First darkroom experience

[Michael I.]

After a year and a half of developing my own BW film and getting pretty decent at it I improvised a tiny darkroom and printed my first three pictures.

things I learnt:
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1)I have a condenser enlarger so dust is an issue - how the hell do I see it before printing?

2)I need to use multigrade paper(I got some leftovers of fixed contrast agfa rc paper and I need more contrast and getting paper is a 2 hour drive)

3)the Wetzlar 75/4.5 lens rules.a 50 is in the mail

4)I need a bigger then 5x7 easel

5) sloppy cardboard neg holders make neato edges but add dirt to the negs - does anyone have meopta opemus III neg carriers?they are impossible to fnd.

6)How the hell do you use the grain focuser?I cant see no grain - just a light(red or white)

7)I am never printing BW at a minilab again.the whites and blacks are amazing,its sharp and has great tone gradation.

 

[markinlondon]

Congratulations, Michael. Welcome to the REAL dark side.

To answer some of your questions:

1. Just clean everything when you start printing! There's no other way and you can still expect to do some spotting. Use a dustcover, a large polythene bag does nicely.

5. FOTOIMPEX.DE usually stock old Meopta spares. Look for "KB halter" in the PDF catalogue.

6. Grain focusers need to be set up. They usually have a wire across the ocular which needs to be sharp before you start. Then it should focus properly on the grain. If you find these impossible to use, try a Magnasight or Kaiser FocusScop, these allow you to view more of the negative with both eyes open. I use the Kaiser 90% of the time along with a Paterson grain focuser for those negs I just can't nail with the lower magnification.

Mark

 

[Bryce]

Michael-
Keep tinkering. Dark room work is a constant learning experience, the more you know the more you'll know you need to find out.
As you've noticed, image quality is reliably top notch!
I don't know much about your enlarger, but my experience with cardboard carriers is that they cannot hold the film flat enough. Get or make a metal one.
I don't understand the problem with your grain focuser. Can you not see a small portion of the image through it when its sitting on the easel?
I am a firm believer in multi grade papers. If there is an advantage to graded papers with modern materials, I don't know what it is. Fiber paper is another story, though I would recomend using R.C. paper for quite awhile first; it is much faster, cheaper and easier to learn with.
Welcome!

 

[Michael I.]

is it possible to increse contrast without changing paper grade?

 

[Bryce]

I haven't experimented much with this, having (almost) always used VC paper, but the paper developer can have an impact on contrast. Ansel Adams's "The Print" talks about various developers used to alter contrast, including the Beers 2 part formula. Part "A" produces low contrast, part "B" produces high, or the other way around. Mixing the two gives intermediate contrast.
While I normally use Dektol, I have experimented with HC110 to lower contrast via incomplete development. This works, at some expense to the richness of blacks in the print. Presoaking the paper and extra care to agitate in a random pattern will prevent mottling in the dark areas of the print. Ansel, by the way, considered this a crime against the art...
Generally your best bet is to get the grade you need, or IMHO use VC paper and appropriate filters. I've become a fan of the 2 filter arrangement, i.e. using the lowest contrast filter for part of the exposure and the highest for the rest. This allows you to control contrast locally by dodging/ burning with the appropriate filter.
Hope this helps. Keep printing!

 

[Michael I.]

i use tetenal variospeed 1+9, I will switch to VC paper as soon as I get multicontrast filtes for a decent price

 

[Bryce]

Cheap filters, coming right up. Print the attached "images" on transparency material the right size to fit your filter drawer using an inkjet printer. The first one is the "#00" filter and the second is "#5".
Cheap yes, and they'll likely fade, but they should get you rolling.
Good luck!

 

[Michael I.]

thanks mate !

 

[ronnie_retro]

As far as seeing the dust on the negative, the technique I use is to lift the lamphouse up from the carrier (got that paper in the safe?) and, with your eye nearly parallel to the film in the carrier, check the surface for dust specks. You'll have to flip the carrier to check the other (emulsion) side. The sidelighting makes spotting the dust a cinch. I 'm assuming you're using one of those blaster cans to blow the dust off - for me, those brushes with the air bulb just move the dust around or deposit new particles. Hope this helps-