Ironage
Member
Just a quick update. The first roll has now been processed. There was some scratching on the edges. The scratches were not from beginning to end of roll, and were close enough to the edges that they can be cropped out. After inspecting the plate closely and the scratches I couldn't find any burs that matched the scratches. I suspect that little bits got in the camera, and the pressure plate presses strongly against the extra area of the mask trapping particles.
It also became very apparent to me with the viewfinder mask set at 6x4.5 that the width of the site is noticeably more narrow than it should be. I looking at the front window of the viewfinder it seems to have been replaced. I suspect that originally it had a curved lens, but now is just flat glass. On 6x9 the aspect ratio is closer to 6x7 which is better for me because my enlarger only covers 6x7 anyway. On 6x4.5 this is more of a concern for me.
It also became very apparent to me with the viewfinder mask set at 6x4.5 that the width of the site is noticeably more narrow than it should be. I looking at the front window of the viewfinder it seems to have been replaced. I suspect that originally it had a curved lens, but now is just flat glass. On 6x9 the aspect ratio is closer to 6x7 which is better for me because my enlarger only covers 6x7 anyway. On 6x4.5 this is more of a concern for me.