Red filter for enlarger?

Don Simon · Aug 29, 2005

Hi, um I feel stupid now... I can't remember the technical name for it. Anyway, the red filter that swings under the enlarger lens so you can focus with the paper on the easel. Can you buy them separately? I have a Fujimoto enlarger that has the holder for this filter but not the filter itself. The filter holder is hardly a miracle of modern engineering - it's just a metal ring; no screw thread, nothing except for a couple of tiny 'bits' sticking out presumably to hold the glass in. The LPL enlargers I'm used to using have a 'proper' filter holder; this sees to be simply a receptacle into which you stick a circular piece of glass. So I'm not sure what I'm looking for here - just a red piece of glass the right size to fit in the holder, or something more specific? Thanks in advance.

terri · Aug 29, 2005

I'd do a google search on your enlarger model and check what accessories fit it, like the filter size that will fit in your holder. You can probably find something that will work; then hit ebay to see if you can find it cheaply.

If I had to choose which to hunt for, I'd definitely rather hunt the filter than the custom holder for the enlarger. :thumbup:

If possible get the whole kit. Those step-up filters are nice to have for good control, and you'd be well served to have some yellow, too, though you probably wouldn't need it as much.

Don Simon · Aug 30, 2005

Thanks for the advice Terri - I'm only using it for b&w and am usually happy with the C/M/Y filters on the enlarger; all I want the red one for is so I can focus with the paper on the easel. It looks like I might be able to pick up some generic filter holder to go with it, or possibly improvise one as long as I can find a suitable red filter. If I can replace the holder that's on the enlarger, that might actually be a good thing - while the rest of it's built like a tank, the filter holder is incredibly flimsy; I managed to bend it while unpacking the enlarger, and then bent it back into shape with very little effort and without the help of Uri Geller. Annoying little thing - the filter holder, not Uri Geller

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terri · Aug 30, 2005

I'm just now re-reading your post. I confess I've never focused on the paper using any filtration, so I didn't really follow along - thought you just had a filter holder and no filters for your enlarger.

But again, I've always used a dummy paper and focused on it, setting on White and a wide open aperture, just using the grain focuser (and mine is one cheap piece of crap). Then I shut everything down and put in the paper, with whatever filtration I want dialed in.

So what is the advantage to focusing with the red filter? :scratch: Just to avoid swapping out the dummy sheet? Am I missing something more?

ksmattfish · Aug 30, 2005

terri said:
So what is the advantage to focusing with the red filter? :scratch: Just to avoid swapping out the dummy sheet? Am I missing something more?

To avoid messing with the easel is one reason, although I use a heavy easel, and a similar technique as Terri (with a dummy sheet).

The main advantage is when you are using a hot light enlarger and medium or large format film. The heat from the bulb can actually cause the big piece of film to warp or pop slightly, throwing the focus off. The solution is to leave the bulb on for 30 sec or so before focusing, and then never turn it off until the exposure is finished. If you turn the bulb off to switch out the paper, the neg may cool and move, and then heat up and move again when you turn the bulb back on. Of course this isn't very good for making a sharp print.