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View Full Version : Newby with many questions and a BIG camera



ben91069
27-Sep-2010, 14:06
Foremost, this is my first post on this forum. I only have a basic understanding of film developing as a process and have never actually developed film or prints firsthand.

I am an artist and the reason I joined this forum is to educate myself on film processing and maybe make a few friends along the way.

What I intend to do is to screen print my artwork using photo-positive masks in developing the emulsion on these said screens. These will be upwards to 24" x 36".

At this time, I have just purchased this process camera at an auction which will accept up to a 14 x 18 plate or film negative, held in place by a vacuum.

http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr335/ben91069/camera.jpg

Could this be modified to accept a larger film up to 24 x 36 and are there companies that sell B & W reverse (transparency) film at this size?

Nathan Potter
27-Sep-2010, 15:06
Wow; at first cut I'd say your task is like trying to fly a 747 with no lessons! Well I'm exaggerating; but first, increasing the format would require new bellows, rear standard and probably a different lens in order to cover the 24X36 format. The vacuum platen could stay the same as long as it is large enough to handle your copy material.

However I'm guessing that the focusing bed may be too short to handle the larger format unless you can find a shorter than normal macro lens.

Can't advise you on any macro or process lenses that would cover 24 X 36 but others here might. Can't specifically advise you on 24 X 36 inch film currently available since I have not used such since the now discontinued Kodagraph emulsions on mylar - that was very nice stuff for graphic arts and could be processes for continuous tone with paper developers rather than the standard Kodagraph high contrast developer.

Looks like a pretty decent piece of gear though.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

IanMazursky
27-Sep-2010, 15:38
The only thing i might be able to add is that screen printing emulsion comes in tubs and you add a sensitizer to it.
Then spread it on a screen, expose and develop it. Ive seen many vendors online for these supplies but have never tried it, although i really want to.
It looks like fun! And you bought a really cool process camera!

If you keep looking at the press auctions, you might find a larger one. Ive seen some go to the scrap bin in nyc a few years ago.
But the really large ones were rarer. Small presses only needed a camera that size to expose film to burn the plates with.

ki6mf
29-Sep-2010, 18:40
For B&W positive copy film check out Freescale photo or look on line for 16X20 or 20X24 copy film. http://www.freestylephoto.biz/14916-Efke-Print-Film-16x20-10-sheets. You can enlarge negatives onto this type of copy film and then make RGB negatives for each of your primary colors.

Check out articles here http://www.alternativephotography.com/process.html

ki6mf
29-Sep-2010, 18:50
if your are looking at color separation from B&W check out this thread from the forum http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=66218

ic-racer
30-Sep-2010, 16:41
The place where I got my 8x10 enlarger did huge screen prints. Their process was as follows:

Artwork photographed with a copy camera like you have onto B&W positive lith 8x10 film to make the color separation "negatives."
The 8x10 film was projected with an enlarger onto big positive lith film.
The positive lith film was contact printed onto the screen and exposure came from a UV source.
The screens were then used with the appropriate colored dyes to make the final color image.

If you are not making huge prints, you can leave out the enlarger and positive lith step and just contact print your separation negatives onto the screens.

Screen printing can mean different things, so forgive me if I have described something different than what you want to do.