How necessary are enlarging eazels?

[jars121]

G'day everyone,

I've got 8x10 and 11x14 enlarging eazels for my Durst enlarger. I plan on (eventually) rotating the enlarging head around, so that the light is projected onto the floor, as opposed to being projected onto the base board. With the enlarger on a table, this should allow for relatively large enlargements (I'm aiming for 20x24).

My question is this: to project onto the floor, is it essential that I source a 20x24 eazel? I'm guessing that the eazel itself is just used to ensure the paper is flat and square? If I put a piece of timber on the floor and 'stretch' the paper flat between some paper weights, will this have the same effect? I only ask because those larger eazels are quite rare and very expensive!

Cheers!

[Fotch]

No, not needed for border-less prints. Holding it flat without having the paper weights showing up as white voids is something to think about. You could use a double sided tape, or make a home made vacuum easel out of pegboard and a vacuum cleaner are alternatives. Good luck.

[Vaughn]

No necessary -- just a lot easier to use -- especially for positioning the paper in a consistant manner and achieving a flat surface (especially with curly paper). But one can figure out work-arounds for any of the things that make an easel nice to have. One other possibility is a thin sheet of metal and using strips of magnetic material (like the magnetic signs one sticks on cars) to hold the paper flat and in place. The metal could be glued to some dimensionally stable material (plywood?).

The wood base could have adjustable feet to help get it well aligned with the enlarger (something one does not have to worry quite as much about when using the enlarger's baseboard).

Vaughn

[Roger Cole]

Not 100% essential as they say but "they sure are nice." I have an 11x14 Saunders V-track that is, as photo gear goes, one of my prized possessions. It's quite possibly one of the best easels ever made, but it's big for the size print. A 16x20 of that design is really big (and really expensive, when you find one.) I wanted to be able to make 16x20 prints, but only occasionally, and still use the V-track for anything smaller (most of the time.) By keeping a saved search running on eBay I got a new old stock Bogen 2 blade 16x20 for a good price. It will suffice. 20x24 is of course another step up.

[Jim Jones]

A sheet of iron and magnetic strips can hold the paper flat. The iron might be salvaged from old appliances. It should be painted yellow or orange to reduce possible reflections through the paper. The magnetic side to the strips can be beveled to produce almost borderless printing.

[Scott Walker]

Sheet metal and magnets works amazingly well. To make registration marks so that you place the paper in the same spot for each enlargement use duct tape in the top corner and across the top in a couple of spots. The duct tape is thick enough that when you slide the paper up to it you can feel it stop.

What Jim said :p

[Worker 11811]

Make your own easel. Any size you want.

Use "MDO" plywood. ("Medium Density Overlay" AKA: "Signboard.") It is plywood that has been sanded smooth then laminated with a sheet of heavy paper and waterproof resin.

Cut the wood to the size you want then use strips of wood or metal to make the top and left edge guides. Metal rulers would be ideal.
Use more strips to make the moveable "blades" to hold the paper down. These could simply be strips of metal laid on top of the paper to hold it down. If you are so inclined, you could create tracks for the moveable blades just like a store bought easel would have.

If it was me, I'd simply put in the top and left guide rails then mark off grid lines with a black Sharpie marker. Then I'd just use metal rulers from the hardware store to make the blades of the easel. I'd just carefully lay them in position where I need them according to the grid lines on the board.

I've been meaning to make myself one of these easels but, somehow, I never seem to have enough time...

[Drew Wiley]

If you have a flat surface you could just tape the edges or corner of the paper with removable masking tape. Don't use the cheap tape. An easel is a lot more convenient.

[Tim Meisburger]

I made one for 11x14 last week using masonite I bought at an art supply store. I made one piece an inch and a half bigger on each side than 11x14, then glued 1 1/2" strips of old enlarger paper to the board on the top and left edges to act as a fence. I also glued strips on the bottom and right side, but made them slightly narrower, so that when I lay paper in I can slide it up tight to the left and top. Next I took the other sheet, cut it the same size as the base sheet, then cut out the center, leaving a 1 5/8" border. Clamping the two pieces together so the edges were flush, I ran a piece of black duct tape along the top edge to act as a hinge. Voila! Less than an hour.

[ROL]

+1 for not necessary.

I made my own per above for roll paper larger than 20x24, the largest of which (30x40) are almost to the floor (on drop table) when cropped and projected on XL wall mount (standing against far wall in pic). As a point of accuracy, I did use 's' instead of 'z' for mine.


http://www.rangeoflightphotography.com/SupportPics/DarkroomPix/DR1.jpg

[jars121]

Thanks for all the great information guys, I really appreciate it! I'm still in the process of making my office/darkroom light-tight, so I won't need to worry about this for some time. When I'm ready to go, I'll start with the 8x10's and 11x14's to get a feel for how it all works, then embark on making my own 16x20 or 20x24 eazel!

[John Kasaian]

Don't overlook the used stuff. When digital took over I bought a 20x24 Saunders from a Lab that was going digi for $15 :D

[jars121]

Believe me, I'm always on the lookout! I'm in Sydney, and used darkroom gear isn't all that common.

[ROL]

One other thing...

Whether or not using an eas(z)el, when working close to the floor, and especially on it, dirt and dust will find its way onto your paper with surprising, virtually unavoidable ease. Be sure to carefully blow off the paper with compressed air immediately prior to exposure and reduce or eliminate foot movement near the paper until exposures are completed. Even dodging and burning movement with cards can scoop up contaminates with air movement from the floor, despite assiduous cleaning in the area.

[Kodachrome25]

Great thread!

I have been thinking about putting some sheet metal on the baseboard of my 45MX and using magnets to do fiber based 20x24, I bet this will be real easy.

I also figured out that if I make some mods to my small darkroom space and redesign the cross truss on the 45MX, I can wall project 30x40. So I will probably make a magnetic easel for that as well.

[vinny]

see if you can find phillip morgan's posting on his diy easels he made from aluminum picture frame stock. I plan to make some with magnets installed as well since my baseboard on my 10x10 is steel.

[Kodachrome25]

The 20x24 magnetic easel was indeed easy and works great for all sizes since I use 8" magnet sets. I am definitely doing one for 30x40 next....