new to this

[ashtornquist]

I have always been interested in photography, unfortunately the community collage where i grew up did not offer a class on developing. I will now have to fend for myself hopefully with a little guidance along the way. I am looking at building my own darkroom with help from

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/darkroom/31053-darkroom-materials-list.html

and i am trying to figure out which enlarger would be best for me. I use 35mm cameras but would like the largest prints possible with 35mm film. I guess my real question is, is there a diagram of a basic enlarger with labeled parts and descriptions of those parts and what they do? I have already purchased (and am waiting for them to arrive) "Black and White Photography: A Basic Manual", and "Beyond Basic Photography: A Technical Manual" as suggested by "ksmattfish" in another post.

I am very much looking forward to the experimentation of developing, and thank you all in advance to any info you may give.

 

[timor]

Hi and welcome. Well the best wait for the book or go there:
http://lit.lzicka.eu/Black.and.White.Photography.(2005),.3Ed.(036373052).LotB.pdf
and start reading as pdf. It will answer a lot of questions. Good luck.

 

[terri]

Hi, if you've bought the Hornstein books, then you will find a chapter on the equipment needed in the darkroom. I believe there is, in fact, a diagram of an enlarger and its parts. If you are sticking with 35mm then you should be fine with a basic enlarger and a 50mm lens. Before you purchase anything, consider that you may eventually want to be able to make prints from 120 film, so you may want an 80mm lens, too. Make sure you get an enlarger that will accept both lenses.

These books have great detail and step by step instructions. Good luck with it, and remember you can always post questions here on the forum, if you can't get information from the books. Have fun!

 

[compur]

I guess my real question is, is there a diagram of a basic enlarger with labeled parts and descriptions of those parts and what they do?

Here is a basic diagram that shows the parts common to most enlargers:

The "height" crank controls the size of the print. The rest of the parts should be self explanatory.

Since you are in the USA I would recommend either a Beseler or Omega enlarger. Both manufacturers are still in business and parts and accessories are easy to find.