easily enough.)

OK. So covered the cork strips with UHMW tape (slick like teflon), I can now make small adjustments to the 25 lb easel yet have it stay in position for exposure. Too damn hot to print today, gonna have to wait a couple of days to try it out.

CMoore · Jul 7, 2018

I hope you do not mind a beginner asking a question.......i move my easel "all the time".
With a change of negatives, or different cropping needs, i move the easel without any thought. Is that a problem.?
After i get the easel where i need it, i use several pieces of One Inch masking tape, and tape the easel to the enlarger baseboard. That "ensures" the easel will not move if i bump it.
If i still need to move the blade(s) i hold the easel against the direction the the blade movement and it all stays put.
Are you guys discussing a different type of problem.?
Thank You

Pieter12 · Jul 7, 2018

CMoore said:
I hope you do not mind a beginner asking a question.......i move my easel "all the time".
With a change of negatives, or different cropping needs, i move the easel without any thought. Is that a problem.?
After i get the easel where i need it, i use several pieces of One Inch masking tape, and tape the easel to the enlarger baseboard. That "ensures" the easel will not move if i bump it.
If i still need to move the blade(s) i hold the easel against the direction the the blade movement and it all stays put.
Are you guys discussing a different type of problem.?
Thank You

My issue was how difficult it is to accurately position the easel I am using--a Besseler 16x20 4-blade. It weighs 25 pounds and measures close to 20"x30" so it does not move readily.

btaylor · Jul 8, 2018

Cmoore, the Beseler 16X20 easel is a beast, hence the OP’s concerns. I would say just about all of the wet printers here move their easels around a lot, I know I do. Since everything I use in the darkroom is basically ancient, I have to come up with various replacement “feet” to ensure just the right amount of stickyness to the baseboard while maintaining portability. A few experiments at the hardware store usually solves any problems. Cork is usually my favorite.

CMoore · Jul 8, 2018

I see...hope i did not sound snooty.
My easel does 11x14. I never weighed it...maybe 10 pounds.?
Anyway.....now i understand what you guys are saying. The bigger easels are hard to move in Small/Accurate increments.
Thanks For The Lesson

Doremus Scudder · Jul 8, 2018

I've got Saunders 16x20 and 20x24 four-bladed easels. I position the easels by moving them around on the wooden baseboards. I've got self-adhesive cork on the bottom of one and felt strips on another. Both seems to be easily placed. I make cropping adjustments with the blades, but try to position the center of the desired image at the center of the easel. Small variations in border width are no problem for me since I trim my prints to the exact image dimensions when dry-mounting.

I don't seem to have a real problem positioning my easels... I guess the key would be to find a suitable work surface and then the right cushions, etc. for the bottom of the easel which allow the easel to be moved easily enough when desired but still be stable enough not to get knocked out of place when opening/closing or inserting paper, etc.

Best,

Doremus

Sirius Glass · Jul 8, 2018

I too have Saunders 16x20 and 20x24 four-bladed easels. I position the easels by moving them around on the wooden baseboards. I've got self-adhesive cork on the bottom of both of them. Both seems to be easily placed. I make cropping adjustments with the blades, but try to position the center of the desired image at the center of the easel.

ic-racer · Jul 8, 2018

ic-racer said:
I use felt "funiture mover" type pads under my largest easels like the 20x24 Saunders and 16x20 Beseler. Moving the easel is essential in my case; with glass carriers the negative is never exactly in the same spot.

My Durst L1840 does give about an inch of negative stage movement but, of course, the axes are reversed from what you see on the easel and the movements are magnified x2. So it is always easier the move the easel unless you are doing something special requiring perfect lens centering.

Sirius Glass · Jul 8, 2018

ic-racer said:

Good idea

Practical Cropping in the Darkroom

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