The
contact image may not be perfect but it will certainty show sufficient
detail to identify the shot and to serve as an index.
Method
3
Buy a contact printing frame. Patterson make the best.
To
Make an Enlarged Print from a 35mm Negative.
It cannot be stressed too strongly that good enlargements can be made only
from good, clean negatives. For this reason I believe that it is better to
learn to print by using negatives which you have had processed
professionally.
Enlargers
which have diffuse illumination require negatives which have a higher
contrast than that suitable for enlargers with condenser optics. However,
the difference is less than one grade of print paper and should not
present a problem.
Before
closing the darkroom door and getting down to a printing session, check
everything over to ensure that you have all the items you require. Then
mix up the solutions, pour into dishes at the correct temperature and set
out the tongs at the side of the appropriate dish. NEVER
allow contamination between solutions.
Switch
on safelight, switch off white light., switch on enlarger and set lens to
maximum aperture. Carefully take the strip of negatives which contains the
one to enlarge and blow clean air over both surfaces using an aerosol of
clean air. Place in negative carrier and using enlarger controls frame up
the image on the baseboard, or ring-around-frame if you have made one.
Now
using the focus finder adjust the lens focus until you can see the grain
like sharp sand, If you are to use variable contrast paper select grade 2½
on either colour head or filter drawer of the enlarger. Swing in the red
filter and stop down to f8. Place a piece of print paper, emulsion side
up, in the centre of the ring-around frame and close all four doors.
Position door 1 under the most important part of the image, switch off
enlarger, swing red filter out of the way and open door 1. Expose for
2secs.
Close
door 1, switch on enlarger and reposition frame until door 2 is under the
same part of the image. Switch of enlarger, open door 2 and expose for 4
secs.
Close door 2 and continue the same procedure exposing paper for 8 secs
under door 3 and 16 secs under door 4. Swing in the red filter.
Take paper from ring-around-frame slide smoothly into the developer and
develop for 2 mins. exactly. Drain using developer tongs and drop gently
into the stop bath, or No. 1 fixer, agitate for a few secs. and then using
the fixer tongs transfer to fixer bath where it remains for 2 mins , rapid
fixer, or 10 mins, ordinary fixer.
Making sure that all paper is secure from light, switch on white light
and examine your test print. One of these will be a little light and the
next will be a little dark.
Suppose that the 4 secs print is a little light and the 8 secs print is
a little dark. Your next ring-around will be 5, 6 and 7 secs. Occasionally
one of the four originals will be spot on.
When deciding how much more or less to give an exposure remember that
printing paper, like film, has a geometric characteristic. That means that
to increase an exposure we multiply by a fixed factor, to reduce an
exposure we divide by the same factor. This is what happens when we open
or close the aperture of the lens. eg. f8 admits twice as much light as
f11.
With print paper, the smallest factor which has any significant effect
on density, in practical terms, is one third of a stop or 1.259. This may
seem very technical but the series of numbers relating to this factor is
used for ISO (ASA) film speeds. 10, 12, 16, 20, 25, 32, 40, 50, 64, 80,
100, 125, 160 etc. Because this is a geometrical progression the series
can be divided or multiplied by 10. If this seems too much for you start
with 4 secs and multiply by 1¼ over and over again. That will be much
better than adding one or two secs each time you make a test exposure.
However, when you have finally decided on the exposure that gives the
density you require think about the contrast. If, when you get the whites
just right the blacks are not black enough try one grade harder paper. ie.
3½ instead of 2½. If, on the other hand, the whites are burned out
whilst the blacks are deep black try a lower, softer, grade of paper.
On variable contrast paper when using filters, as opposed to using a
colour head setting, the exposure does not alter from grade 0 to grade 3½.
Grades 4, 4½ and 5 are one step slower or in other words require twice
the exposure time.
After processing and washing prints in cold running water, blot them
carefully and lay them out face up on an absorbent surface to dry. If you
are using glossy resin coated paper the use of a hair dryer to dry the
prints also improves the gloss.
Do not worry if your first printing session produces no good finished
prints. It takes time and practice to succeed at anything. Be patient and
make notes so that you can repeat your efforts in future.
If you do not wish to do black and white printing it is also possible to
copy black and white negatives onto Kodak 5302 Positive Release Film which
has an emulsion similar to print paper and can be processed in the same
way using the same chemicals.
This film is available in 100ff bulk lengths from Firstcall or
Jessop’s by special order for approx £20.
BLACK
& WHITE SLIDES FROM NEGATIVES
If you do not wish to make B&W prints why not try B&W slides
from B&W negatives? This is easy when using Kodak 5302 film which has
very similar characteristics as B&W print paper. This film is
available in 100ff bulk lengths at just under £20.00 from Jessop, by
special order.
If you do not have an enlarger, the film can be loaded into 35mm
cassettes and used in your SLR with a slide copier attachment to copy your
B&W negatives to make B&W slides. Processing is just the same as
for B&W print paper.
Enjoy
your printing.