Saunders LPL 4500 Color

[Rich Johnson]

Just set up a used Saunders LPL 4500 Color. To print b&w does anyone have a chart for contrast using the color head? Also the red swing in filter is missing. Is this an issue?

Thanks.

[Nick_3536]

Chart? It'll depend on the paper you use. Even then it won't be perfect. More yellow equals softer. More magenta equals harder. Odds are your paper maker includes a chart to use for a starting point. Or you could try and calibrate the head.

Red filter? I've never used one even on the enlarger I have that includes one.

[bob carnie]

Rich A practical way to figure out the contrast grades of a colour enlarger is to buy a Ilford Contrast Filter Kit and put a negative in the enlarger. With the white light feature on place the various filters in the head of the enlarger and make sample prints from grade 0-5. Then take off the white light feature and with the same paper match the grades using the magenta only or yellow only filters in the enlarger. When you have a print match (no dodge?burn) record the setting against the Ilford filter. Also the paper you use will have a filter setting chart using a colour diffusion enlarger in the packaging. The red filter missing is not a issue.

Bob

[Henry Ambrose]

Look at this:

http://www.butzi.net/articles/vcce.htm

[Bob._3906]

On this page: http://www.ilford.com/html/us_english/bw.html Ilford have a PDF document called "Contrast Control" (scroll down to the Paper section). In it is a list of which common enlargers use which standard. Also included is a table of settings for contrast grades for each standard with Ilford paper.

As others have said, different papers will require different values for each grade, but if the paper you use does not have settings for your type of head in its documentation, the Ilford chart should get you close enough by extrapolation.

Cheers,

[Justin Medlock]

B&H has the red filter in stock for this enlarger for $19.95 if you want to buy one:

B&H - Saunders Filter