Contact Print Equip

[CreationBear]

As a dude who once wrote, drew and "produced" an animated short film

Ha, if it was good enough for Ralph Bakshi....

At any rate, it seems as if we're following the same trail of breadcrumbs--I'll look forward to what you find works for you.

[Tin Can]

I assume you mean these


https://shop.inkjetmall.com/Verified...tr=52241,52240

As a dude who once wrote, drew and "produced" an animated short film as a teen, contact pins may seem unnecessary, but unless your art involves "fuzzy" as part of an "aura of immediacy" - and there was a time this was in fact the case in the late 1960's and 1970's animation (remember some of the Alkaseltzer commercials where the stomach is sitting in a psychiatrist's chair?), you'll really want something with a better chance of putting overlays where you want them.

The good news is that someone either here or on the linked thread actually answered my question, explaining that "...above 11 X 14 you're really going to start to want a vacuum frame". And that starts to kick things into another $ category between the venting issues and all the rest. UV lights look to be expensive, too though I'm waiting to see what ballpark Jon Cone's LED UV lights come out at. Maybe the hardware for whopping alt prints is more expensive than the platinum? Yipes! And so finding a lower bar of entry will take some digging... and maybe "just gelatin" don't require the fancy lights and all and might be worth having a go at. Not my original intent, but it may be an interim step worth taking.

Very helpful folks. Thanks!

[Tin Can]

https://store.waveformlighting.com/p...d-strip-lights

[martiansea]

https://store.waveformlighting.com/p...d-strip-lights

That seems really expensive. You'd probably need to get the 5M length to get good coverage in a light box; even more if the box were big. I prefer this: https://www.amazon.com/Chanzon-Ultraviolet-30V-34V
This+heatsink+driver can be had for well under $100 total. I tell you, one of these at a distance of about 1 foot can cover an 11x14 with printing times on par to what I was getting with a light box filled with expensive UV florescent tubes. For larger prints, use two of them spaced apart a bit. Or do an array of a half dozen 10w LEDs.
Having made light boxes with LED strips numerous times, I can say it takes many many many of them to get good even coverage and I don't trust the quality of light coming from strips, but that's just my opinion.

https://store.waveformlighting.com/c...15914245455974
Maybe this if you have no DIY skill?

I think the UV light boxes currently being sold by (everyone!) are drastically overpriced for how simple the lighting is inside it. I guess they want to charge alot for putting it in a crude wooden box for you. This is so easy to make.

[roscoetuff-Skip Mersereau]

Tin Can: Absolut a Mundo. If you click through, they talk about heat buildup issues and using open aluminum frames to deal with that. Also mention that they're planning to offer units commercially... which as they say, "we shall see what we shall see". Given that I'm reading about the ocular damage that these UV lights can permanently impart, I guess I'm beginning to think, "Hmmmmmm" and might need to walk this thing on the slow ramp.

martiansea: I share your price point views, and yet have to caveat a bit of my inner cheapskate against the experience of trying 52 ways to NOT spend a given $X, only to have spent 5 times $X in the effort. So there's that. But if there's a way to get a "try" without riding a gilded cadillac, I'm for it. Gotta start somewhere. FWIW, I tried some LED lights for $40 the other day for set lighting that were nothing short of amazing in the output, so LED's are in fact making real progress. But wading through the early weak failures can be costly, too.

[martiansea]

If you want to get your toes wet without a big investment, there's always the sun. Works great for salt prints and cyanotypes.

[roscoetuff-Skip Mersereau]

Sun works. Think I've also read about a simple overhead light working well. My first angle was trying to find a local darkroom via conversation with the "local artist in residence" LF photographer who still shoots only film but teaches digital - 'cause that's how you make a living. They closed his darkroom before he got to Maryland Hall (literally up the street from me and part of my morning walk). Ditto for most nearby. Photoworks up in Bethesda (my old abode) would be the place to go, and I'll have to catch up with Scott Davis to find out if they have UV light. Setting up at home is NOT my first option... not this year since I kind of already blew the year's budget.

Finding out what folks actually do and how they go about it... that's a big thing and harder these days when film and LF and even printing are out of the mainstream.