Salthill

jstraw · Dec 27, 2006

I've been leafing through piles and piles of old issues of Camara and Darkroom and Darkroom Photography and I keep seeing ads and review for all these very cool Salthill products. Beautiful easels, fibre-optic enlargers and densitometers, and a variety of other things. They're all beautifully designed and most all represent real innovation. I assume the company is long gone but I also notice that basically none of their stuff seems to show up on eBay.

Does anyone here use any of the products? Were they as cool in practice as they were in print?

Roger Hicks · Dec 27, 2006

jstraw said:
I've been leafing through piles and piles of old issues of Camara and Darkroom and Darkroom Photography and I keep seeing ads and review for all these very cool Salthill products. Beautiful easels, fibre-optic enlargers and densitometers, and a variety of other things. They're all beautifully designed and most all represent real innovation. I assume the company is long gone but I also notice that basically none of their stuff seems to show up on eBay.

Does anyone here use any of the products? Were they as cool in practice as they were in print?

Salthill made very high quality stuff, and it was very pretty, though it's disputable how much innovation or technical advantage there was compared with (say) Nova or Kienzle. My wife Frances Schultz, who's far more of a darkroom expert than I and covers these things for Shutterbug, reckoned that it was not just the quality that sold it: the fact that it was American designed and built (usually very well) also added to the appeal for some people.

Of course, even the prettiest stuff soon loses its shine in a working darkroom...

Cheers,

Roger

garysamson · Dec 27, 2006

Yes, their products were of very high quality and design. I am still using their Power Squeegee which must be at least 15 years old.

Lee L · Dec 27, 2006

I have one of their variable output electroluminescent panel safelights. It's extremely well built, very low profile, and easy to redirect and adjust. Probably overkill for the job, but still working as new. Forgotten the price by now. Bought it in the late '80's but haven't stopped appreciating it.

Lee

jstraw · Dec 27, 2006

I'd love to hear from anyone that every printed with that fibre-optic enlarger.

dancqu · Dec 29, 2006

jstraw said:
Beautiful easels, fibre-optic enlargers and
densitometers, and a variety of other things.

They also produced a print dryer which used blotters
and corrugated board. Burk and James was another
producer of the same type dryer.

Blotter stacks with corrugated ventilation was quite
popular at one time; a cooler gentle way of drying and
flatten at the same time. As a paper producer Luminos
recommended the method for dry FLAT prints. Kodak's
blotter rolls worked very well. Dan

Reinhold · Dec 29, 2006

It was Salthills blotter stack dryer that inspired me to clone one for myself, using Light Impressions blotter paper and a low heat blower to push air thru the stack of corrugated board and blotters.

Prints are ...flat..., but I also discovered that sepia toned prints have a softer emulsion and tend to pick up some blotter lint unless I turn the prints frequently for the first 30 minutes or so. I can dry 10 16x20 or 20 11x14 prints ...flat... in about 1 hour.

If prompted, I could post a digi-snap of my set-up...

Reinhold

www.classicBWphoto.com

Ronald Moravec · Jan 12, 2007

The blotter/corrigated board print drier is the best. I have an old Burke and James and it is a prized possesion. Nothing makes prints flat like this. I am sorry I did not purchase a Salthill one when they were available but they were expensive and I kids in college and I did not know better.

There was nothing special about the enlargers judging from reports I have read. They did have nice light heads which made them steady.

TheFlyingCamera · Jan 12, 2007

Reinhold said:
It was Salthills blotter stack dryer that inspired me to clone one for myself, using Light Impressions blotter paper and a low heat blower to push air thru the stack of corrugated board and blotters.

Prints are ...flat..., but I also discovered that sepia toned prints have a softer emulsion and tend to pick up some blotter lint unless I turn the prints frequently for the first 30 minutes or so. I can dry 10 16x20 or 20 11x14 prints ...flat... in about 1 hour.

If prompted, I could post a digi-snap of my set-up...

Reinhold

www.classicBWphoto.com

Reinhold-

Please do post pics of your setup, especially since this is no longer a commercially available product. It would be nice to see another way to get flatter prints. I'm using fiberglass drying screens which do a good but not perfect job, and take overnight.

Reinhold · Jan 12, 2007

Having been encouraged...

Here's a snapshot of my clone of the Salthill blotter stack type print dryer.

For the full story, see my TechBlog at:

http://www.classicbwphoto.com/Blog/A40AA6E8-A280-11DB-9B69-000A95E8D0C0.html

I originally bought the blotter paper from Ligh... Impr...s, but they are rapidly shifting away from being a supplier to the film based community. Their hot button is drifting toward the DigiJunk crowd.

For an acid free blotting paper, go to Dick Blick at:
http://www.dickblick.com/zz104/22/

Or use a synthetic non-woven textile (Pellon®, or Tyvek® are examples of polypropylene filament sheet goods that won't absorb water) instead of blotting paper.

Have fun.

