Making Black and White Prints

[darin3200]

I recently picked up a Beseler 23C II enlarger and some Kodak black and white photo paper. I have negatives that are already developed and I just want to make prints. The problem is I am having trouble finding a good guide on how to make prints. How long should the photopaper be exposed, what chemicals do I need to make the prints, etc...

Thanks,

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[KevinR]

This is quite a long answer, because your asking how to set up a darkroom.
You've got a good start witha nice enlarger. What kind of lens does it have?

You need some photo trays to put your chemicals in. Then you need basic chemicals like a print deveploper, stop bath(can be water), fixer, and a wash (again, water)

Get yourself a basic B&W photography book. They will go through the how-to of a darkroom.

Exposure depends on the neg. You want to close down your lens to say f8 or f11 and start at a given time. I use 4sec. I hold a piece of cardboard and expose for 4sec moving the cardboard about 2 inches at a time. That way you have a test that has exposures of say 4,8,12,16,20,24 etc. then from there you have some kind of idea of your exposure time.

Again, this is something that would be covered in a basic photo book.

As you set things up, don't hesitate to ask more questions.

[KevinR]

I couldn't remember the book ksmatt recommended so I found it.

And a thousand times I'll recommend Henry Horenstien's books:

Black and White Photography
Beyond Basic Photography

[ksmattfish]

Assuming you have the light proof room, you'll probably want a safe light. Film must be handled in complete darkness, but you can have a red safelight on when printing.

Tongs are handy for handling the paper in the trays. Use the same tray and tongs for the same chems every time. I think the cheapo bamboo tongs are the best.

Put a neg in the film carrier, a piece of paper in the print easel (save this sheet of paper to focus on next time), and crop and focus your image. Turn off the enlarger. Get a fresh sheet of paper in the easel. Make a test strip like Kevin suggested.

Develop it for whatever your paper manufacturer suggests. Usually around 1 min for RC and 2 min for FB paper. Stop bath for 10 sec or so; I do at least 30 sec if only using water. Fixer and washing time depends on paper and fixer type. Washing is accomplished more by soaking in clean water than moving water, so if you don't have a fancy print washer, you can wash by soaking for 5 min, and then replacing the contaminated water with clean water, repeat as necessary.

Look at the test strip and decide what time looks good, and make a print at this exposure time. Develop like the test strip. It'll probably still need tweaking, but hopefully you'll be close.

[darin3200]

So is it possible to put negatives in the enlarger, make the print, and then just use water and not chemicals?

[KevinR]

No, you need a paper developer if you are using a basic fiber or RC paper.

[ksmattfish]

You can get cyanotype paper that will develop in water, but it's a contact method of printing, so you need a big neg. And it only comes in blue and white.

[darin3200]

Ok, thanks for all the help so far.
I followed the Adorama link on the bottom of the page and currently have in my cart

Adorama Black & White Paper Developer, Quart Bottle Makes 5 Quarts of Working Solution
and
Adorama Universal Fixer for Black & White Film and Paper, 1 Quart makes 1 Gallon
Should I get stop chemicals or anything else?

[KevinR]

I am confused. Do you have a darkroom set up, or do you already have the supplies like trays, tongs, safelight, etc? Beacause you will need something to put the chems in to process the prints. A thermometer is good to have so that your not using a too cold solution. Things will happen real slow if it is too cold.

I use a commercial stop bath. It is cheap, so I want to be sure. You can use water for your stop, just make sure you are changing it pretty often, or you will be dunking your prints in a diluted developer after a while.

[darin3200]

Yes, I have a darkroom set up with a safelight, trays and tongs etc...

[KevinR]

Cool

Then you need to get in on the print exchange.

[ksmattfish]

Adorama Black & White Paper Developer, Quart Bottle Makes 5 Quarts of Working Solution
and
Adorama Universal Fixer for Black & White Film and Paper, 1 Quart makes 1 Gallon
Should I get stop chemicals or anything else?

Get some stop bath.

What kind of paper are you using? Kodak Hypoclear or some other wash aid will come in handy for fiber paper, and film.

Photo flo for clean drying negs.

Jugs to mix the chems.

[darin3200]

Update:
Ok, I got the chemicals and so far I have developed a roll of Kodak T-Max in yogurt containers (it actually worked!) and then I made the chemicals baths and have spent all day making prints and playing around and making contact sheets for all my negatives.

But what do I do with the chemicals in the trays, how many prints should I make with them, how should I store them, and how often should I dispose of them?

Thanks,

[KevinR]

I bought containers at the grocery store. Normally, the ones you get from a photo supply is brown, mine are clear, but nothing I have are exposed to sunlight. I have reused the print chemicals quite often. I keep the film developer for maybe two developings. The stop I use for both. Fixer I reuse alot too. You can get a fixer indicator that when you put some in, it changes color when the fixer is bad.

[Jamesmkc]

I recently picked up a Beseler 23C II enlarger and some Kodak black and white photo paper. I have negatives that are already developed and I just want to make prints. The problem is I am having trouble finding a good guide on how to make prints. How long should the photopaper be exposed, what chemicals do I need to make the prints, etc...

Thanks,


You need a piece of cardboard. Cover the photographic paper with the cardboard. Switch on the enlarger with the timer off. Move the cardboard to the right maybe 20 mm for 5 seconds. Repeat this until the photographic paper has all been exposed in 5 second strips. Develop the paper normally. This is a test print which you can use to determine the best exposure time. As for the chemicals it would be the developer, stop and fix.