problems with toyo 4x5 monorail, need advice pls!!

[wittypseudonym]

Hey i have a couple of questions,

I'm customizing a toyo 4x5 film holder, and the track for the dark slide has gotten smushed together, so it requires a lot more force to get the dark slide in and out. Now i'm trying to pry it open without damaging the film holder too much. Do any of yall have any suggestions on how to open the track back up, or how to prevent this from happening in the future?

Also,
I'm very new to large format, i'm using a toyo 4x5, and i cant see an image thru my ground glass! whether there is a lens on it or not, i can't see anything! i know that's a noob problem, but what am i doing wrong?

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

You’ve posted this in “Plate Cameras” rather than “Large Format,” so I take it you’re customizing a filmholder to shoot wetplate in a conventional 4x5” camera?

To see an image on the groundglass, the shutter needs to be open, and to start with, you probably want it set on the maximum aperture. It also helps to have a darkcloth to block out extraneous light, so you can see the groundglass image better, and to let your eyes adjust to the light under the darkcloth.

Go to largeformatphotography.info and read the articles for large format beginners on the main page, and that should help you get oriented.

 

[wittypseudonym]

Hey David,
Yesss correct, i'm customizing the filmholder for wetplate. And awesome, thank you for that! I'm using a barrel lens so there isn't a shudder but using a black towel instead of a thinner sheet definitely made a huge difference in seeing the image, thank you for the website rec as well!