Reinhold

Edwardv · Jan 13, 2007

I love my 16x20 SaltHill easel. Wished I purchace the 20x24 before SaltHill closed. Does anyone know where or what the owner of SaltHill is doing?

jstraw · Jan 13, 2007

I read on some post from some message board...found googling...and dated some time back, that he was working for B&H.

dancqu · Jan 20, 2007

[QUOTES=Reinhold;416978]
"I originally bought the blotter paper ..."
I've often refered to my stack dryer as a blotter stack dryer. Now,
" ... instead of blotting paper."
As you suggest, use hydrophobic separator sheets.

So now it's a Corrugated Board Stack Dryer which uses non-woven
hydrophobic sheet separators.

www.forestry-suppliers.com/drilldown_pages/view_category.asp?cat=601 - 51k -

www.acornnaturalists.com/store/Plant-Flower-and-Leaf-Presses-C122.aspx -31k -

www.pacific-papers.com/products/plant_presses/ppk_detail.ldmx - 6k -

The above three suppliers have complete stack dryers and supplies
for same.

I bought 12 corrugated board A flute Ventilators from
Forestry Suppliers and a yard or so of what's called liner
material from a local fabric outlet. The later I cut to size.
Total, about $15.

That's it. Alternate all that with prints, weight on top, and
allow a few days to dry. If in the way it's easy to shelve. I've
some 8x10s and 5x7s drying at this time. One more day and
they'll be out. I only sponge dried this time. Usually a short
air dry is given after the sponging. Photo Grade Sponges
are still available. Dan

toddhoch · Aug 3, 2007

Salthill Print Dryer

Ronald Moravec said:
The blotter/corrigated board print drier is the best. I have an old Burke and James and it is a prized possesion. Nothing makes prints flat like this. I am sorry I did not purchase a Salthill one when they were available but they were expensive and I kids in college and I did not know better.

There was nothing special about the enlargers judging from reports I have read. They did have nice light heads which made them steady.

I have a Salthill Print Dryer that a friend bought new years ago and never used- still in its original packing, bubble wrap and all and shipping carton. I am hoping to find a buyer for it that could use it. Any interest please write. I am in Chicago. todd@toddhochberg.com thanks

jeroldharter · Aug 3, 2007

I always wanted one of the Salt Hill enlargers. They were quite expensive and I have never seen one on Ebay. Their easels come up now and again. I just lost an auction for one. I don't need it but I wanted a Salt Hill something. They must have sold the enlargers to someone.

donbga · Aug 3, 2007

jeroldharter said:
I always wanted one of the Salt Hill enlargers. They were quite expensive and I have never seen one on Ebay. Their easels come up now and again. I just lost an auction for one. I don't need it but I wanted a Salt Hill something. They must have sold the enlargers to someone.

I have the Salt Hill enlarger alignment tool and it works great.

lee · Aug 3, 2007

I had heard that the problems of getting the Salt Hill enlarger to market was what caused the company to fold. Don't know if it is true or not.

lee\c

johnnywalker · Aug 3, 2007

dancqu said:
[QUOTES=Reinhold;416978]
"I originally bought the blotter paper ..."
I've often refered to my stack dryer as a blotter stack dryer. Now,
" ... instead of blotting paper."
As you suggest, use hydrophobic separator sheets.

So now it's a Corrugated Board Stack Dryer which uses non-woven
hydrophobic sheet separators.

[ Dan

I must be missing something here. If you use hydrophobic separator sheets, where does the moisture go? Wouldn't a waterproof separator trap the moisture in the paper you are trying to dry?

alecj · Aug 4, 2007

I too bought one of the Tri-Linear Enlarger Alignment Tools. Joe Saltzer himself [that's the founder of Salthill you all have been describing] found a couple of these under a bed in his apartment and offered them on eBay. I was able to call him and discuss the tool and his work. As I recall he was then working for B&H. That was 5 yrs ago.

dancqu · Aug 4, 2007

johnnywalker said:
I must be missing something here.
If you use hydrophobic separator sheets,
where does the moisture go? Wouldn't a
waterproof separator trap the moisture in
the paper you are trying to dry?

The separator sheets, called interfacing at any fabric
shop, is of non-woven polyester and very permeable to
water vapor. After sponge drying the prints are sandwiched
twixt two separators, a ventilator corrugated board top
and bottom. The stack can be built of as many
sandwiches as one would care.

Hydrophobic materials do not blot; do not absorb water.
So, I no longer call my dryer a Blotter Stack Dryer.

If you'd like prints dry and flat in one operation using a
very compact, extremely light weight nearly free method
and are not in a hurry you've found it. Dan

Andrew Kleinfeld · Aug 25, 2007

I bought a Salthill enlarger and bunch of other stuff, years ago when Salthill was in business. At the time I wondered if it was foolish to spend so much. It wasn't. Every piece still works great, looks great, and is a pleasure to use. Probably you're not seeing much on eBay because people do not want to "upgrade."

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