Didn't have to wait until after sundown.RE: [Leica] Getting into printing.. need advice?

[kididdoc at cox.net (Steve Barbour)]

On Sep 8, 2008, at 8:27 AM, Ted Grant wrote:

> WOW!!!!!!!!!!! I never knew there was so much to making prints in  
> wet trays
> and a darkroom. And the gazillion opinions of what's required to  
> start with
> and all the other stuff! Holy mackerel I don't know how I managed  
> all my
> years. :-)
>
> Here's a quick history of how it was done in the days when you  
> bought a
> photo magazine, made your own enlarger, simple trays and dumped the
> chemicals down the kitchen sink drain each night and washed them  
> before you
> went to bed. Oh and the "how the glossy prints were dried glossy?" Now
> that's a story in itself, so read on! :-)
>
> First darkroom was in the kitchen after supper, after it got dark  
> enough
> after sunset with the window blinds down.
>
> 2nd darkroom was the sun porch with the heavy dark wool blankets off  
> our bed
> nailed over the windows, still had to wait until after sunset.  
> Nailing the
> blankets over the windows nearly caused a divorce before our first  
> wedding
> anniversary as SWMBO wasn't a happy photo wife to say the least!  Even
> though she started my photo life buying me a camera for my first after
> married birthday!
>
> 3rd darkroom was a large stand-up storage room cupboard, stuffy as  
> hell but
> it worked for film and print processing. Washed the prints in the  
> bath tub!
>
> 4th darkroom was built in the basement of the new house and worked  
> very
> nicely as it was big, running water and big sinks, 4 in a row 16X20  
> trays,
> and large print washer drum.
>
> 5th darkroom after move to new office quarters was similarly so.
>
> 6th darkroom here in Victoria is now my "LIGHTROOM!" :-) But could  
> be a
> working darkroom very shortly. Not likely in a million years! :-)
>
> In all my darkroom time I always enjoyed it. AS it was my quiet  
> escape time
> and the only sounds were the ticking of the clock, running water or me
> bitching about screwing up a print. Nor was any one allowed to be  
> yapping
> while I was concentrating on making good prints. Always neat family  
> time
> when the children were old enough to buffalo prints through the  
> solution
> trays! The worst time? When a commercial client required a 100  
> 8X10's or
> more prints over night! You never went to bed! :-(
>
> 1st enlarger was made from a diagram in Mechanics Illustrated  
> magazine. "How
> to make your own enlarger!"
>
> The  bellows of a folding camera for the lens and focusing, a very  
> large
> soup can  for the lamp housing and a piece of copper piping from a  
> hardware
> store for the stand. This was all screwed to a big piece of 1" thick  
> board
> from the local lumber yard as the easel !
>
> I used my wife Irene's cake baking tins for trays! :-) Yep! Think  
> about that
> for a moment and what happens when acetic acid and tin get together.  
> "VERY
> RICH BLACK TRAYS !" totally useless for baking. Trust me she wasn't a
> happily married new wife! No sense of humour. :-) Eventually had to  
> buy her
> new baking tins, as well as me proper plastic photo trays.
>
> My contact "printer?" A large piece of heavy plate glass placed over  
> the
> negatives on a piece of 8X10 photo paper. Flash enlarger light on- 
> off for
> exposure!
>
> So to whom ever asked the advice question is, KISS! Keep it simple,  
> buy the
> most reasonably priced enlarger you can offered, 4 x 11X14 trays, this
> allows you to make 5X7 and 8X10's at the beginning, if you find you  
> like it,
> you can move up to 11X14 without spending more money other than for  
> paper
> size. Then wait until you are very comfortable making 11X14 prints  
> before
> moving up to 16X20's. No point in wasting money for 16X20 trays and  
> paper
> with the idea "BIG IS BETTER!" If you aren't very good at 11X14  
> printing.
>
> DRYING GLOSSY PRINTS? :-) Ok most were 5X7 single weight paper in the
> beginning so after washing and without chrome drying plates I did  
> this.
> Before going to bed, I'd roller squeegee the prints photo side to  
> the shiny
> sides of the stove and "ice box!" Then when I'd get up in the  
> morning they
> were all dried and fallen on the floor nice and shiny flat prints!
>
> Now see how easy it can be without all the fancy stuff some of these  
> guys
> are spouting off about doing your thing in a darkroom? :-)
>
> But dang, it can be great fun, a pain in the butt, the most satisfying
> effort you can do. And the most quiet calming location you can be,  
> yet in
> your own home.
>
> I never had music going until about 5 years ago as I loved the quiet
> concentration it afforded. Then for whatever reason.. it went to the  
> hardest
> thumping rock and roll you can imagine totally opposite to all the  
> years of
> peace and quiet !

now tell me Sir, did this begin after spending more time in operating  
rooms, and seeing/hearing how surgeons operate?

Steve

>
>
> But it's so very rewarding when you hold up a great big beautiful  
> B&W double
> weight print that television can never do. It can make you feel so  
> good
> inside you'll love it!! Have fun, because if it isn't fun? Why bother?
>
> ted
>
> tedgrantphoto.com
>
>
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