The Optical Magic Lantern Journal (October 1889)

38 The Optical Magio Lantern Journal and Photographic Enlarger. Wanted, a Dark Room. MANY a student of photography has sighed for the possession of a dark-room—so easy to dispense with at first, so perfectly indispensable afterwards. Several expedients are resorted to in order to devise what is but a sorry substitute. I once made a temporary one which answered my purpose admirably, and had all the charm of originality. It was constructed with a couple of screens, made of rough light framework, covered with two thicknesses of brown paper, sized and painted to match the wall. They were placed at right angles to each other and stood in a corner of the room, thus forming a square. Of course, they had a few nails to hold them in place, and their junction with wall, floor and ceiling was made light-tight with slips of brown paper. With a table, a few movable shelves, and water brought in through an india-rubber tube, I developed hundreds of negatives, lantern transparencies and bromide enlargements with all the comfort of having a special shrine for my photographic deity. . In constructing the dark room in this simple manner, that fold of the screen which forms the door should shut into a framework formed of slips of wood in such a manner as to trap the light. I always object to being closeted with a malodorous lamp. This is easily avoided by placing the lamp on _a Shelf outside a sheet of ruby glass let in the framework, It is a great convenience to be able to leave the room in case of protracted development, &c., and double doors may be used for this purpose; but by having a small box to fit over developing trays, one can go in and out at pleasure. I have been induced to jot down these few lines because I know so many amateurs who regard a dark room as being as unattainable as a good studio, instead of which a “handy” man will find it within the scope of a few hours’ work. Cuas. A. PALMER. —— > + —__ How | Make Lantern Transparencies. I WISH to describe pro b070 publico how I made at a small cost a transparency camera by which I can make lantern slides from half-plate negatives without any kind of adjustment or focusing being required. Thad constructed for me by our village carpenter a common deal box without ends, of the following external dimensions : Gin. high, Sin. deep, and 2oin. long. At one end I fixed two grooved strips of wood capable of allowing a negative 4}in. by 6kin. to slide in; then at ten inches from this end I inserted a piece of wood in such a manner as to divide the box into two divisions. The lens of 4}in. focus was cemented into one end (convex surface out) of a piece of tube one inch long, a stop of one-eighth of an inch being placed in the other end. This I inserted in a hole in the centre of the division, which was then fixed, after having made the distance between the convex surface of the lens and the negative equal to ro}tin., the lens end of the mount being nearest to the negative. I proceeded to fit another division about two inches from the other end ; this division has an aperture in the centre, three inches square. I then attached a small strip of grooved wood at the lower portion of this opening, and at the upper side I also attached a grooved strip of wood, but the groove in this case was twice as deep as that at the lower portion of the aperture. The measurement must be such that the distance of a sensitive plate inserted in these grooves will measure eight and one-tenth inches from the convex side of the lens. When this was completed [ made a door to close this end of the box, and in order toensure it fitting so as to exclude all light, I tacked a piece of cloth edge around it. Having finished all the woodwork I gave the whole thing a coating of black varnish, both inside and out. When I wish to make a lantern transparency I slide my negative in at the one end, and, in the dark room, insert the sensitive plate at the other under the upper groove, and then set it upon the lower one, shut the door and go out into the ordinary light and expose. I use a small stop in the lens for the two-fold purpose of ensuring sharpness and allowing me sufficient time to make an exposure. The achromatic lens, which I obtained unmounted, cost four shillings ; I paid the carpenter one shilling for supplying the wood and making the hox. Estimating the other sundries at twopence, the whole outfit has cost me five shillings and twopence. ANDREW C. COLE. ++ Titi following are the judges’ awards in the Newcastleon-Tyne and Northern Counties Photographic Association Lantern Slide Competition : Section A.—Open to all professionals and amateurs in the world. One silver and one bronze medal, presented by the president, A. S. Stevenson, Esq., J.P., Tynemouth, for not less than twenty-four slides. Silver medal, John W. Wade, 14, Ridgefield, Manchester ; bronze medal, Cyril Frith, Brightlands, Reigate. Section B. —Open to amateur members only of the Newcastle-on-Tyne and Northern Counties Photozraphic Association. One silver and one bronze medal, presented by J. P. Gibson, Esq., Ifexham, vice-president, for the best six slides. Each compelitor may not send more than twelve slides. Silver medal, Edgar G. Lee, 11, Beverley-terrace, Cullercoats; bronze medal, Henry R. Procter, 38, Percy-park, Tynemouth. The judges were Messrs. John G. Allison, P. M. Laws, and C. J. Spence. me aa.