I've lost access to, and room for, an enlarger to use as light source to contact print 5x7. More than willing to use Weston's 15w bare bulb but I figure there might be additional options after 70-80 years...
Curious to learn what others are using or suggesting. I'll be situating the light source 3-4 ft above the table.
Thanks in advance.
What paper do you intend to use; graded, or variable contrast?
Primarily VC (especially while getting back up to speed, it's been awhile), graded on occasion. Planning on using 6"x 6" multigrade filters under a boxed-in light source.
Given that it's going to be used only as a light source and so doesn't have to have any relationship to the format you're going to contact print, have you considered one of the very compact 35-only enlargers that's easy to set up and break down? Something like a Durst F30, say.
Agree. Plus you have the ability to use a cheap lens as exposure control and can integrate the multi grade filters even below the lens since it is just a contact print and not an optical enlargement. For probably $20 or less at the local online venue you can pick up one of these compact units.Originally Posted by Oren Grad
Given that you want to use VC paper, you'll likely want a way to use contrast filters. That kind of rules out the bare bulb, etc. Here are a few ideas:
Kodak bullet safelight w/ 15W or 7W bulb. Cut filters to fit. Use a piece of opal glass or plex if the light is too intense. Hang it from a ceiling hook and wire it to a footswitch. I did this in my small apartment in Vienna; worked like a charm.
Small enlarger that will take filters that you can easily take down and store somewhere. Since you're only doing 5x7 or 8x10 prints, that should work fine.
A small flash bounced off the ceiling as suggested above will work just fine as long as your ceiling is neutral (white, grey, even beige). You can hold or tape a filter over the flash. Keep in mind, though, that a flash is ~5500K, i.e., daylight, and that VC papers are designed to use tungsten light sources in the 2800-3400K range. Your contrast filtration might tend to the yellow...
Hope this helps,
Doremus
Bullet safelight converted is an intriguing idea, thanks.
I like this idea too. Could be any sort of lamp fixture.
An enlarger with a dichro head like a baby Omega or Beseler 67 would be awesome. Still it takes up space. Your idea of a box with a filter drawer sounds like you could rig something up. If you get LEDS where the transformer is separate that would reduce heating.
Worked for me for years. And, you don't need a Wratten ND filter or anything expensive if it's too bright. A sheet of typing paper does the job admirably in a pinch. Plus you can get translucent white plexiglass easily. Heck, my local shop just pointed me to the scrap bin and told me to take what I wanted when I asked how much a 6-inch square of white plex would cost.
I had a ceiling-lamp hook over the washing machine (my work surface...) in my European bathroom where I hung up the safelight (with a few knots in the cable for height adjustment) and had an old in-line footswitch that I scavenged from a set of Christmas-tree lights. My timer was a metronome. Everything went into a box stored on a closet shelf when not in use. The nice thing about the bullet safelight is that there's a built-in filter holder. Just cut filters to fit. If I didn't want to enlarge everything I shoot, I'd likely still be using something similar.
Best,
Doremus
Bertha, a bare-bulb a la Weston will most likely be too bright & fast for modern VC papers. I use one with Azo & Lodima
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