light source for contact printing?

[Steve M Hostetter]

Hello,, can you give me your method ... Thank you

[John Bowen]

Will you be contact printing on enlarging paper? Use the enlarger. Will you be contacting on Azo/Lodima? With Lodima, you may be able to use the enlarger, just remove the lens and lower the head. Will you be contact printing Platinum? The sun works well or you could find a UV source like a Nuarc.

I contact on Azo/Lodima and use a "Cold One" cold light designed for Azo. Expensive and not readily available, but a wonderul light source. Michael A. Smith and most other Azo printers use a bare bulb. The exact bulb can be found on the Azo Forum.

Good luck and "welcome to the club"

[scott_6029]

Yes, a simple flood bulb r 60 or r 120 in a simple aluminum flood hood. Not sure you even need the cheap aluminum hood. All told < $5 in a hardware store....hang 3-5 feet from frame /easel. I use an inexpensive garden plant hangar attached to the wall about 5 feet from the table where I place the contact printing frame. You can raise or lower the light with the extension cord. I then plug the light into an inexpensive extension cord with a foot switch (think christmas lights) to control on / off when timing exposure.

I use AZO / Lodima with Amidol (and really Amidol is cheap based on how much you use for each printing session). Order Lodima from Michael and Paula.

You can check my website www.scottpetersphotography.com to see 7 x17 and 8x10 contact prints.

Very easy to use and inexpensive and can yield nice results.

[Brian Ellis]

Assuming you're talking about normal printing (i.e. not alt processes such as gum or platinum), you can use any light source you like, it won't affect the look of the print. I used a standard household bulb. An aluminum flood lamp arrangement helps spread the light evenly. If you have a spot meter or can meter a small area with another kind of reflective light meter, put any light source you like in the socket and hood, raise the hood maybe 2-3 feet above the paper, then check the center and corners with your meter. Adjust the height of the light source until you get the same reading in the corners and the center of the paper.

[Oren Grad]

For contact printing on ordinary variable-contrast silver papers, I use my LPL 4500II enlarger with dichroic color head.

[Steve M Hostetter]

Yes, a simple flood bulb r 60 or r 120 in a simple aluminum flood hood. Not sure you even need the cheap aluminum hood. All told < $5 in a hardware store....hang 3-5 feet from frame /easel. I use an inexpensive garden plant hangar attached to the wall about 5 feet from the table where I place the contact printing frame. You can raise or lower the light with the extension cord. I then plug the light into an inexpensive extension cord with a foot switch (think christmas lights) to control on / off when timing exposure.

I use AZO / Lodima with Amidol (and really Amidol is cheap based on how much you use for each printing session). Order Lodima from Michael and Paula.

You can check my website www.scottpetersphotography.com to see 7 x17 and 8x10 contact prints.

Very easy to use and inexpensive and can yield nice results.

Scott,, I got the flood light and foot switch at walmart,, $5.44-clamp light, $1.66- soft white 90 w bulb -4 , $6.47-foot switch, $1.18- king size M&M's

I like the foot switch ,,, allows turning on without moving the light head which is a must have... Now where do I start where exposure is concerned?

[Jan Pedersen]

Steve, that again depends on your paper, if you are using enlarging paper a few hundred milli seconds or if you are using Lodima, a good starting point with a 90w bulb 3 feet above your frame 8-12 seconds.
To many variables, your negative density and developer type (Staining/non staining) will have a big influence on the time to.

[John Bowen]

Now where do I start where exposure is concerned?

I would imagine it wouldn't take you more than 5 minutes and two test strips to nail that down...

Have Fun!

[Steve M Hostetter]

I would imagine it wouldn't take you more than 5 minutes and two test strips to nail that down...

Have Fun!

a test strip will have to be at least an 8x10 cause I'm using a Jobo 2840 drum to process... Two test 8x10's would take one hour to develop.. unless there is an easier way

[Matt Miller]

There is a much easier way. Use trays instead of that drum.