Question about pin registration systems

[Sirius Glass]

I have the Chromega Dichroic II 5D-XL enlarger. There are no pins on the negative carrier for lining up the negative carrier, but there are four indentations (two in the back) where pins could go or might have gone. Do I need to add two pins or is the weight of the enlarger head sufficient to hold the 4"x5" Radeka Carrier in place?

 

[M Carter]

I use the Radeka carrier every time I print, but in an MXT. While the pressure of the neg carrier springs seems decent, I use double-side tape on the bottom of the Radeka frame - I can still pry the thing up to re-position it if needed, and the textured coating on the neg stage makes it easy to remove any tape if you need to. I doubt you'd need to mess with pins.

One good tip if you haven't spent a lot of time with the new carrier - wrap a piece of wadded-up painter's tape around the release handle that lifts the neg carrier - you may find yourself on auto-pilot, raising the head when you need to pull the glass carrier - when you touch the crumply tape it will remind you not to do that! It took me a little time to not grab the handle every now and then! Another strategy might be to simply remove the handle or lever if that's easy, you generally rarely need to mess with the frame once it's in the right place. And maybe a small clamp could hold the "sandwich" of the neg stage and the head together vs. using 2-sided tape, the MXT could probably work with a small c-clamp, but never needed to mess with that, tape holds it fine.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I use the Radeka carrier every time I print, but in an MXT. While the pressure of the neg carrier springs seems decent, I use double-side tape on the bottom of the Radeka frame - I can still pry the thing up to re-position it if needed, and the textured coating on the neg stage makes it easy to remove any tape if you need to. I doubt you'd need to mess with pins.

One good tip if you haven't spent a lot of time with the new carrier - wrap a piece of wadded-up painter's tape around the release handle that lifts the neg carrier - you may find yourself on auto-pilot, raising the head when you need to pull the glass carrier - when you touch the crumply tape it will remind you not to do that! It took me a little time to not grab the handle every now and then! Another strategy might be to simply remove the handle or lever if that's easy, you generally rarely need to mess with the frame once it's in the right place. And maybe a small clamp could hold the "sandwich" of the neg stage and the head together vs. using 2-sided tape, the MXT could probably work with a small c-clamp, but never needed to mess with that, tape holds it fine.

Thank you for the recommendations. I have my 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" negatives in strips of 4, but that is incompatible with the Radeka carrier, however if I am going to use the carrier, I will have to separate the negative from the strip and store it with the masks.

 

[M Carter]

Thank you for the recommendations. I have my 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" negatives in strips of 4, but that is incompatible with the Radeka carrier, however if I am going to use the carrier, I will have to separate the negative from the strip and store it with the masks.

That's really the best way to do it, since you have to tape scrap film to the negs and punch it. The carrier is pretty big (for 4x5 film) so you'll need a good chunk of scrap film to be able to punch it; the pins are further apart than 6cm, too. When I do 6x7 negs, I take a piece of film and cut a 6x7 opening in it and tape the neg on all 4 sides, seems to keep them nice and tight. I use red litho tape.

Then throw in that you can get a little nuts with masks, and you'll want to save your print maps and notes with each neg. I make "storyboards" vs. print maps, when you start using several masks per print, you almost need to rehearse the order - the little comic-strip things I make are WAY better than marking up a print, it orders each step - like you may add a mask but need to softly burn in just part of it, stuff like that. (Pic below).

Other tips if yer interested! Get a bunch of 4x5 wax paper envelopes from Adorama/etc, and store each mask in its own envelope to keep them from scratching each other. I stick all of those in a 5x7 manila envelope, and that and print maps goes into a manila "job jacket" in a waterproof file box. I tape a scrap print to the jacket, easy to find when you want to reprint. Everyone's different, may be some good ideas there for your own workflow.

Label the masks with a black or blue sharpie between the punch holes - it's easy to get out of order or stick a mask in the wrong way, but if they're labeled you'll know from being able to read the labels. Some masks may be really thin, and it's hard to sort them out in the dark. And a red sharpie's invisible under safe lights. this is helpful if you reprint months later, too.

