contact printing light sources

[casper24]

I just acquired and 8x10 camera and intend to make contact prints from the negatives. Can anyone suggest an appropriate light source for printing that won't expose the image unevenly? I don't have access to an enlarger.

[TPF Sponsor]

[Mike_E]

" I don't have access to an enlarger."

Sure you do, you've got an 8X10 enlarger. Think it through.

Welcome to the forum by the way.

[Torus34]

I use a simple 7W night light suspended about 3' above the working surface. Exposure times run about 15 sec. using enlarging [not contact] paper. I use this set-up for proof sheets of b&w negs.

You will run into a problem with this set-up if you are using variable contrast paper. A night light is far 'yellower' [lower color temperature] than enlarger bulbs, so the paper will go 'soft.' You can easily get around this by using graded papers.

There is an article on contact printing here on this site.

[JC1220]

Use a simple reflective clamp light with an R40 flood bulb suspended above your printing area about +/- 3 feet. Rig it to be raised or lowered and/or with a dimmer switch to control output, this should provide good even coverage. Get the lowest wattage available for enlarging paper. I use a 300 watt bulb for silver chloride paper, Kodak Azo or the new Lodima, both are hard to find now, but there should be a new run of the Lodima Fine Art paper soon.

[casper24]

Thanks, guys, for your suggestions. These are fascinating because of their wide variation. I'm beginning to see some ways to go about this.