I am toying with the idea of doing Kallitypes from 4x5 negatives and perhaps eventually with 8x10. Contact printing frames seem only to be available in odd sizes which do not match available papers. (?) Do I just get the biggest frame I think I might need? Is there some logic to these odd sizes? Sorry if my questions are dumb. I am used to scanning negatives and have no experience printing.
Get a sheet of 1/4" tempered glass from a glass shop, cut to the size you need. Then get a piece of black mattboard. Put paper/neg sandwich down onto matboard, then place glass down on top. The weight of the glass should be enough by itself
Stone Photo Gear
https://www.stonephotogear.com/
Interesting idea. From what I understand about Kallitypes and similar processes, the print is typically made by exposure to sunlight. It seems like the printing frame would make it easier to take everything outside, since all of the components are secured together by the locking springs. Also, I like the idea of a hinged back, which will give me the ability to check the exposure while keeping everything in alignment.
Never really wondered why contact printing frames come it odd sizes, but it may be because the papers used for alt processes are typically different sizes vs standard enlarging papers. For example, I make pt/pd prints from 8x10 negs on 12x15 paper.
I'm probably overthinking this.
This guy has an interesting solution. Check it out at 1:31. I wonder if that's plexiglass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-1kQLx0XGs
I like split back printing frames for that kind of application but always “one size” bigger. 8x10 for printing 4x5 negs; 16x20 for printing 8x10. That allows bigger borders.
I've always found it hard to judge a print during exposure. Yeah, you can tell when it's exposed enough to develop an image, but it's hard to tell if it's exposed well. For that reason, I used to start off by doing a test strip every time I did any alt. process out in the sun. Since then, I've purchased a UV lamp and use that. Now I just do a test strip when I'm experimenting with something new, and take notes on everything. So the next time I repeat a process and paper, I just reuse the same time as last time.
In other words, I haven't found the split screen back frames that allow you to look at your print all that useful.
What I will say is don't get plexiglass or polycarbonate sheets. They scratch too easily. Use glass. I get picture frame glass from my local hardware store. they sell it in 4x5, 5x7, 8x10, 11x14 (which is what I buy) and 16x20 sizes, pre cut, for real cheap. Every once in a while I break one, and when I do, I just buy another. I built a wooden frame to hold the glass (looks a lot like an enlarging easel) and use thumb screws to hold the glass down. It's cheap and easy, though the guy in your video probably has an even cheaper and easier design. It might be hard to get it to lay flat, however. But if you're exposing with the sun, you probably want it to face the sun, and the sun is almost never directly overhead. I found a round bottomed plant pot and filled it with dirt and used that to position it towards the sun in my grass. With the friction of the grass, the slight bumps in my yard, and the ability to balance it by moving the dirt inside, I could easily track the sun no matter where it was in the sky.
I agree with going a size up from what you plan to print on. That goes for the paper as well. It's hard to coat evenly all the way to the edge, so it's usually a good idea to give you some area to crop or cut out around the image.
YupOriginally Posted by ChristopherMarv
... but everybody needs to think it through at least once. Better to do that than be like me... with a bunch of 4x5 printing frames that are too difficult to use for alt processes.
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