8x10 Aristo Head contrast

[eric_boutilier_brown1]

I just finished building my 8x10 enlarger (based on a Beseler chasis) and while it works well, I am a little frustrated with the contrast I am getting from the cold head. I have an Aristo 1212 head with the V54 bulb. My experiance is that the head prints VERY flat with a filter below a #2 1/2 - so flat it is like everything is three shades of grey! When I go above a number 3 filter, the contrast skyrockets, and is too much. The technique I have developed is printing everything with a #2 and #3 filters - a modified split-filter printing of sorts.

 

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I have a Kodak Step Tablet, so I was going to take some Ilford, Agfa and Kodak filters to check which gave me the best contrast stepping, but if I have to mix-and-match between systems, there would be a speed-matching issues.

 

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Has anyone else have with this head, and had a similar experiance? Any suggestions or thoughts? I realized that a cold-head prints flatter (I've worked with 4x5 Aristo heads) but I hadn't expected this!

 

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Thanks in advance,

 

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Eric Boutilier-Brown

http://www.evolvingbeauty.com

[tim_kimbler1]

I can't help you with your question, but I'm interested in building

an 8X0 enlarger. Can you share the detail as to how you converted

the enlarger to 8X10?

[kcrisp]

Eric: I have the original Beseler 8X10 head, which I converted to

the V54 tube. I have used the Ilford filters and have not noticed

the problem you are are having. When using 150 mm lens, I use the

below lens filters and when printing 5X7 and larger I put 12X12

sheets (Ilford, again, you have to special order them) below the tube

and above the diffusing plastic. Plus or minus a half grade, a grade

2 filter prints like grade two paper, at least for me. I use mostly

Seagull VC but have tried small quantities of 4 other VC papers

without problem. I have a B22 enlarger I converted to the V54 tube

and it works fine too. The proper color for the V54 is a blinding

aquamarine blue. Are you by any chance using the old-style VC

filters instead of the new ones?

[eric_boutilier_brown1]

An interesting question Kevin, about the filters. The finters were

indeed an older set - I just got a new set this week, and when

cutting them down to fit the holder, I noticed they were a distinctly

different colour then the older ones - not just lighter or darker,

but a different shade all together. My prayers may be answered on

Sunday then, when I next print.

 

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I shall let you know.

[per_volquartz1]

I have the exact same Aristo head on a modified Durst.

 

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Perhaps your negs are too thin??? I will admit that I have never used

VC papers with this head; only graded, namely Seagul and Brilliant (the

original Zone VI paper (Unfortunately just ran out of this stuff!!!)).

 

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The Aristo 1212 matches my regular Durst cold light head for 4X5 pretty

well.

 

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If your negs are too thin you may try to selenium tone the negs (you'd

probably gain about half a stop in contrast.

 

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When you develop your prints you may also try to use two print

developers:

Selectol soft for smooth gradations followed by Dektol 1:2 to give

depth to the blacks. By varying the time in each developer you have

some contrast control there too.

[eric_boutilier_brown1]

The negs are fine in contrast - in fact, a good indication of how

low the contrast is is that two of the negs that printed very well

were that were too contrasty to contact print properly with a #00

filter - the only way I'd ever got good prints from them before was

via POP paper. And yet with the Aristo 1212 head, I pulled off a

really nice print on a #2 - delicate higlights, nice deep blacks

with good separation. I will try the new filters tomorrow, and hope

that is where the problems lie.

 

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e.