OTOH, red sharpies are your pals here - fine and regular points, to tweak masks and dust spot and so on. You can wipe them off with a q tip and alcohol if you screw it up.

I've had trouble getting SCIM masks to align perfectly, so I make them soft (duratrans or matte mylar between the neg and litho film when contracting) and use them as burn masks - works great and exposure are more controlled. Really dense litho negs always seem to need some spotting, fine point sharpie to the rescue.

You'll be handling negs a LOT, way more than you usually would. And as you dial in a mask, you don't need to punch every one - think of them like test strips. So you'll be sliding little scraps of litho film under your neg, so take real care not to scratch them. Your negs will be handled like a (insert non-PC euphemisms about ladies with loose morals in sailor's bars here!!). I lay out kim wipes to set negs and masks on and be careful sliding test film under the negs. This saves a ton of film and time as you dial in mask exposure and development, I'm often cutting almost postage stamps of litho film until I get the right density.

You may have a dozen dust-attracting surfaces in one print, between the glass carrier and the mask, so air blowers, humidity, a zero stat gun can all be handy, don't lean over the negs and so on. Even a face mask if you have a beard. An illuminated magnifier on an arm is killer, you turn the negs about until the light reflects back, and dust just leaps out at you - an artist brush and you can sweep them away.

 

[Sirius Glass]

That's really the best way to do it, since you have to tape scrap film to the negs and punch it. The carrier is pretty big (for 4x5 film) so you'll need a good chunk of scrap film to be able to punch it; the pins are further apart than 6cm, too. When I do 6x7 negs, I take a piece of film and cut a 6x7 opening in it and tape the neg on all 4 sides, seems to keep them nice and tight. I use red litho tape.

Then throw in that you can get a little nuts with masks, and you'll want to save your print maps and notes with each neg. I make "storyboards" vs. print maps, when you start using several masks per print, you almost need to rehearse the order - the little comic-strip things I make are WAY better than marking up a print, it orders each step - like you may add a mask but need to softly burn in just part of it, stuff like that. (Pic below).

Other tips if yer interested! Get a bunch of 4x5 wax paper envelopes from Adorama/etc, and store each mask in its own envelope to keep them from scratching each other. I stick all of those in a 5x7 manila envelope, and that and print maps goes into a manila "job jacket" in a waterproof file box. I tape a scrap print to the jacket, easy to find when you want to reprint. Everyone's different, may be some good ideas there for your own workflow.

Label the masks with a black or blue sharpie between the punch holes - it's easy to get out of order or stick a mask in the wrong way, but if they're labeled you'll know from being able to read the labels. Some masks may be really thin, and it's hard to sort them out in the dark. And a red sharpie's invisible under safe lights. this is helpful if you reprint months later, too.

OTOH, red sharpies are your pals here - fine and regular points, to tweak masks and dust spot and so on. You can wipe them off with a q tip and alcohol if you screw it up.

I've had trouble getting SCIM masks to align perfectly, so I make them soft (duratrans or matte mylar between the neg and litho film when contracting) and use them as burn masks - works great and exposure are more controlled. Really dense litho negs always seem to need some spotting, fine point sharpie to the rescue.

You'll be handling negs a LOT, way more than you usually would. And as you dial in a mask, you don't need to punch every one - think of them like test strips. So you'll be sliding little scraps of litho film under your neg, so take real care not to scratch them. Your negs will be handled like a (insert non-PC euphemisms about ladies with loose morals in sailor's bars here!!). I lay out kim wipes to set negs and masks on and be careful sliding test film under the negs. This saves a ton of film and time as you dial in mask exposure and development, I'm often cutting almost postage stamps of litho film until I get the right density.

You may have a dozen dust-attracting surfaces in one print, between the glass carrier and the mask, so air blowers, humidity, a zero stat gun can all be handy, don't lean over the negs and so on. Even a face mask if you have a beard. An illuminated magnifier on an arm is killer, you turn the negs about until the light reflects back, and dust just leaps out at you - an artist brush and you can sweep them away.

