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Well, at least it's better than using your teeth or claws, Vaughn. But not much better. Non-bending triple-jaw tinsnips (shears) were developed long ago, and aren't terribly expensive. But as far as...

Groveland is outside of Yosemite, not SEKI. It was already terribly affected by huge forest fires even before the virus issue. And Oakhurst (the lower end of Hwy 41, and not on 120) has always been...

Don't try a saw if you're going to use typical plastic darkslide material. Use a thick steel straightedge and box or utility knife with a sharp blade just like Chauncey prescribed. Practice on some...

Well expressed, Michael, speaking from the film's own perspective. I think AA confused a lot of people in that respect in his how-to books, overcomplicated the concept. Any added filter decreases the...

Bingo! Although I had already been doing high-altitude LF color photography for about a decade, my first "school of hard knocks" experience with black and white film and contrast filters was in the...

Daniel - Barnbaums's habit of placing shadow values atop the barn roof is about as counterproductive advice as I can think of. Where do you go from there? You've already taken up nearly half your...

I absolutely do get consistent totally predictable results, Michael, just as long as it's a quality control film like Kodak, Ilford, or Fuji. I can't speak for emulsions poured out of the Bubba Gump...

All that fuss just to add yet another set of variables of uncoated filters and TTL meterings? How come I get entirely predictable results time after time, year after year, using different camera...

Get a "wet location" footswitch if you can afford it. McMaster has a selection of these.

I'll see how forest fire smoke is doing then. I'm quite sensitive to it. But I'd certainly love to see your work up close. My nephew lives just outside Mariposa. Hopefully, all the fallen tree damage...

Leave stitching to Dr. Frankenstein. But it's been done clear back to glass plate days, when the only darkroom light source in existence was called window light. Vittoria Sella not only stitched wide...

All my Pentax spotmeters are calibrated to not only match each other, but a tightly defined industry standard. I even have shades for them. The fact is, panchromatic films differ somewhat from one...

Well, Oct is a long time to wait; but by then most folks will be vaccinated, and the ones that aren't are probably more interested in carbonated booze than carbon prints. Glad to see it happen, Jim....

I use a lot of different contrast filters as well as different films, and seldom have a rude surprise. My personal filter factors work perfectly nearly all the time. The exception would be on those...

Do those long whiskers really grow just on the north side of your face, Vaughn?

I bypassed the footswitch with a line switch. A type of footswitch which is far more reliable around wet areas is completely sealed & rubberized and long-term resistant to corrosion. But those are...

I NEVER take a reading through a filter. That's voodoo because meters are not spectrally consistent in their sensitivity; nor are films. And even Fred Picker's tweaked spot meter had to be designed...

Well, raccoons do have sensitive hands and fingers, as well as superb night vision. Maybe I should train one to develop sheet film. But I'm afraid they'd try washing snails in the pyro. Sure made a...

TMY400 and TMX100 all formats from 35mm to 8x10. FP4 in LF sheets only. Acros in 120 only, cause that's all that's left. All PMK dev except TMX. Papers: MGWT, MGCT.

They ideally need center filters. Just depends on how you feel about falloff and if your film has enough latitude left to correct for it when printing, if needed. Color transparency film would be a...

I have R23 insulation in the sink and film rooms, which makes my darkroom itself the quietest place to be on weekends. I have neighbors over the back fence whose whole point for existence seems to be...

The problem with Tiffens is they have to be cleaned prior to almost every use. Due to the lack of coating, the glass attracts smudges like a magnet, much like the inside of a car windshield above...

Solux are nice but awfully warm, color-temp wise. Ideally, one would match the print to the actual display lighting anticipated. But since that is generally out of our hands, if the print sells, I...

I put a light neutral gray backdrop panel behind my sink where the toner tray typically goes. The overhead bulbs are angled toward it, to bounce the light onto the tray. I have decent halogens, but...

Nothing but real glass filters would survive where I go. And a good multicoating is important for resisting condensation and other forms of smudging. Flare is less an issue in compendium-shaded view...

Looks like insufficient fixing to me, when the edge or corner of a print rises and is not fully immersed long enough. Otherwise, ditto what Doremus said. But I always use TF4 fixer one shot, which...

An excellent "strap wrench" for seized filters in the field is simply a length of plastic Zip Tie. Useful to have in any pack for all kinds of unexpected repairs too, especially snowshoes.

I've seen a converted military amphibious vehicle. That should get you around, and would be less intimidating than driving a tank. But you'll need a fuel truck to follow you. ... Recycled USPS vans...

I have a compact set of lenses for long distance treks or airline carry-on 4x5 usage standardized to 52mm filters with step ring adapters, and a 67mm set for sake of 8x10 lenses (often used on my 4x5...

I don't know what you expect to achieve optically by such a switch. Fuji's own 150W and NW/ 5.6 was petite and took 55mm filters. Perhaps you have the later Fuji CMW with the illogical oversized...

Nothing can ever go wrong. I had a friend who depended on an old motorcycle for getting around. Some engine screws were wearing out, so he went to a nearby hardware store and bought some. They...

Steve - Good versus Better versus Ordinary translates into Junk, Junkier, and Worthless. Go to a specialty supplier who has a pro clientele instead. I happened to work for a company that had about...

I use McMaster whenever possible because you get the product quality being specified. Fasteners made in China, sold the majority of places, are sheer junk and tend to snap or strip easily. The same...

I too would recommend FP4 as an excellent middle-of-the-road learning film. But it's versatile enough that you might decide to stick with it for the long run. Lots of developers work well; my...

One important issue which hasn't been addressed yet - is a color print in mind? If so, via what medium? Inkjet prints slowly outgas the glycol present in the inks; and unless this has completely...

Efficient? Not by any HVAC standard by which things are conventionally classified. Useful perhaps under limited conditions, yes, as you have demonstrated, but not realistic under most darkroom...

Jim, one definition of face mounting means permanently bonding it to the inside surface of the acrylic sheet atop via a thin transparent adhesive bonding layer. It's going to bow toward heat and...

"We have nothing to fear but film itself." FDR

I only trust real glass and dedicated lab caps when it comes to mixed developers. If you want to determine compatibility between various SPECIFIC plastics and chemical solutions, just go to a lab...

Bingo. Thanks. Nothing remotely related to true 250 extraction, but evidently useful for simpler applications. I had something similar exchanging air in a makeshift film drying cabinet, with nothing...