One thing you learn in carpentry, and life, is that if it looks good, it is good. If your prints look good, don't worry about the other stuff. If you can see alignment issues in your prints, then you might have to fix that; otherwise, press on!
One thing you learn in carpentry, and life, is that if it looks good, it is good. If your prints look good, don't worry about the other stuff. If you can see alignment issues in your prints, then you might have to fix that; otherwise, press on!
First, I sympathize, even when making 11x14 prints from 4x5 negatives, using high-quality enlarger, lens, and focus magnifier, it can be hard to clearly find the grain. As was suggested, it is easier if you can find an edge between dark and light parts of the image (lens wide open) to work with. Then mark the focus point on the upright column for the bottom of the light source and the focus stage. If you use these marks in the future you should be very close to being in focus. My DeVere has ruler marks on the column, and I have a record of the focus settings for 35, 120, and 4x5 negatives at 8x10 and 11x14 distances. I still use the focus aid, but having an “almost correct” starting point helps a lot.
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