Contact printing frame repair

[Bruce Schultz]

I'm having trouble with my contact printing frame. It's a fairly decent one but the latches that lock the felt-covered backing no longer work well and often come loose. I'm too cheap to buy a new one. I've thought about making 2 metal strips that swivel into locking position, but not sure what material to use. I'm sure if I could just buy the parts it would be better than anything I could cobble together. Any suggestions?

[Ralph Barker]

Assuming the problem stems from the spring tension of the retainer bars having relaxed over time, you might try adding spacer washers between the bar and the back. That might raise the bar enough for the groove in the frame to be within the bar's tension range.