DIY neg carrier for Ic ?

[JoshuaMB]

hello,
I have a Leitz Focotar Ic with a FLAT neg carrier, ie there is no channel for the film to lay in, its just flat with the pins to guide it thru... when printing an image towards the end of the cut strip of 6 it is very loose and falls out easily with the head raised (while positioning it)... it is also a perfect fit for the neg, I'd say like 99% of the frame...
I'd like to know, has anyone ever made a DIY neg carrier that might hold the neg in place using either a sandwich of the neg carrier (a la Omega enlarger carrier) or anything else? I'm trying to determine if something like that would hold the neg in place better... or does the neg carrier just take some getting use to? I print fine with it, but it sort of takes some finesse to get the neg in exactly the right place, and there's still a little edge on 2 sides (meaning it's not perfectly "centered" in there)...
thoughts?

 

[ZeissFan]

I don't know what the stock film carrier looks like, but I made a 6x9 carrier for an Omega D series.

I made it back in the mid-1980s. I still have and use it today. I made it from shower wall material. I used an Omega 6x6 carrier as a template for the outline, as well as to create the opening for the 6x9 opening.

It probably would be possible to make one for the Focotar, unless the stock carrier is a complicated piece of equipment.

 

[Ronald M]

The channel type allows twisting also. Just do not raise the head too far to maintain some friction and hold the film by the edges with thumb and finger and square it up.

The machine was really made for printing uncut rolls. Push the film over the two ramps and against the pins.

 

[M.Hilo]

From what you say I am not sure if you have the usual negative holder for the Focomat 1C. It is a lose rectangular black metal plate, with a rectangle cut out for 135 film. On one side is a pin in the middle that slides into a hole of the enlargerhead. On the other side are two pins that serve to guide your neg strip.

You lay your strip on the holder and you bring the condensor down with the handle on the right side of the head. The condensor presses on the negative. At the bottom of the condensor should be a anti-newton glass and it is actually this that presses on the negative.

The cut-out rectangle gives the typical black Leitz border, uneven and all.

You need to get used to the placing and centering of the negative strip. I always push the enlargerhead a bit up with my forehead and use two hands to place the strip. You can't do this when printing the negative at the end of the strip, so yes this is more difficult. This is when I use the handle and bring down the condensor . . . bit by bit

One easy solution is to find a 2nd negative holder and file it out a little bit. Then your black border is broader, but you use an easel to make a fine black border, or no border at all . . . all very easy.

Hope this helps

hello,
I have a Leitz Focotar Ic with a FLAT neg carrier, ie there is no channel for the film to lay in, its just flat with the pins to guide it thru... when printing an image towards the end of the cut strip of 6 it is very loose and falls out easily with the head raised (while positioning it)... it is also a perfect fit for the neg, I'd say like 99% of the frame...
I'd like to know, has anyone ever made a DIY neg carrier that might hold the neg in place using either a sandwich of the neg carrier (a la Omega enlarger carrier) or anything else? I'm trying to determine if something like that would hold the neg in place better... or does the neg carrier just take some getting use to? I print fine with it, but it sort of takes some finesse to get the neg in exactly the right place, and there's still a little edge on 2 sides (meaning it's not perfectly "centered" in there)...
thoughts?

 

[JoshuaMB]

hey Michael, I read that there are two types of 35mm neg carriers, one that's flat like mine is and one that has a groove or channel that the film will slide in...
http://glennview.com/jpgs/leitz/1c/accessories/carriers/differences/big_1.jpg
http://glennview.com/jpgs/leitz/1c/accessories/carriers/differences/big_2.jpg
since I have the flat version it does slip and slide around in there a bit... I'll try out your forehead trick, that sounds like a good third hand.

 

[M.Hilo]

Remember to bring down the condensor with that handle while you are at it: when it is not even down all the way, it begins to fix your negs strip. But you can still move it and it is easier to bring it to the correct position . . . it is just getting used to it !

 

[M.Hilo]

By the way, once you have brought down the condensor: does it fully press on the negs? The strip should hardly be able to move

 

[JoshuaMB]

yes if the head is down it full holds the neg, if I want to adjust I have to slightly lift it to move it around... sometimes the final seating of the head moves the neg slightly, especially if its a frame on the end of the strip....

 

[M.Hilo]

There can be a reason why your negs are easily moving: the Anti-Newton glass that is yes or no fixed under your condensor, it has a counterpart inside the enlarger: a round 3mm brazz ring which is placed where the condensor rests on a rim inside the enlargerhead. It serves to lift the condensor 3mm to compensate for the thickness of the AN glass.
If you don't have the AN glass, but do have the brazz ring, then the condensor is in fact sitting 3mm too high . . . to check, just remove the condensor. There may be nothing there, or the 3mm ring, or a very thin brazz ring that you can just leave there.

About the negative holder with the groove: the negs do not slide inside that groove, they're lying over it . . . see attached photo.

To me this looks like an earlier version negative holder, mostly because of how it was painted. Also Leitz simplified their designs over the years.