I have one of them. Cheap, and it works, but as others have mentioned the locking clips are brutal, like rat traps. These are split back frames which are good for checking the print if you are doing processes like salt printing or cyanotypes. As mentioned by others, if you are doing regular silver gelatin contact printing you can use a simpler process like just putting a clean piece of regular glass on top of the film and paper.
I also use a an stack of 10mm thick glass.
A 10x10" piece of 10mm glass as a flat base, then I glue on it (with 3M Re Mount spray) a 3mm soft foam. Then it comes photography material (Paper, film, masks), then on top of it I place another piece of 10mm thick glass with side handles for convenience.
The top 10mm thick glass provides enough pressure to avoid newton rings, and to handle even a thick masking sandwich. I've been trying CRM, SCIM, and UNSHARP masking, this involves some additional film sheets and a difuser layer. The 10mm glass performed well with those sandwichs, anyway now I'm pointing to local costrast control mask in the Alan Ross way, this is a thinner sandwich. I found the CRM way has the advantage of a sharpenning look, because unsharp masking, still I'm not sure all shots benefit from it.
Using a thick piece of glass is more confortable than a frame, in special to make test strips.
This is the Alan Ross way http://phototechmag.com/selective-ma...onal-darkroom/
I'm thinking in a setup than removes the 3mm foam on the bottom glass (perhaps not necessary in most cases) so the setup can be placed on a light table for mask alignment.
As you advance in this field you will first desire local exposure control, so you will use dodge and burning, or simple masking.
Then you will want to control local control, this will lead you to Split Grade printing combined with separate grade burning/dodging, or advanced CRM, SCIM...
May be, then you will want serious consistence in local contrast control, this may led you to the color contrast masking, As Mr Ross kindly explains it.
I'm still learning, but my view is that in this way it is possible to obtain a top notch and rocking graphic product, with best of photoshop flexibility on local contrast control / exposure , and with FB paper + toner...
With local contrast control made, we can leave manual dodge/burning handcrafting for local exposure, so every print will show the artists' hand, being a unique handcrafted product.
Oh... in today's digital/reprograhic world this is revolutionary. Ross' color masking is what it can put top level photographers in the darkroom again, IMHO.
Regarding dodge/burning...
I put a bit of masking tape on the frame to show me where the horizon is located, makes burning in the sky much simpler.
Here's a pic of my "contact frame" that I was just using for an 8x10 contact print:
I bought this actually for 8x20 but of course it works with 8x10, it's just real big. This is just a piece of P99 acrylic from TAP Plastic - $25 to my door for this big size, less for smaller of course. Some time ago I bulk ordered a bunch of 3/4" A36 hot-rolled steel bars in 3" lengths - I super glued these to the edges as both handles and weight (for 8x20 contacts, I also simply place a few more lengths along the edges to weigh down the whole thing on top of the negative and paper). My piece is roughly 13x20 which is the right size for my scanner platten so I can doubly use this as a hold-down plate for scanning big negs.
I suppose there's more specialty applications where you'd want a split-frame back but this works just fine for me doing contact silver gelatin prints. I will be getting the same type of acrylic for a UV exposure box I will hopefully finally get built this winter. The rough/diffuse side goes down towards the negative. For 4x5 contacts I do just use an 8x10 proof printer but it doesn't work for 8x10, for me. If you don't have that I'd just get a 10x12 sheet of this P99 and some type of steel bar for weights/handles and go to town.
Ouch! acrylic is awfully delicate when compared to glass.
That's true. I kept the small box it came in with bubble wrap and put it in there when not using it. Obviously care is important in using such a piece of acrylic.
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