Where it goes wrong in the darkroom? Images printed not sharp enough with new enlarger lens

[DREW WILEY]

Well, if your darkroom is adjacent to a RR track ... kinda hard to move the track or stop the locomotive. I think automobile boom boxes and rap music are even worse; that's when the darkroom walls start cracking.

 

[pentaxuser]

I agree.
The M605 is a fine enlarger. Sharp prints can be made with it all day, every day.

I'm sure OP will post back with some more details and hopefully examples of the unsharpness so they can receive some more focused help.

Let's hope so. Not sure I'd bother now if |I were new to the forum and we have certainly mentioned every possible cause under the sun but are now homing in on vibration and flimsy enlargers as the most likely if not the only cause of the problem

pentaxuser

 

[xkaes]

Irrespective of the heat filter, long exposures will make the head heat up and affect the focus plane the neg is sitting in.

Who said anything about long exposures? My guess is we are talking about 30 seconds.

 

[Brad Deputy]

I've yet to experience negative pop on my Beseler 23cii (early 70s version) w/condenser.

I print 35mm only, so far. Darkroom setup is in an Ilford tent, in the garage on a concrete slab. I've had no sharpness issues, in fact I'm impressed how well my 8x10's come out.

I suspect this may change when I start to print old 2.25x3.25 negatives from the 1930/40s (i.e. medium format, my late father's childhood), because I must adjust the light source about 4-6 inches closer to the negative, and I don't have the heat absorbing glass yet. (why is it so much $$$$$ used??)

 

[cliveh]

What are you focusing on? Baseboard, easel, paper sample?

 

[MattKing]

Anyone who lives in a multi-floor, multi-unit building needs to be aware of the possibility of vibration. Particularly in areas near plumbing and laundry facilities.

 

[Steve906]

As I mentioned earlier the paterson focuser is not intended to be calibrated but - out of the box mine was basically useless. the eyepiece adjustment is just to set your eye to the fixed wire/cord position. The mirror should be at the correct distance from this and the base board but is just somehow fixed? by rods pushed into the plastic body - not a good design - if these are fixed correctly (calibrating the system) it then works fine. If the OP could just check this or take it out of the system it could be eliminated as, or confirmed as, a problem.

 

[Bill Burk]

Plus one, without a glass carrier you are chancing negative pop no matter what lens you use.

Am I immune to this with my Aristo Grid light source? I almost never have negative pop issues and I am purely glassless.

Vibration though, plagued by it if I am not careful.

I use a tape measure to set the carriage height of the Omega D2 and lock it sticking up occasionally to watch it stop wiggling. It always wiggles and dies down pretty quick

 

[Bill Burk]

Anyone who lives in a multi-floor, multi-unit building needs to be aware of the possibility of vibration. Particularly in areas near plumbing and laundry facilities.

My buddy Jim and I almost rented a place near the train tracks in SLO. We were quite concerned about this feature though the view was awesome.

 

[Pieter12]

As I mentioned earlier the paterson focuser is not intended to be calibrated but - out of the box mine was basically useless. the eyepiece adjustment is just to set your eye to the fixed wire/cord position. The mirror should be at the correct distance from this and the base board but is just somehow fixed? by rods pushed into the plastic body - not a good design - if these are fixed correctly (calibrating the system) it then works fine. If the OP could just check this or take it out of the system it could be eliminated as, or confirmed as, a problem.

That’s not calibration, that’s a defective item.

 

[GregY]

That’s not calibration, that’s a defective item.

IMO the "basic" Paterson grain focuser was a pretty low end product... the equivalent of a Holga. I think i may have one somewhere, but it hasn't seen the light of day since i found a Peak Critical Grain Focuser. I hope the OP finds the source of his problem....but i'd bet $$ to donuts, its not a railcar, or refrigerator vibration.....

 

[Lachlan Young]

It isn't going to be a fault with the Paterson grain focuser if it's the basic model - and if it has been adjusted to the users eyes under white light. The Peak 2000/ Model I focus finder's advantages are that it's more durable/ serviceable & can be used to check focus out into the corners - for actually checking focus, the Paterson is much better than OK (in fact the Peak Model II & III are essentially the same thing as the Paterson).

