Darkroom on a budget

ashtornquist · Mar 5, 2013

mully, do you still have this equipment you are willing to part with? i am more then willing to pay you something for it and i am located in Raeford NC, just a short drive from you.

ColRay · Mar 17, 2013

" Darkroom on a budget"

how about under $A100.

I picked some old dev trays at the local market . the next I wanted was a large format enlarger, the sad thing is for 20 years I ran a commercial laboratory and owned several enlarger, but when I retired sold the lot. Anyway all the enlargers on eBay where way over my budget so I made my own from plywood for the lens picked up a Russian camera lens on eBay.

techniker · Mar 17, 2013

ColRay said:
" Darkroom on a budget"

how about under $A100.

I picked some old dev trays at the local market . the next I wanted was a large format enlarger, the sad thing is for 20 years I ran a commercial laboratory and owned several enlarger, but when I retired sold the lot. Anyway all the enlargers on eBay where way over my budget so I made my own from plywood for the lens picked up a Russian camera lens on eBay.

Could you post some pics and tell us more? That sounds like a fun project.

ColRay · Mar 17, 2013

Okay this is all the info on my enlarger project..

Stage one : make a mock-up and test print.
Mathematically I know the required dimensions. But the Russian lens I will be using is marked as 210mm . With the Russian Industar lens that could be anywhere around that figure ..So a quick mock-up won't hurt..

photo sharing sites
I exposed a very rough test print with the cardboard enlarger, it's just under 5x7.

ColRay · Mar 17, 2013

Let's start by drawing some plans.. so rough I won't post them .
Normally enlargers have a fixed base board and a head that can move. Because of a couple of factors dark room space/size I will be printing. I'm thinking outside the circle.

Rather than spend many hours making bellows, the focusing be done by a sliding inner box.
When cutting the negative holder my router slipped. So the gap will be filled with epoxy resin :lol:

ColRay · Mar 17, 2013

Not sure how this will work.. If in doubt give it a GO!
Because the lens hasn't any locking ring
I thought this may work.
Cut a hole in plywood with a tank saw
Coat the inside of the hole with resin screw in the lens
Now I hope when the resin sets it will form a thread.
Fingers crossed.

Like topsy ...
A Draw for multi contrast filters
B Negative holder
C Lamp House
D Bogging ... will look okay after sanding
E I'm lazy shouldn't have use the on-board flash

ColRay · Mar 17, 2013

This is the basic layout , as I have already stated not like the modern enlargers, but on the lines of what the photographic pioneers would have used. The colour stain is looking better I think I have replicated that aged look :-D
A is the lens
B the paper will go here
Now I must work out some runner system.. thinking cap on!

ColRay · Mar 17, 2013

I have just made the first couple of test prints.
Conclusion :
On Foma multi grade ( G3 filter) The tonal range is far better that those digital scanned negatives .
Sharpness the results look better a than the DS.
Because the enlarger is using soft light ..zero dust spots
Couple on downsides:
Focusing isn't that easy . I'm thinking about adding a geared wheel.
Didn't get the magnification quite right. The size range I wanted was from just under 5x4'' - just over 10x8'' . It ended up okay for 5x4 but a tad under 10x8.

Negatives taken with homemade pinhole camera