Show me your latest darkroom prints

Erik van Straten said:
As I make split-grade prints, I need for the soft exposure a filter that produces flat, diffuse light. I found in a CD box some really nice stuff for this: transparant white plastic, like textile fabric, with very fine holes in it so it does not absorb all the light, but diffuse nevertheless almost 100%. Maybe you can find someting like that. I bundle this filter with the 00-Ilford multigrade filter.

Erik.
Click to expand...

How about cutting a piece of plastic (i.e. a cd case) to the size of the filter and sand it with a fine sanding paper to the point that becomes opaque?
 
p.giannakis said:
How about cutting a piece of plastic (i.e. a cd case) to the size of the filter and sand it with a fine sanding paper to the point that becomes opaque?
Click to expand...

To be honest, I'm too lazy for that. Joking of course. Maybe that works fine. I did not try it.

I tried thin opaque white plastic from a free plastic bag, works good, but is flimsy. The white stuff from the CD-box is rigid, but 100% diffuse.

Erik.
 
Turns out the tube idea seems to have worked. I haven't printed with it yet, but measuring the light on the easel gives a uniform reading. I used a piece of flexible plastic that was out of an old Powerbook display I replaced. i kept the fresnels and this plastic which was the backing for the LCD. Perfect material for the purpose. I'll have to clean it up to make it perfectly round, but it looks like a winner.

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I switched the bulb in my Valloy II for a Philips LED and it's working well. The ordinary bulb was a 150w one and exposure times were too short. I got a 60W equivalent LED and instead of 6-8 secs at f11 I'm getting around 10 secs at f8, which is fine for me. It's very cool running and the light seems even enough to me. The various MG grades seem achievable although I've not done any careful testing yet.

Bruce
 
Very interesting, Koolzak, I will try soon a LED-lamp in my Focomat IIc. I want to see the effect of the color of the light on the Adox variable contrast paper.

Erik.
 
I'm glad I subscribed to this thread, Erik, because your work is always so enjoyable. The shot of the old lady was very well seen. I'm not sure why the three guys are so intent on fixing their car, though. I'd be more concerned about the pedestrian they've just run over. Haha.
 
I like the push bikes gang photo, the sandy road and the background reminds me of Polish villages I visited some years ago.
 
also ran out of 8x10 paper mid session so I had to print this on 5x7. It's too bad but now I get to pick whatever fresh 8x10 I'd like! I don't know if I want to go warmtone or keep with the neutral paper and rock the PQ universal.

Actually found the PQ Universal to have more of a warm tone than the ilford warmtone developer. Really like the look I get from it.
 
A couple of pics from carbon printing ws with Borut Peterlin:

Leica R8, summicron 90mm, XP2, Ilfospeed Gr.3, toned in Agfa Viradon New

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After lurking around a lot I've finally given in and started my improvised little darkroom. Had a lot of fun getting started with this and now I'm really looking forward to start getting a bit more systematic about everything and learning about all sorts of things.
On that note: this thread is really inspiring :)



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