First prints done at last

cowasaki

cowasaki

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Darren
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I have set my darkroom up with the enlarger to one side and trays to the other. My developer stock solution is mixed but prior to mixing the other solutions etc I wanted to see my first image larger. I set the enlarger up and it is not coming on.

I have not checked anything like bulbs etc yet but one of the switches is broken.

This is the setup:

_D7H4336.jpg


_D7H4337.jpg


The enlarger will plug into one of two sockets on the timer control and I have tried both with the switch to the right in both positions.

I have tried the switches to the both left in all positions too.

The control unit lights up

I am just going to get a spare bulb for the enlarger.

Can anyone identify which model the enlarger timer control unit is and anyone got a electronic or other manual for it?

I have another enlarger but not another timer control so will also try that timer.
 
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Strange, I took the light part off the top and messed with the buttons again and it has now come on. Just trying to figure out how to use it now :)

Hopefully I will be able to post some scans of my first EVER prints today.........
 
Best of luck, I'm just back from the darkroom in uni.
There's nothing to beat that moment when your image starts to appear in the dev.
 
Thanks but it might be longer than I thought. I went to get a negative and put it in then switched it on. Blew the image up to the size I wanted then couldn't work out how to use the focus finder so switched off the enlarger whilst I cleaned it and worked out what to do now can't get it to come on again. It would appear that there is some kind of combination of buttons or something as it just will not light up. At least I have seen an image.

So currently I can't get it back on and I have two focus finders and cannot work out what to do with them......

I'll be back.
 
I blame a poltergeist! I've just gone back to the darkroom to check out what was happening only to find the image staring back at me from the easel :)
 
Woops. Just realised that I don't have a safe light other than the one attached to the ceiling in the original dark room...... Will have to remove that one temporarily. I have worked out that if you don't unplug the control unit you can turn the light on and off with the 1st and 2nd buttons....

EDIT: Safe light sorted just going to mix the chemicals now and work out how long to expose the images then how long to do each dunk....
 
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OOO getting close now.....

I've picked out a lovely box of Ilford Multigrade IV RC DELUXE and just printing the data sheet.

I have my developer, fix, stop and wash times just trying to work out how long to expose it for now......
 
Right here we go.....

Using the following for my first test print:

Exposure f8 (2+2+4+8 seconds)

Developer Bromophen (2 mins)

Stop Ilfostop (10 seconds)

Fix Ilfofix rapid (30 seconds)


Oh and I've found my spare safe light after removing the other of the ceiling :bang:

Cannot work out how to use the Focus checking things so done manually for this first print.....
 
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Well that didn't work!

I have a VERY faint bit of the image in the corner that was exposed for the longest time. Appears that my exposure time was VASTLY too short....

Question - If you zoom in and out to get the image size you want the amount of light will change how do you compensate? Am I doing something completely wrong?
 
For doing your test strip, try starting it at 5 seconds and going up in increments of 5. This is what I use and always get a good result.
 
Right ignoring the times on the data sheet I replaced them with:

30 seconds
60 seconds
90 seconds
120 seconds

and the 120 seconds exposure appears about right, possibly not dark enough though so maybe even 150 seconds :thinking:
 
I do my first set of exposure tests at 10 sec intervals on a 5X7 sheet from 10 to 50 sec. at F8 I usually end up between 20 and 40sec depending on the negs. If you enlarge to 4X the image size you need about 4X the exposure (you have 'diluted' the light to 4 times the original image size)
 
Sounds like you have either a very dense neg or you have the lens stopped down too much.
Two stops down from max wide open is usually the lenses' sweet spot.
5 or 2 second test strips are usually the best way to go.

I've still got my first ever print, it's awful, light contrasty, grainy but still very proud of it :)

(Remember prints also dry slightly darker.)
 
Edtog said:
Sounds like you have either a very dense neg or you have the lens stopped down too much.
Two stops down from max wide open is usually the lenses' sweet spot.
5 or 2 second test strips are usually the best way to go.

I've still got my first ever print, it's awful, light contrasty, grainy but still very proud of it :)

(Remember prints also dry slightly darker.)
Click to expand...

Thanks, I think that was right....

f8 gave me 45 seconds. I have done my first proper picture and although "nice" there is no enough contrast. I was using multigrade 2.5 so need to change that I think..... Just looking up where to go unless someone can help
 
Well I've done it at last. My first prints from my first home developed film.

