Finally, I am halfway there!

[Ash]

After a year or so of deliberation, and months of moaning... my darkroom is taking shape!!

The shed isn't so big but it's the only place I have for this. I spent an hour plugging the top border with newspaper and covering the windows with bin bags, newspaper then cardboard. Oh, and hanging a bedsheet and a duvet cover across the door too.

Not great, but it's light tight enough for the evening/night work. I'll check tomorrow for how much light gets in during the day.

The Beseler CB7 works great for 4x5, I printed a few images on 10x8 FB paper, but my old paper developer is duff and mixing a bit of Rodinal isn't the best idea!!

Tomorrow I plan on sorting some proper images, and maybe even learning whether the brown safelight filter is adequate for loading/developing 4x5 Ortho. I'm going to have some great fun shooting the two boxes of Kodalith and developing/printing the negs in record time!


My old Rank Aldis 35mm and Gnome 6x7 enlargers are kaput, so unfortunately small format and enlargements over 10x8 isn't possible yet; I need to arrange a date to pick up a whole bunch of darkroom stuff from a friend on another forum. Once I have that then I'll be able to print 35mm/medium-format with ease. I believe it's a colour enlarger so there should be built in filters too.

I can't wait. Soon my darkroom will be up and running properly, I'll be making traditional wet prints on demand (plus catching up with the hundreds of shots I've yet to print), and I'll have a Razzle on the way safe in the knowledge I can develop and print all the test shots from it!! :D :D


Watch out, I might just be able to join in on the picture posts!! :eek:

[Nick_3536]

The Beseler CB7 works great for 4x5, I printed a few images on 10x8 FB paper, but my old paper developer is duff and mixing a bit of Rodinal isn't the best idea!!


My old Rank Aldis 35mm and Gnome 6x7 enlargers are kaput, so unfortunately small format and enlargements over 10x8 isn't possible yet; I need to arrange a date to pick up a whole bunch of darkroom stuff from a friend on another forum. Once I have that then I'll be able to print 35mm/medium-format with ease. I believe it's a colour enlarger so there should be built in filters too.:


I don't understand :confused: The CB-7 will easily handle every format smaller then 4x5. If you're missing holders they still make new ones. Or if you have a 4x5 glass holder you could mask it.

Not to mention a CB-7 will go a lot bigger then 8x10.

[Ash]

Nick, you're correct the CB-7 will go down to 35mm, but I'd prefer to keep it dedicated to 4x5 if possible. I've played about with the condenser aligning and lens changing, but I'd like to know I have two enlargers set up ready for negatives, rather than mess about with the settings.

I have a 6x7 holder, and during moving the pieces, I ruined a negative that was inside it and lost one of my favourite photo's of a friend as a result :(

The 35mm holder is missing the rubber band thing to allow the moving track.

My 4x5 holder is the tension type.


So yes, I could use it with smaller format without *much* hassle, but I'd prefer a dedicated 4x5, and a dedicated small format :)

The CB-7 goes to MASSIVE enlargements, I actually meant that I couldn't go smaller than 10x8 using the 4 1/2 inch enlarging lens!

[Nick_3536]

Sounds like you've got the fancier neg carriers. The normal ones are just two pieces of metal with hinges.

You should be able to switch between 35mm and 4x5 in less then 30 seconds. I think you'll find it much more stable with more even light.

[Ash]

The 6x7 is the metal-sandwich type. I think it had some invisible grit that scratched the neg, and then the licking nipples on each corner managed to attack the film as well when it shifted! :eek:

The 35mm is the fancy type. I wouldn't mind using one enlarger for everything, maybe I'm being difficult by wanting two setups :D

[Nick_3536]

It can be nice to have multiples if you're busy. But if you're taking your time one enlarger you know well is often better.

[Pete Watkins]

Hi Ash,
What's wrong with the Gnome, I've got a couple of condensers I think. I've also got a neat little 35mm enlarger (it's in the loft and I can't remember the make but it's got a nice looking Schneider lens and B&W and Colour heads). Yours if you want them, E-Mail me. I can't drive for a bit as they hauled a cataract out of me eye yesterday and driving ain't allowed.
Pete.

[Ash]

Pete, the Gnome currently has no clamping mech! It sits on the vertical column but isn't secure by any means.

The Rank Aldis 35mm I have is very rubbish, I'd definitely consider that 35mm enlarger though thankyou :) let me know what it's like when you're fit again. Speedy recovery, take care.

[Robert Ley]

Hi Ash,
Your CB-7 will do most anything that you ask of it in short order. Switching formats is very easy and fast and there are a ton of accessories on Ebay at any one time. I have used a Beseler 45 for about thirty years and it is the little brother to the CB-7. I came across this web site on the CB-7, check it out. http://www.glennview.com/beseler.htm
The best advise that I can give you is to lose the idea of having multiple enlargers set up and use the extra space that you will have in your darkroom for bigger trays. Also get as many negative carriers as you can afford for each format that you print and a decent lens for each format. Any thing analog for the darkroom is extremely cheap as more go to digital.;) I have atleast 3 negative carriers for each format and will routinely print up to three images at a time and not have to take the negative out of the carrier. My feeling is the less I handle the negs, the less chance of my Ham-Handedness to muck up a neg.
Best of Luck in the dark.
Robert

[sara_criss]

Thanks for the link robert ....it would help us a lot ...

[Pawlowski6132]

How have you been printing up until now?

[Jay DeFehr]

Congratulations! I have a CB7 back in Idaho -- it's a great enlarger. Rather than get another enlarger, I'd get a dichroic color head for the CB7, and set those condensers aside. Switching between formats is almost as fast as switching between negatives, especially if you have a lens turret. The Beseler Negaflat 4x5 carrier is almost reason enough to buy a Beseler enlarger. At the rental darkroom where I print now, they have Saunders enlargers, which are nice, too, but I do miss my Negaflat and Negatrans carriers, and my Jobo Colorstar timer/analyzer. That was a great set up, and made printing a joy.

[John Kasaian]

Anyone else notice that this thread is from 2007?

[Jay DeFehr]

Ack! Got me again! Is Ash still around? I wonder how it all worked out for him?