Category: The Positive

Prints and all their jazz

beseler NEGATRANS

Posted on Posted in How To, the Lab, The Positive

but those damn O-rings…

NOTE- if you’re APUG or Large Format Forum registered, you may not use this material. Please, leave this site now! https://webionaire.com/2023/09/17/drew-wiley-photrio/ & this are some reasons.

from the patent:

A film carrier for use in photographic or projection apparatus in which a film supported on a pair of aligning film guides is transported by means of an endless belt ..

It is that ‘endless belt’ that breaks. The replacement parts are no longer easy to locate, at least not from the usual sources; however, these items were not made by beseler, only sourced by them. These belts are o-rings to most of the world. Size it; buy it; install – get back to making prints.

I measured a broken belt, finding it ranged from .91 to .96 in diameter – with that, and an approximation of length (using a string threaded through the roller path) I arrived at a McMaster-Carr part.. usasealing (shelf life est: 15years)

I have 2 negatrans for 120 film: one fitted with an omega adapter, the other, the one broken is for my beseler 45. I also have the negatrans for 35mm. Makes life with roll film much easier in getting through a batch of ‘work’ prints.

If you’re near UTD, or Marfa contact me for the part number; maybe one of my spares.

Variable Contrast Developer

Posted on Posted in exs notebook, the Lab, The Positive

Dr. Beers is the widely known version of variable contrast developer, but in the 40’s and up to around 1955, D-64 was likely the choice. This was the time that Dupont Velour Black was a significant paper in commercial and industrial photography studios. Ansco Cykora also benefitted from D-64. These graded papers had uneven steps of contrast along with vary different exposure factors; this made changing contrast under production constraints a problem in need of a solution. D-64 was that solution. And the multi tray developing system. (using more than one developer at a time: one ‘hard’ & one ‘soft’)

formulas.002
Beers & D-64 Formulas

Dr Beers (Dr. Roland F. Beers) Developer

In the Beers formula I have used Sodium Carbonate rather than his original Potassium Carbonate. This has been a standard practice since 1963 when I learned the formula. It produces slightly more neutral prints — did on DuPont and Agfa papers; does now on Slavich, Adox, Foma papers. I don’t use Beers as a developer for Ilford papers, instead, I use 2 tray developing using developers from Moersch, LPD, or Dektol.

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Dr. Beers Variable Contrast Developer

Kodak D-64

I use D-64 for film positives and internegatives as part of my repro process pipeline. Film, ortho copy and litho films are single graded (none) — their contrast is dependent upon the developer and where the exposure places them on the native response curve of the film.

I also use D-64 ‘soft’ for solarization of paper. This includes ALL papers that I use, even Ilford, my most frequently used paper.

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Kodak D-64

To make a 10% bromide solution, add 100.0 grams of potassium bromide to water to make 1.0 liter.