8x10 contact printer

[bill_1041]

Any recommendations for a manufactured contact printer to use on 8x10 negatives? Any easy home made options (large sheet of glass, hinge material, baseboard, et c.)?

Thanks - Bill

[james mickelson]

Large piece of glass, black matboard, light source. James

[Sean Billy Bob Boy yates]

I have purchased old split back printing frames for as much as $25.00. I don't care how good the new ones are, I don't think the $75.00+ they charge for 'em is going to show up in the print.

My preference, however, is for the hinged, glass, foam & plastic contact print frames usually sold as "proof" printers or whatever for the smaller formats. I'm refering to the ones without the tracks or slots to keep the rows of negatives parallel.

The hinged ones are easier to use, and don't put little wood chips or metal flakes on the negative (or paper). You're not constantly turning them over and back and you can align the negative perfectly on the paper and they seem easier to clean to me.

Unless you're making Platinotypes or Kallitypes or Calotypes or whatever, I think the plstic hinged ones are the way to go. Unless you can afford a vacuum frame, that is.

[Doug Paramore]

Bill: I went to my local glass company and had them cut me a 14"x14" piece of 1/4 plate glass. I told them what I wanted it for and told them it must be a pristine piece of glass with not scratches. They rounded off the edges with a sander. I then used duct tape to cover the edges and made a wider taped edge on one side to handle the glass by. I got a rubber pad at the office supply store of the kind that used to be placed under typewriters. It works better than any manufactured contact printer I have ever used. Just lay the paper on the rubber pad, place the negative, and lay the glass on top. I marked my enlarger column so the light source will be the same height everytime to make exposures more constant. Hope this helps.

[Tony Brent]

For the 1/4" glass, you can also get U-shaped aluminum channels in the hardware store that finish it off nicely. If you're careful you can mount some handles too.

If you are going to do production runs of one neg in any quantity, a chest type or cabinet type is the way to go. It wouldn't take too much to build one. The commercial photog I used to work for built one for printing 8x10 color negs, complete with filter tray and dodging glass. It worked fine.

[doc]

Hi Bill, you might want to avoid the split back wood ones. I've got one, and I often find little pieces of wood or finish from what the factory coated the wood with. I've got it under control now, but with a metal contact frame or a piece of hinged glass you would avoid this whole issue.

I wonder what people do to eliminate the static charge from glass that attracts dust particles???

David

[Tom Keenan]

You might take a look at: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll? ViewItem&item=310916397

[David A. Goldfarb]

I've used the flat sheet of glass method, which is quick and easy, and now I have an ancient Kodak split-back printing frame that I picked up for $25, which I prefer because it applies more pressure and holds the film and paper flatter and in better contact (though I suppose one could also use a bigger, heavier sheet of glass for similar results). I haven't had a problem with particles of finish coming off with this particular frame.

[gustavus]

I recently acquired a very nice Crown Printer sold by Eastman Kodak, the cabinet is made from Oak has a thick piece of glass to hold the negative in place during exposure from the seven light bulbs below connected to a timer.

I'm also planning to use digital mastered negatives and for this contact frame will use recycled materials ie: glass from a discarded photo copier or flatbed scanner which I consider to be optically pure free of defects.

Inside large photo copiers you will find various composite rollers ranging in hardness from Bakelite to rubber with various diameters from 3/4" to 2" these rollers can be machined down in length then installed into handles to assist in doping your papers.with Pt salts.

If we have any chemists on the forum making their own platinum / palladium salts I would like to hear from you. I have several troy ounces which I have recovered from catalytic converters.

[Thom Bennett]

This is what I use: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/15701-REG/Delta_1_13210_Proof_File_Jumbo_Proofer.html

[tgtaylor]

I have one similar to the one Thom posted a link to above except that mine is a Premier. It woks great for proof sheets. For regular contact prints of 8x10 negatives for silver and alternative prints I use this: http://www.bostick-sullivan.com/cart/product.php?productid=53&cat=38&page=1

Pricey but well worth the cost.

Thomas

[gustavus]

The Crown Printer is a bit older http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/856/1006311t.jpg/

Bottom glass is opaque, light source located underneath, a heavy clear glass covers the negative paper combo, the top door is hinged - spring loaded with a latch to maintain pressure on the leaf springs - timer for the light source is located on the underside of the light box which contains 7 bulbs.

[cjbroadbent]

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FbBgGHPn2oc/S12PtVmupGI/AAAAAAAAK7A/ieW2Zazk3qI/s400/bromgrafo.jpg
There must be a few hundred of these Fatifs gathering dust somewhere. The interesting part is the glass tray under the negative for dodging tissues and whatnot. Mine is masked for an 8x10 negative with an inch margin.