There is a sequence of critical component relationships on an M605, all of which could be fractionally loose/ worn - the bolts locating column to base casting & the base casting to baseboard bolts can come loose with time, the head carriage to column rack relationship can acquire much more slop than intended with wear and tear - and the same with the focus mechanism (downwards creep of these due to wear should be a prime suspect as they have no meaningful locking other than friction & a tensator spring on the column) and the head to carriage lock or the focus stage tilt being loose should also be checked (though these would present as distortion of the image or uneven focus).

 

[MTGseattle]

I hesitate to post 1 idea I had since I've never used the OP enlarger. My other idea is that for me personally (and maybe some others)?
I cannot use a basic grain sight with my prescription glasses on. I get the grain in focus on a fixed out piece of paper in my easel without my glasses, lock everything down, then wear my glasses again.

My other idea had to do with lenses mounted "recessed" or not in the lens mount rings. I know some Durst models have similar mount rings to the Saunders/LPL 4500 series. Someone handed me a 150mm mounted recessed, and I ran out of bellows.

 

[koraks]

My other idea had to do with lenses mounted "recessed" or not in the lens mount rings. I know some Durst models have similar mount rings to the Saunders/LPL 4500 series. Someone handed me a 150mm mounted recessed, and I ran out of bellows.

The M605 will need a recessed lens board with a 50mm lens for 35mm enlargements. If a regular, flat lens board is used, it's impossible to get the image into focus, so it's a non-starter. The problem would be severe and immediately apparent before even making the first print.

 

[MTGseattle]

OK.

 

[Steve906]

That’s not calibration, that’s a defective item.

Obviously yes. But it is effectively calibrating it to a known good reference and since then it has been very useful. My point being that just because something is new it may still be defective and this design is prone to problems so should be tested or eliminated from the process when trying to identify the cause of the OPs problem.

 

[Dustin McAmera]

The OP said he uses a Paterson micro focus finder; the little plastic one.

 

[GregY]

Did i miss something or did the OP ever get a sharp print from the enlarger the way it's set up?

 

[Steve906]

The OP said he uses a Paterson micro focus finder; the little plastic one.

I did not see that anywhere ? post #. problems could still be the same though. I think the OP has ran away shaking his head and fixed the problem himself by now though

 

[Dustin McAmera]

In post #1:

I use a Durst M605 enlarger and everything looks sharp with my Paterson micro focus finder when i look that the projected image looks sharp

 

[Steve906]

In post #1:

Ahh... why did I not see that
So everyone - including me - talking about focus finders is not helping. I think I'll go and hide now

 

[Dustin McAmera]

It's a focus finder, just the smaller one of two designs that Paterson make:

https://www.patersonphotographic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/PTP643.jpg

The thing with the metal rods sliding into the body can't happen with this one. The 'calibration' is built into the shape of a single plastic moulding. You could throw it off if you took it into your head to stick little rubber feet on the base.
I was taught to put the finder on a sheet of paper to use it, so the focused image falls at the height of the paper, not at the height off the baseboard or easel.

 

[squarrosus]

It's quite easy to mount the lens board incorrectly so that it's slightly tilted. I think this would result in a sharp image through the grain focuser but slightly unsharp prints

 

[grahamp]

I'd go back and check the focus with the focus finder after getting an out-of focus print. The Dursts use a friction wheel focusing method, so there is a small chance that it is moving when the aperture is adjusted between focus and exposure. On the M605 the focus friction is adjusted by an angled screw below the focus knob. The rods should be lightly greased.

The baby Paterson focus finders do have an eyepiece adjustment to bring the reference wire into focus. It is easy to fail to get both the the image and the reference line into common focus, especially if it is not adjusted optimally. I prefer focus finders with cross or circular reference marks with my vision.

 

[cliveh]

I believe you do have to adjust the eyepiece of a Paterson finder to your own vision.