Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/10/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Thanks! I will try moving lights around and getting a different bulb. A darkroom? It just might happen if I get hooked! :-) Francesco At 04:54 AM 10/28/98 , GREG A ACHENBACH wrote: >Francesco - >I suspected that once you developed your own film, contact printing would >quickly follow. Good for you. >Your safelight should be no less than 6 feet from the paper to avoid >fogging. A 100w bulb at 1 foot is a very strong light source. Try using a 25 >or 40 w bulb and move the bulb 3 to 5 feet away. Also once you get an >acceptable image, develop the paper for 1.5 min and fix for 2 min. >You're close to success so keep trying. Now I'll make a prediction. Once you >achieve success, there's a darkroom in your future, within 1 month .. max. > >Greg Achenbach >-----Original Message----- >From: Francesco (Glossymedia) <fls@san.rr.com> >To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> >Date: Wednesday, October 28, 1998 2:28 AM >Subject: [Leica] darkroom update... > > >>Contact prints......my latest project. >> >>The facts: >> >>amber safelight......2 feet from printer >>100W soft tungsten bulb.......1 foot from printer >>Ilford MG Paper Developer at 20C for 60 seconds >>Kodak Indicator Stop Bath at 20C for 30 seconds >>Ilford Rapid Fixer at 20C for 60 seconds >>Ilford MG Glossy Paper RC >>Kodak Glossy Paper RC >>wash under running water for 2 minutes >>hang dry >> >>Well, I got the TMax 400 negs developed perfectly, but when >>I tried to folow Hedgecoe's instructions on contact prints, I >>messed up a few times. In his book he explained how to run >>a test to determine proper exposure time for contact prints. >>Since I do not have an enlarger yet, I improvised. >>Under safelight, I placed the neg strip over the paper, then >>placed the combo under the contact printer glass sheet. I exposed >>with the tungsten desk lamp for 5 second increments, as Hedgecoe >>recommended. I then ran through the chemicals and times >>stated above. Jet black paper. No images at all. Hedgecoe said >>there would be a gradient strip on the paper from light grey to black >>and the proper exposure would be the one where the paper just turned >>black, but my entire strip was black! After some more testing, I assumed >>the safelight was not really safe, or that the Ilford paper was not safe >>under that light, since the Ilford paper insert said the light had to be >>a special one. I switched to Kodak paper, and tried again. Under the >>safelight, I got black paper again, even at 5 seconds. >>Now I thought the safelight was certainly not safe, so I removed it. >>This time I tried the same thing in the dark. This time I got the faintest >>of images to appear, but very very faint! I deduced the light was on >>too long, so I knocked it down to 5 seconds. Still too long.....I got >>images, but very faint and dark. I then decided that the tungsten bulb >>was too strong, so I changed the setup and I exposed with the amber >>safelight at a 2 foot distance from the paper, and used no tungsten light. >>At 5 seconds, same thing....faint images. At 3 seconds, I was getting >>tired and when better, but still faint, images appeared, I was relieved >>and figured I was on the right track. But I quit for the night. >>I remain confused. >> >>I know all of you darkroom veterans are ROTFL right now, and that's OK, >>but what I am doing wrong here? A million things are going through my head >>as to what the problem is: light source too close, time is supposed to >>be very short (under 2 seconds), light source is too strong, etc. >>Am I on the right track? Can someone tell me the proper timings for >>making standard contact prints? Is it posible to do without an enlarger >>or am I wasting my time, paper, and chemicals? >> >>Francesco >> >>PS......what is the difference between a developer such as HC-110 and >>XTOL? Is XTOL a paper developer? >> >> >> >> >> >> >