dean_lastoria

You guys know more about this stuff than me. I'll follow the

discusion to its new home, and I'll pop a cheque in the mail to where

ever it needs to go. Though I think if there is a charge, there

should be a 6 month window for new people -- this is a great resourse

and I think memebership fees might seal it up. So, if possible,

please try to keep it open.

Dean

What I would like is a reason to pick up your magazine when I don't

even have time to read it. The first two years I read your magazine I

didn't even begin to undertand thoes articles on doing some

complicated procedure or other -- now I go back and read them and I

now they are there. If I am too tired or busy to read, I must pick it

up for my archive and I will read it in six months. For the last near

on year, there has been none of this in your magazine. I don't want

to keep an archive of digital gizmoes that will be obsolete. Your

magazine was a reference book bought monthly, now it is a "Dr.

Tomorow" flyer.

Dean Lastoria

Try a Wollensak Verito. As for starting sharp and fuzing in the

darkroom later, that is a preconception that is based on all that f64

bias. A soft focus lens will 1) have a range of in focus, not just an

out of focus, 2) the light spreads in the opposite direction. Mann

uses junk lenses wich are a little different from the Verito's, but

using taking one element out of a lens and shooting wide open will

have some of the same results. It has to be wide open to keep the

aberations. Use neutral density filters to slow the exposures, not

coloured ones as that will reduce chromatic aberations. You could

also try pin-hole. Camille, Mann's work is amazing and it is not in

the area that most LF photographers are used to, so be carefull of

sugestions like "Kick your enlarger" it will not do what Mann does.

Dean

Adrian:

Your post is going up on my darkroom wall. Thank you very much.

Dean

I'll try the tape -- never thought of trimming it down with a razor --

makes sence though. I'd use an enlarger for them, but I've only got

a 2x2 enlarger that makes a great light source (choice between 4x5

enlarger and 8x10 camera, I chose the camera -- at it's best

photograpy is a contact sport). Thanks for the help, there just

doesn't seem to be much info on contact anywhere, so all your ideas

are most apreciated.

Dean

Hi: I'm about to contact print this year's Christmas cards, and I'll tell you my process from last time: 1) place paper, 2) place negative, 3) place glass on top 4) zap with enlarger 5) remove glass at which time 4-5 specks of dust settle on the negative, it slides off the glass, sometimes bouncing onto the floor, where I step on it, pick it up getting finger prints over the sneaker marks and grinding in the dirt, 6) repeat. I then tried putting it in a negative sleeve, and taping it to the glass but now I have 8 dust surfaces. I've tried scotch tape onto the glass, but it shows a bit.

<p>

Here's my idea, could I glue the negative onto the glass (assuming I have a second one and am willing to loose the neg after I'm done) Maybe clear nailpollish, rubber cement? then I'd be back to 2 dust surfaces and I'd stop stepping on the neg. any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Dean

Look up www.graflex.org -- it'll be your best start.

Dean

I don't know about subsea, but if it is a Graflex 23 back, then you

must wind out (assuming knob) the clockwork, then line the arrow on

the film with the white line. Then, put it up to your ear and set the

knob with the nubers till you hear two clicks. Again, if it is an

older graflex like the two 23's I have, you should run it through to

see which frames overlap. THe last two tend to overlap by 1/4" then

1/2" -- and it would be a shame o be underwater when it happens --

can you take a grafic underwater? Good luck.

Dean

OK, wife drags me to quilting show. Machine quilted quilts have

better stitching, no doubt, but they tend to look awful. Hand

stitching is a bit messier, but boy the whole thing looks better. If

you hand stitch a quilt, you aren�t going to use gaudy fabric. Carry

over to photography, my 8x10 may be a pain in the neck (but much less

than a queen size hand quilted epic) and because it is so much work

to lug, develop, and contact print, I'm going to take much more care

in what I do. The sewing machine didn't kill hand stitching, though I

imagine digital will have the same impact as the sewing machine.

Dean

Richard mentioned woodwork and craftmanship; Raven wanted to know

about availabity: the intersection of these can be seen by walking

into a Home Depot.

<p>

I went into the "tool coral" and asked for a coping saw. I got the

same dumb, rodent staring at a dinosaur, look I get when I go into

the middle end photo chain-store and ask for a roll of 120 FP4. I go

to the big two stores in my area and ask for a box of 4x5 film and I

might just as well ask for a cabinet scraper at Home Depot -- even if

they find it, will I get an ounce of usefull advise? No.

I think we will still be able to get quality products at reasonable

prices, but it will be mailorder or we have to drive a long long way,

and then it will be a pleasuer to talk to someone who knows

something. We just won't be able to run to the mall if we run out.

I've harnessed 8 spiders to pull ... never mind. There are these 8"

long triangles that sit against the wall and have pheremone bait in

them. The spiders go in and stick. Non-toxic. 5 to a pack. Great in

the dark room where the cats can't get to them.

Dean

I don't know. It looks a bit weird, but I figured it might triger

someone's brain. I figured you strap that puppy on an 8x10 and you'd

have OKis results, though I'm not up to the experiment.