Thank you. That is a lot of information to absorb. I will be rereading your posts.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Short answer - No, mere enlarger head weight is NOT sufficient to guarantee repeat registration. Any pin register system needs to firmly clamped in, into a precise position each time. Furthermore, the entire enlarger, chassis n' all, should be wall anchored like a granite boulder. Chromega D enlargers are nice, but nowhere near solid enough on their own for accurately doing this kind of work without a bit of supplemental bracing.

 

[M Carter]

Short answer - No, mere enlarger head weight is NOT sufficient to guarantee repeat registration. Any pin register system needs to firmly clamped in, into a precise position each time. Furthermore, the entire enlarger, chassis n' all, should be wall anchored like a granite boulder. Chromega D enlargers are nice, but nowhere near solid enough on their own for accurately doing this kind of work without a bit of supplemental bracing.

That's a good point; as I mentioned, my frame is double-stick taped in the head and the neg stage is closed down tight on it. It doesn't budge and has to be pried out with a putty knife to move it (like rotating it 90° for wall projection).

I use an MXT on a timber & plywood table mounted to the wall. I did rig up a ceiling bracket that's bolted to the top of the frame, may be overkill. The bigger issues I see when using my Radeka system is maybe more from "only 2 pins" - when i was stripping film as a kid, the rule was "not four, not two, use three". Regardless of the enlarger, working with a torture-test neg - even on the light box, there's always something a little off, though usually you can tug the mask around and tape it down for a more critical fit, and expect to do some retouch. The pins have those "shoulders" where they're glued down so the neg isn't flush to the glass up at the pins, could be an issue as well. I bought some ultra thin glass to see if I can cut it and affix it so the glass is level with the pins, it's still sitting here though... Maybe some day I'll find a machinist to make me a carrier and punch with three pins or something. I lie awake musing about this stuff...

 

[Sirius Glass]

Is this good for making masks? Recommended?

Lineco See-Thru Mounting Strips 1.25 x 4 inch - 60 Count

Lineco See-Thru Mounting Strips 1.25 x 4 inch - 60 Count - Lineco See-Thru Mounting Strips are made from conservation quality materials. Mylar polyester is bonded to a 2 ply mat with a self-adhesive back. Simply position the artwork and adhere…

www.freestylephoto.biz

 

[M Carter]

Is this good for making masks? Recommended?

Lineco See-Thru Mounting Strips 1.25 x 4 inch - 60 Count

Lineco See-Thru Mounting Strips 1.25 x 4 inch - 60 Count - Lineco See-Thru Mounting Strips are made from conservation quality materials. Mylar polyester is bonded to a 2 ply mat with a self-adhesive back. Simply position the artwork and adhere…

www.freestylephoto.biz

I dunno - I usually try to use the same thickness film (or close) for the extra width needed; some people say to use mylar tape, I have a bunch of red stripping tape in the 1/4" width and use that. Often you need a very thin/minimal tape overhang, like to get a medium format neg in the carrier, you suss out the center (I keep a grid on white paper that's punched for the carrier showing where the center is on the baseboard) and cut a 6x6 (or whatever) opening in scrap film, and tape the neg into the "hole" all around. So you don't want to overlap the image area, you may just have a scant 1/8 or 1/16 of tape overlap. Luckily the tape is on the base-side of the neg, so removing it does no harm. Even if you just use one strip to be able to get the neg onto the pins, you'll still often deal with very minimal space for the tape to hit the neg, to get just the rebate and stay clear of the image area.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Capital "N", capital "O" - NO, those Lineco strips are not a good idea for mask registration because the mylar sheeting is bonded to humidity-absorbing paper stock, and hence highly dimensionally unstable. What I do when working with smaller film originals is to just use my rotary cutter to slice off strips of otherwise unwanted leftover dimensionally-stable sheet film (i.e., reasonably thick mylar, PET, or Estar base) - DO NOT use anything triacetate, which is not dimensionally stable. Likewise when taping the punched strip and original together, used only real mylar tape, not vinyl or acetate, much less paper masking tape. It makes a significant difference in maintaining register. And if you can, choose PET or Estar (same thing) based films to shoot to begin with.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Thank you