Now I feel like a real member of the film section :D

print_001.jpg


It is a damn site more difficult to print photos than develop film but I am so pleased that I managed it.
 
Many congratulations on your first ever print.
It's a really good start so hope to see some more very soon
Dave
 
nikonuser said:
Many congratulations on your first ever print.
It's a really good start so hope to see some more very soon
Dave
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Thanks, I think it needed a little longer under the enlarger. I did about 5 versions ranging from very light to very dark but as the rest gets to about right some parts become too dark so I would need to mess with shapes etc to get better. I am going to try a few tomorrow :)
 
Very nice Darren, you must be chuffed to bits :D
 
Alastair said:
Very nice Darren, you must be chuffed to bits :D
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Thanks, I am chuffed :)

I have no idea how to use the timer control unit!! I just used the two buttons at the bottom left to turn the enlarger on and off using my mechanical timer !

I don't even know what the unit is....
 
Looks good set up Darren wasnt there a spare bulb in one of the boxes sure there was, it worked the day I tested it all before you bought it

The print looks good (y)
 
Just Dave said:
Looks good set up Darren wasnt there a spare bulb in one of the boxes sure there was, it worked the day I tested it all before you bought it

The print looks good (y)
Click to expand...

It wasn't the bulb it is just that I didn't know how to get it to work :D

The bulb did blow in the safe light but you had given me a spare for that too!
 
Congratulations Darren, it's a great feeling isn't it.

If I were you I'd get on ebay and look for a simpler timer. I picked up a Durst electronic timer for £25 and you can get their mechanical ones for around £10.

You might want to give split grade printing a try. It's not as bad as it sounds and I'll happily try and talk you through it. It's a good way of getting a decent contrast range out of difficult negatives.
 
Kev M said:
Congratulations Darren, it's a great feeling isn't it.

If I were you I'd get on ebay and look for a simpler timer. I picked up a Durst electronic timer for £25 and you can get their mechanical ones for around £10.

You might want to give split grade printing a try. It's not as bad as it sounds and I'll happily try and talk you through it. It's a good way of getting a decent contrast range out of difficult negatives.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. I am looking for a MF colour enlarger in the new year and could get one with timer/control so might delay getting the unit till then.

Is this split grade something like putting a piece of card on the easel, displaying the image onto it, drawing around the sky or another feature and exposing that bit for a different time? or something else?

Thanks.
 
Congratulations on your first print.

I can still remember the first time I saw the image appearing - magical.

A long while back you were looking for paper neg storage. I said I had some but was busy and would sort out. Well I never did (blame anno domini). This thread has reminded me. Have just checked and they are plastic back and paper front. Can you still use them? Postage costs would be disproportionate to value, but if you want them, I will hold them until a suitable time to pass them to you personally or via someone on a meet.

Hope you continue to develop your skills :LOL:

Ken
 
Nikon Ken said:
Congratulations on your first print.

I can still remember the first time I saw the image appearing - magical.

A long while back you were looking for paper neg storage. I said I had some but was busy and would sort out. Well I never did (blame anno domini). This thread has reminded me. Have just checked and they are plastic back and paper front. Can you still use them? Postage costs would be disproportionate to value, but if you want them, I will hold them until a suitable time to pass them to you personally or via someone on a meet.

Hope you continue to develop your skills :LOL:

Ken
Click to expand...

Thanks :D
 
Kev M said:
You might want to give split grade printing a try. It's not as bad as it sounds and I'll happily try and talk you through it. It's a good way of getting a decent contrast range out of difficult negatives.
Click to expand...

Split grade printing is where you basically use a soft grade filter for about half of the total paper exposure and a hard grade one for the rest so that you can get a much greater contrast range from difficult negatives.
 
cowasaki said:
Is this split grade something like putting a piece of card on the easel, displaying the image onto it, drawing around the sky or another feature and exposing that bit for a different time? or something else?
Click to expand...

Nothing like it at all:LOL::LOL::LOL:

It's where you expose one piece of paper twice under two different contrast filters. Grade 5 is the most contrasty so you use this to set your black point. Grade 1 or 0 are the least contrasty so you use this to set your white point.

Do a test strip in the normal method under grade 5.

The theory is that grade 5 will set your black point and grade 1 or 0 will set your white point and they shouldn't affect each other's exposures too much. In practice you'll find that there is a little bit of an effect. To counter this I choose the black point time from the test strip and then go 1/4-1/2 a stop lighter (less time) which will then allow for the little bit added to the black by the grade 1 exposure.

