Having read most of the reference books on currently alternative photo
processes that I can find in the area, I feel almost ready to plunge into
the world of 8x10 contact printing, using the british-made paper available
through B&S.
Since I have had little success finding all of the information in one place,
I'd like to post these directions, hoping to be corrected where I am in error.
1 Take my 120 b&w negative (which hopefully meets the requirements for
a proper negative in this post-Zone System era) and have a 3.5x enlargement
copy made of it on 8x10 film, assuming no cropping. Have the negative
overdeveloped by ~60%.
2. Place sheet of gelatin contact paper carefully on my ad hoc contact
printer, without touching it with my fingers.
3. Put clean mylar sheet over this contact paper, emulsion side up.
4. Put negative, emulsion side down, on mylar sheet. Check for good
registration.
5. Close contact frame.
6. Either wait until May for sunlight (I live in Seattle) or turn on
light source over frame. (I am open to suggestions for tubes, sources, and
sizes, preferably something that won't break the budget. Can I use aquarium
grow lights? Sodium lights? How many lumens do I need at a distance of two
feet?)
7. Inspect every eight or so minutes until the image emerges.
8. Once image is sufficiently dense, remove sheet from frame, again
without touching the paper with my fingers.
9. Rinse contact print in plain water @ 19 C. in tray for about one
minute, until the water is no longer milky. Ignore color changes.
10. Place contact print in tray with selenium toner solution, gold toner
solution, or sepia toner solution per directions on package.
11. Fix with non-hardening hypo in tray for five (?) minutes.
12. Rinse for between five and sixty minutes, depending on whether or
not a washing aid is used.
13. Either hang to dry, place in blotter book, or in drying rack.
14. Mount print in some fashion.
How'd I do?
Thanks
Gordon Cooper
Seattle, WA