Hey there I just got an enlarger for my 8x10 a few rolls of paper and even the space needed to produce mural prints. My new concern is the amount of chemicals needed to process these 30"Arista, 48"Foma, and 56"Kodak Polycontrast rolls.
I have never got to play at this size so just looking for some tips and any knowledge on what results I can expect from different chemicals.
I normally have just done contact prints as 8X10 enlargers are not easy to find let alone use. I have processed the film in a jobo and the paper in trays.
The first person I spoke with offered the idea they said they have used including a rain gutter and two people on each side to lift and drop the paper through the chemicals.
The next person I spoke with mentioned that especially at these larger sizes what I need to worry about the most is getting a wrinkle in the paper. Suddenly moving it up and down sounded like a excessively frustrating situation. He mentioned when he created these he would roll the paper in a large stainless steel sink and that I might be able to construct one with acrylic and acrylic glue. Thats still a bit much.
My new idea is where the summer season and needing lots of chemicals comes into play. Inflatable pools are relatively cheap. But would need around 50 gallons. sooooooo just need some 55 gallon water barrels.
Im hoping that this is not a 100% pay for what you get situation.
The prices I saw on bulk Marathon Chemicals are far more appealing than any other option so far. I have also been searching for expired Dektol lot deals on Ebay and am not seeing anything nearly as affordable.
All these papers that I have obtained are all slightly expired by 2 to 5 years so I understand my contrast won't be perfect but I am hoping that if I use the Marathon chemicals that it will not add a further significant loss of contrast.
If anyone has any experience in creating analog mural prints I would love to hear any advise you have to offer. Am I moderately level headed with this idea? My main fear of using the pools is if they spring a leak. It wouldn't be the worst but a bit activating to clean up.