You then expose your 2nd test strip at grade 5 at your selected time, change your filter for a grade 1 (or 0 if you want) and do another test strip. Then pick the time for your white point.

While you're in the learning/experimenting stage you might find it useful to make a full print at your selected grade 5 so that you can compare it to your finished split grade print. When you see the difference between the two you will see which exposure affects which part of the image which will help you identify when you might want to do some dodging and burning.

Here's a couple of vids that will help your understanding although he doesn't compensate his grade 5 time like I do.

part1

part2
 
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Kev M said:
Nothing like it at all:LOL::LOL::LOL:

It's where you expose one piece of paper twice under two different contrast filters. Grade 5 is the most contrasty so you use this to set your black point. Grade 1 or 0 are the least contrasty so you use this to set your white point.

Do a test strip in the normal method under grade 5.

The theory is that grade 5 will set your black point and grade 1 or 0 will set your white point and they shouldn't affect each other's exposures too much. In practice you'll find that there is a little bit of an effect. To counter this I choose the black point time from the test strip and then go 1/4-1/2 a stop lighter (less time) which will then allow for the little bit added to the black by the grade 1 exposure.

You then expose your 2nd test strip at grade 5 at your selected time, change your filter for a grade 1 (or 0 if you want) and do another test strip. Then pick the time for your white point.

While you're in the learning/experimenting stage you might find it useful to make a full print at your selected grade 5 so that you can compare it to your finished split grade print. When you see the difference between the two you will see which exposure affects which part of the image which will help you identify when you might want to do some dodging and burning.

Here's a couple of vids that will help your understanding although he doesn't compensate his grade 5 time like I do.

part1

part2
Click to expand...

Excellent, so do a test strip at two different grades :) I have Ilford's book about the multigrade system so need to give it another read now that I have had a try.

It might be difficult to do any processing today as the skin has fallen off my other thumb now like a dodgy skin thimble following its reaction with the film developing chemicals. So two thumbs that hurt! :bang:

I really am going to be picking everyones brains. I was given a fantastic book from the wedding photographer's guild which has loads of film stuff in it and there is one thing in particular which I am bursting to try which is developing a portrait with an oval shape around it then bleaching the black off and then tinting it with brown.

I also have loads of chemicals from Just_Dave & OneTen plus what I bought myself. I need to have a mess with different developers too.
 
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Yep, two test strips, just remember to apply your grade5 exposure to the whole image before you do your grade1 exposure(y)
 
Excellent Darren :) You looked into mounts and the like for any prints yet?
 
I'm framing my first one! Not sure about the rest yet but have a few ideas. I would like some mounts to take 6x4 images as I have a roll of 4" wide paper.
 
cowasaki said:
It wasn't the bulb it is just that I didn't know how to get it to work :D

The bulb did blow in the safe light but you had given me a spare for that too!
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Sorry I did run through it, when you bought it all, very briefly, did you work out its only the left switch,

but we did say we would get together, for process, but with my sis dying, and all the care she needed in the weeks leading up, I couldnt get in touch

Darren if you do a test you have to use the paper your gonna print on, all others will act differently, and any test wont match dif papers, I have some time now,maybe I can come round and we can do dodging and burning thats what make the pix, ie retrieve the sky area or jiggery pokery LOL with a overlay, neg,

also would if pos use your studio please for a shot with my son wife and my 13th grandchild,

Dave
 
Well done Darren, great to see you getting to grips with the 'dark side'. One day I'll set up a darkroom again.

Look forward to seeing more of your efforts, if your first one is anything to go by you're a natural, my first go at printing were appalling :LOL:
 
Just Dave said:
Sorry I did run through it, when you bought it all, very briefly, did you work out its only the left switch,

but we did say we would get together, for process, but with my sis dying, and all the care she needed in the weeks leading up, I couldnt get in touch

Darren if you do a test you have to use the paper your gonna print on, all others will act differently, and any test wont match dif papers, I have some time now,maybe I can come round and we can do dodging and burning thats what make the pix, ie retrieve the sky area or jiggery pokery LOL with a overlay, neg,

also would if pos use your studio please for a shot with my son wife and my 13th grandchild,

Dave
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Absolutely no problem using the studio.

I would appreciate a run through with the enlarger. You did go through it but unfortunately I knew nothing whatsoever about developing etc then so most of it went straight over my head.
 
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