Dean

I'm afraid of electronics, but I came across this and thought someone might find it interesting. The guy made a scanning back out of a flatbet scanner.

<p>

http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/text-better-scanner-cam.html

I would think if you more as an Editor, than a censor. The archive is

an anthology, and should be purged of trivia in any form. If you cut

something, we can alway ask again.

<p>

I'd like to also thank you, Mr. Editor, for this forum.

Dean

Are you using some massive film size? or just 4x5 8x10. If you're a

11x14 guy, disregard my answer. If you're smaller, that film is

pretty thick -- and spraymount seems to me would attract more dust

than improve picture quality, not to mention how you'd get it of the

back and soak out the anti-halation coating??? I've never had problem

with flatnes, but I'm not as picky as most. On the other hand, I've

had some problem with dust (not that much) and with residual anti-

halation and both of thoes kill a picture more than a wee bit out of

focus here or there.

Dean

There are "one shot" developers like Ilfosol and Rodinol, which you

use once and chuck out -- Much easier to start. Then there are things

like D-76 which you can use over and over ading just a bit of time

with each roll. The second type have capacities which the

manufacturers publish on the bottle/envelope. I'd stick with one-shot

to start, easier and reliable. If you want to do two rolls at once,

maybe think about getting a bigger tank and using twice as much one-

shot.

Dean

My guy is Equinox. I just got a board from him 2 months ago. He's got

lots and is friendly and knows his stuf. Never a problem.

http://www.equinoxphotographic.com/

His new adress -- Just e-mail him what you want.

Dean

Aaron Sussman's Amature Photographer's Handbook has a good, detailed,

yet easy to read section on this, and everything. I think it's a must

have -- older, but a copy is in every library and there's always one

at a used bookstore. It's got a basic solid answer for everything

(excpet digital!!) with diagrams and photo exampels.

<p>

Honestly though, I've got some lenses that got 50 to near 100 years

and they had thoes things figured out way back then -- the best

you're gonna get to unerstand it is a diagram becase you really can't

see it -- in the practical level.

Dean

Model airplane plywood is great -- laminate a few sheets cut with an

olfa knife. First sheet bigger than the next two. There seem to be

two grades of this ply in the 1/8th inch. One is translucent and it

is cheeper, so get the expencive one. I wouldn't want to use a router

on a 6" by 6" piece of stock when I can laminate to the same end. If

you do route then watch your fingers.

Dean

If it has an "X" sync, you want it, if it has an "FP" or "F" sync or

some other thing which "Bulb" leads me to wonder about you don't. The

bulb could just mean you can leave the shutter open, which is fine.

Anyhow, if it doesn't have an "X" on the flash plug in area, then it

is probably for flash bulbs which fire before the shutter opens. It

means you can't use flash unless you fire it with the shutter open.

Just ask if it is sync'd for electronic flash, or flash bulbs. It

migh be worth it withouth sync, but at least you'll know.

Dean

I read about a dog named "Focus". I'm a pretty big guy, I don't like

standing alone either (and in peaceful Canada too). It's a tough

trick, but has anyone managed to train their dogs to just sit nice

for the 1/2 hour it takes -- you know, without stealing the

darkcloth, chewing the tri-pod, or burrying the spotmeter? It doesn't

take much dog sound an alarm when someone walks up behind you though.

I'm in the middle of the experiment, but a 1yr old 70lb dog (who I

thought was supposed to be a "gundog" hunting dog)is not in the LF

mode yet.

Dean

To finish my experiment. I tried 6 min in Ilfosol tray processing the

roll by see-sawing in the 8x10 tray -- the 110 film sits nicely in

the slots at the bottom of the tray. 6 min was too much. The problem

seemed to be the anti-halation coating on the back which was quite

dence and didn't clear. I think it may not have been a coating

though, because it looks exactly the same as the silver on the front.

<p>

Anyhow, if you burn through it with an enlarger, you get a decent

picture with 35 seconds wide open for a 5x7. It clearly shows all

parts of the image, including my finger over 1/4 of the shot,

fingernail marks on the negitive, and a real thumb print down in the

corner. I think i gota work on dextarity.

Dean

Thanks, I'll track down a copy.

Dean

View Camera's Platinum issue like 6 mos, or a year ago has a nice

story of a guy who does triptychs -- He says to not bother trying to

make them fit as they won't. The triptychs I've done never fit

anyhow, so I like his idea of letting your mind sew them together

rather than looking for the problems. Though a triptych and a

panorama are different I suppose.

Dean

So, I'm feeling lazy (flu you know) and I'm in the library at lunch and I see this book; Monobath Manual by Haist. I think that would make life so easy. I contact print 4x5 and 8x10, so I can loose a bit of quality from time to time.

The book talks of specific formula for specific film but was written in 1966 and all but tri-x are dead and I'm sure that has evolved. So, my question is: has anyone tried this, and if anyone has used Haist's MM-1 for HP5/FP4 how did you alter it? And finaly, I've never mixed my own, is there anything I can do that would blow up in my face?

Thanks

Dean