Always Learning!

[resurgance]

Wow. Not sure about others, but my darkroom sessions seem to be linked to some kind of murphy's law thing.

The last printing session I had was amazing, went smoothly, great prints.

Today's effort;
- Uneven development caused by me accidentally cutting the paper too wide from roll and then cutting it quickly with scissors that I can't use on the dry side anymore while it had been partially submerged in developer. Not to mention a silly amount of dust spots caused by me trying to eliminate major newton ring issues by means of warming my negative and carrier with a hair dryer. No Newton rings?
- Second go, managed to crease emulsion on paper while cutting through carelessness - luckily it was just outside the border and under the matt.
not that it mattered, as after sorting out dust, the newton rings had come back with a vengeance! More than ever before. It was raining outside, sure that doesn't help.
- So put some other negatives under the main negative to lift the emulsion off the glass (Acros) and got rid of all dust via airbrush compressor, anti static gun and some isopropyl.
- made a fantastic print except when I had placed my homemade blades on the paper I had missed the fact that the top left corner was only 3mm away from the image! perfect print otherwise.
Negative was 6x12cm and curly, I am looking into making some glassless bottom holders for 6x12 but Ive never been able to hold negs flat without glass.

Anyway, end result was good, but was a long day.

Just wondering about the comedy/tragedy of some others darkroom sessions. When I first stared printing I was using 8x10" RC paper, so there was never a lot of time involved. Now with FB, large stuff (for me anyway) and toning, things can go pretty pear shaped at times. Im sure there are some pretty good stories out there. My worst one to date was probably ruining the emulsion by squeegy after a long toning process. Makes the prints far more valuable to me than some inkjet print thats for sure.....

[xkaes]

I always get a laugh when I have someone in my darkroom, and I am making COLOR prints. Of course, there are no safelights on, and it is TOTALLY dark -- OK, I have a few, tiny, luminescent dots next to the light switches, etc. I use tubes up to 20x30", so I can turn on the lights once the paper is in the tube, but in either case, my visitors can't believe that I can do it. I've even talked a few of them into doing it themselves -- while I verbally walk them through it -- and then they are even MORE amazed. They have a big smile of total wonderment on their face for the rest of the day.

[Vaughn]

I have had people want to watch me tray develop sheet film. I usually suggest that watching the submarine races might be more exciting.

[Bruce Barlow]

I have had people want to watch me tray develop sheet film. I usually suggest that watching the submarine races might be more exciting.

Long ago, in Cologne, Germany, I convinced a pretty German girl to come watch the submarine races on the Rhine from a car in an underground parking lot near the river.

It ended up being pretty exciting...

Youth is wasted on the young.

[xkaes]

It ended up being pretty exciting...

For you or the submarines?

[Jim Noel]

I have had people want to watch me tray develop sheet film. I usually suggest that watching the submarine races might be more exciting.

Since I use X-ray film about 60% of the time, use it as demonstration material to answer such requests. It is amazing to me the huge number of very experienced LF photographers who have never seen film develop.

[Bruce Barlow]

For you or the submarines?

Don't know about the submarines. She was a smart girl, and noticed that we couldn't even see the Rhine. That knowledge seemed to have no negative effect at the time.

[Corran]

Way back when my wife and I (just dating at the time) were living in a small townhouse, one of her friends asked me to show her how I develop film. At the time my "darkroom" was a small half-bath that could barely fit the sink, toilet, and one person. The look on my wife's face was priceless, especially knowing her friend.

With regard to the OP...I love using my Negaflat carrier for 4x5. I have a glass carrier too but after wasting so much time and effort trying to eliminate dust I have stopped using it. The Negaflat is more than flat/rigid enough to get sharp prints. Printing 6x12 though, yes I have to resort to the glass carrier and it sucks. I don't know if Beseler ever made a normal 6x12 carrier - I want one if so.

[Jac@stafford.net]

I don't know if Beseler ever made a normal 6x12 carrier - I want one if so.

Can Omega carriers be converted for Beseler?

[resurgance]

Classic! Lots of reading in between the lines with some of those stories ��
Well im considering making little spring hooks or something to tension the negative. I think part of the problem lately is that the general dust concentration has gone past some threshold and all of a sudden it seems to be a problem.
Count on the darkroom to make things interesting!