Bill,
It sounds like you're working your way through the same thought process I
went through earlier on this year. Here are some Most Humble Opinions from
someone else who has Been There and Done That:
For a contact printing light source, use whatever floats your boat. You
won't need much intensity, but you will need to be able to control the
geometry of the light's relationship with your printing frame, as well as
exposure time. I'd use an el-cheapo quartz halogen desk light, only
because the light's arm allows you to position the light fairly easily (and
repeatably) over the printing frame. The lighting pattern that falls on
the printing frame needs to be nice and even, so take that into
consideration. Try aiming the light at the room's ceiling (if it's white,
or nearly so) and starting with that. You will probably need a timer for
the light, though, as the exposure times are likely to be quite short.
Paper: don't fool around with anything fancy yet; just get some RC paper
in a fixed contrast grade (grade 1 or 2) so you can see what you've got on
the negatives; the RC paper is easy to develop and wash (especially wash).
Don't get variable contrast paper if you can help it; you don't need it,
and its response to the light's color is hard to predict (unless, of
course, you use a VC filter on the light, but then things get more
complicated).
You will have to experiment to figure out the correct exposure time.
Theoretically, the correct expossure time produces max. black in the paper
from a film density equal to film base + fog, which you can determine
experimentally by contact-printing a piece of fully-exposed and developed
film in increments of time, noting the time where the black printed by the
film is the same as the black printed without film.
Remember... Ed Weston's prints were all contact prints, made using a
printing frame and the light from a single light bulb! Of course, he had
the advantage of starting with an 8 x 10 negative...
Beware... you will want an enlarger in a hurry if you do this!
Fortunately, they're not terribly expensive on the used market. Its the
enlarging lenses that cost the most money (and where you should spend most
of yours).
Regards,
Mahlon
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 22:13:14 -0600
From: brookswf@xxxxxxxx (BILL F BROOKS)
Subject: Re:DIY(was Film Labs (was [OM] metering/Latitude))
Hi All, Shawn/Janis,
Well, I think I'm going to take the plunge and start rolling and washing
my own BW stuff...showed the better half the math and by X-Mas will have
a bulk loader and some Ilford HP-5 >;) better yet will have a Beseler
tank and some Diafine to get a hold of those rolls I insist on pushing
>;)>;)
I won't have an enlarger for some time and am wondering what kind of
light source would be suitable for making proof sheets(contact sheets)?
I can rig up something out of glass and wood that will hold the film
against the paper, but don't know what kind of light/time needs to be
applied to the emulsion sandwich to make it work. Any help of any sort
will be appreciated.
TIA
Bill >; )
"Life unfolds on a great sheet called Time (film)*,
and once finished (developed)* is gone(here)* forever..."
*provided you have a good archival system in place...
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