joe_lipka3

In the April/May issue of LensWork magazine, there was an advertisement for Imagepoint Digital Platinum which seems to offer the services you wish. That was the last advert I have seem from them. They offer email addresses of luke@imagept.com or jhans at imagept.com. They are in the USA.

Yes. The problem is that the scanners these days are so good that the paper fibers are included in the scan. Since I scan silver prints and turn them into digital negatives, I just change the color of the scanned silver print for the platinum "look." See Ed Buffaloe's site, www.unblinkingeye.com, for some examples.

I have been using divided D-23 with TMAX 400 (4x5 and 5x7 sheet film) for over ten years. Primarily used it for platinum printing, but it also will give a usable negative for silver prints. Lots of time and temp details (plus variations in formulae) in an article Ed Buffaloe and I wrote for his web site, www.unblinkingeye.com

 

If you do a search on divided D-23, I bet you will find more than a few hits. Also check the Large Format and Alternative Process forums.

Shane - The sure cure for underexposure is to return to the scene and properly expose the negative. (Well, you wanted opinions!)

 

My assumption is that the 100 rolls of film do not fit with my suggestion. Chemically, Ansel's "The Negative" offers some more advice on various negative intensifiers and several different chemical formulas.

One of the other many variables that one has to consider is the manufacturing process. A goal is a 400 rating for film, but in any process there is a tolerance due to manufacturing variables that results in a value plus or minus (usually minus - plus would mean more silver in the emulsions) from that desired rating. If anyone knows what the allowable ISO standard tolerance for film is, it would be interesting to know. I would surmise that it is much larger than you might think.

 

And the answer is Larry, yes, you test every one. That's why pros buy a large batch of film of one emulsion type

Pharmacies sometimes have brown glass gallon jugs that they might give away. I don't use tupperware for chemical storage, but they used to make a "bread storage box" that was just dandy for 4 x 5 negatives.

I will jump in with the D-23 as a two part developer. Works just

dandy for making pt/pd negatives.

 

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Note to Richard Ilomaki - Do you have a URL for the Palladio web site?

Fifty right now. A day older tomorrow. LF for twenty years, Pt/pd

for ten. The reason that most of the LF crowd is older is that we

can no longer squint through the viewfinder of a 35mm SLR any more!

The only expander back I have seen fits Wista field cameras. I own

one, and it is the least expensive way to get into 5 x 7.

Per has it spot on. Trays are the least cost way to go. You might

have to sacrifice some old sheet film to perfect your tray developing

technique. First practice with the lights on, eyes open. Then,

lights on eyes closed and finally lights off. (And yes, I still even

close my eyes in the dark. Why? Because I practiced that way.) One

other point on tray developing, go for extended development times so

you don't feel the need to "rush" through the shuffling during a short

development time.

 

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I can't comment on the JOBO type developing. I have enough stuff in

my darkroom already. I literally can't add anything else.

(1) & (2) Slide to B&W film negative at the final image size. Pt/PD

is a contact printing, so the negative has to be the size of the

finished print. This issue would be that color film would not expose

with true tonal values on regular film. (3) No, you can start with

the original slide and then enlarge to the B&W negative for Pt/Pd

printing.

 

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This is a case where digital would make the conversion from a color

positive to a B&W negative (somewhat) easier. Dan Burkholder's Book

on Digital negatives for Contact Printing covers the "how to" of this

process.

Yes it does have a mechanical cable release. It is a socket that is on the right top side of the camera body, right above the camera back lock.

The following link should be of interest to you in the pre-workshop

phase. The link is to a re-print of a LensWork Article on "How to

make a Workshop Work."

 

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http://www.thefstop.com/reference/workshop.html

Well, Ben, you could start off using the same film, chemicals,

processing times and temperatures that you use as school. You could

also ask your photo teacher for suggestions.

 

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The reason I answer this way, is you do not specify black and white,

color, whether you are doing prints or transparencies or your plans

for the resulting images.

 

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This is a good forum with a lot of knowedgable people, but we need

some more information if we are to give you some help.

Fifteen years on a plywood sink covered with fiberglass and epoxy.

Used fiberglass sheet and mixed epoxy just like that for a fiberglass

boat. Still works fine. The only problem is that the wood has

warped some over the years so now the drain is not quite at the

lowest point in the sink.

 

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I might suggest a product called Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty

(honest) as an equivalent product for avoiding the 90 degree angles

between the walls and floor of the sink.

The reason no one talks about the digial negative much is because it

is a great conspiracy to make you buy Dan's book 8)

 

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With flagrant disregard for the vow of secrecy taken by digital

negative makers, here's the process. Get image into computer.

Manipulate in photoshop. Output photoshop file either by printing on

film base with photo printer, or sending to an image setter to let

them create a litho film negative.

 

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It works well. For details, by the book.

.1 over film base plus fog. That, and filling out little notecards on

zone placement for every exposure I made. The first piece gave me

marginal negatives for years, and the second just wasted a lot of

time.

 

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But Ellis, need to do the flip side on another thread - What about the

best advice?

You can use your computer in your quest for larger negatives. Visit

www.danburkholder.com

 

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Alt processes can be expensive (platinum/palladium prints for

example), so if you wish to pursue this wonderful manner of printing,

you should practice with 4 x 5 negatives.

 

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You could also start with something inexpensive, like cyanotypes.

When I started LF photography thirty years ago, if you wanted to learn

the Zone System, you had the original Ansel Adams photo series (if you

remember when those books were about 5 x 7 and half inch thick, you

are OLD) and Fred Picker. The major difference between Fred and Ansel

was that Fred was readable and understandable. That made all the

difference in getting me going in LF. His ability to simplify and his

pragmatic approach to testing was essential in getting me started down

the proper (proof) path.

 

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Rest in peace, Fred.

Curiously enough, I made my first test cyanotypes this weekend. I

used Crane's platinotype paper, and also made a print on a sheet of

paper called "commercial etching" paper (a gift from a person I know

that does photogravures). Both seemed to give nice results. I tried

some post treatment with hydrogen peroxide, but that didn't seem to

change the color too much. Would be interested in hearing how you are

doing.

You would probably have better luck posting this in the Film and

Processing forum. You'd get almost much faster results.

 

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http://greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a.tcl?topic=B%26W%20Photo%20%2d%20Fi

lm%20%26%20Processing

Two days, no answers. You might have better luck in the printing and

finishing forum.

 

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http://greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a.tcl?topic=B%26W%20Photo%20%2d%20Pr

inting%20%26%20Finishing

And with that recessed board, don't forget the angle adapter for the

cable release...

There is no reason why you should not be able to develop multiple

sheets of 8x10 film in a tray. As mentioned earlier, you do need to

figure out the correct amount of developer for the number of square

inches of film to be developed. Or put another way, "How many sheets

of film can be developed in (for example) 2 liters of developer?"

 

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You will need to test development times. I don't know if 4x5

emulsions and 8x10 emulsions are the same.

In the far distant past, we had that similar instant ancestor thing

done. It was polaroid with an aerosol spray that produced a sepia

tone.

 

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The computer sounds like the best bet.