Today is the day

[Blighty]

Can effects be added, like deliberately Fiddling with the focus halfway through exposure to create a soft focus effect, or tilting the enlarger slightly so that only part of the image is in focus?

Yes, anything goes!

 

[ajuk]

How about Cokin filters! I'm guessing most will have no effect but some might, fog filter for example.

 

[Bob F.]

Can Cokin filters be used, I'm guessing most will have no effect but some might, fog filter for example.

One popular effect is to use diffusion for part of the time - try 50%. I have a print somewhere that I did of a rock strewn, forested hillside, tree trunks and rocks covered in moss, that looks rather spooky using this technique.

Have fun, Bob.

 

[Blighty]

I agree with Bob. Diffusion is a good effect to try out, especially as it's the shadows that tend to diffuse (rather than the highlights with a negative).My own experiments favoured 2:1 diffuser/normal split. BTW, I use Cokin filters for this. I always fancied using an ND grad as a lazy way of burning in the sky!

 

[ajuk]

Sound like a great idea to me, I have a neg that I could do that with.

 

[ajuk]

OK so I had another go today, I'm not really enjoying doing it on my arse in the bathroom, also is there a chart that tells me what I should adjust the exposure by when changing the grade?

 

[Blighty]

Ilford give a doubling of exposure for filters #4 and 5. This sort of implies that no adjustment to exposure should be required for the other low(er) contrast filters. In practise, I've found that some difference in exposure is usually required when using different filters. I'm making a big assumption that you're using Ilford Multigrade filters here!

 

[ajuk]

No dials on the enlarger, its colour, how do I know what grade I'm dialing in?

 

[glbeas]

Do a search on the forums, theres a thread or two on that same subject where the values have been posted.

 

[Bob F.]

No dials on the enlarger, its colour, how do I know what grade I'm dialing in?

The yellow and magenta values to use for each grade are on the instruction leaflet that came in the box of paper and can be downloaded from the IlfordPhoto web site.

Cheers, Bob.

 

[ajuk]

Silly question but why is cooltone paper and cooltone developer cheaper than the normal stuff?

I found the datasheet, it has the Single colour filter settings for my enlarger, but not the Dual colour filter settings.

 

[Bob F.]

Silly question but why is cooltone paper and cooltone developer cheaper than the normal stuff?

I found the datasheet, it has the Single colour filter settings for my enlarger, but not the Dual colour filter settings.

That would be Meopta then... Try using the Durst (max 170M) dual values: they are the same up to grade 3.5 for the single values but I don't know how close it will be - certainly you will have to wing-it above 3.5...

Good luck, Bob.

 

[ajuk]

I have noticed that every time I set up, I use about £2.50 in chems, can I put them in bottles when I am done and use them again a few days later?

 

[ajuk]

Ilford give a doubling of exposure for filters #4 and 5. This sort of implies that no adjustment to exposure should be required for the other low(er) contrast filters. In practice, I've found that some difference in exposure is usually required when using different filters. I'm making a big assumption that you're using Ilford Multigrade filters here!

weird I found that the image was under exposed when I went to a lower grade not a higher one.

 

[Bob F.]

I have noticed that every time I set up, I use about £2.50 in chems, can I put them in bottles when I am done and use them again a few days later?

For stop, yes; fixer, almost certainly; developer, probably...

Developer dies much quicker than stop (which is simply a weak acid and lasts almost indefinitely) and fixer which is more complex but still generally lasts a long time.

I find most developers I have tried will last at least a few weeks in my Nova's slots so a few days in a bottle should not be a problem. I have had Ilford warmtone in a 2 litre measuring jug, clingfilm floated on top, for over a month with no apparent change in activity.

Cheers, Bob.

 

[jlehmus]

For stop, yes; fixer, almost certainly; developer, probably...

Developer dies much quicker than stop (which is simply a weak acid and lasts almost indefinitely) and fixer which is more complex but still generally lasts a long time.

I find most developers I have tried will last at least a few weeks in my Nova's slots so a few days in a bottle should not be a problem. I have had Ilford warmtone in a 2 litre measuring jug, clingfilm floated on top, for over a month with no apparent change in activity.

Cheers, Bob.

Also, keeping the used developer in an accordion bottle helps. This may vary for different chems, but generally half-used dev can keep for many weeks, even months. But the prints don't come out very fine with old developer. You can test the condition of old dev before using it, just expose a test strip in white light and develop it. Does it turn all the way black? How quickly this happens?

If you want to economise, why not look at cheaper powder developers? I'm using Calbe N 113 that comes in bags for 5 liters and it costs just next to nothing.