The Optical Magic Lantern Journal (January 1891)

The Optical Magio Lantern Journal and Photographio Enlarger. 73 The cornfort of using both eyes for the purpose | and in the manner described can be appreciated only by those who try it. The lenses should be fitted at the end of an enclosed box of sufficient width, the other end being fitted with any suitable lantern carrier that pro vides for the exhibition of a succession of slides; outside of this should be placed a piece of flashed opal to provide a suitable background for the pictures. 10: Hints on Enlarging. By A. R. DRESSER. CHAPTER III. Now, having described the apparatus required, [ will speak of enlarging direct on bromide paper through the camera. The work is really the same as described before, only bromide paper is used instead of glass. Take a piece of clean glass, free from scratches and marks, and put in the holder where sensitized plate ordinarily goes; then ‘on it place a sheet of bromide paper, and over that, a piece of cardboard to keep it flat. After closing the back, all is ready for exposure. By employing this means you are unable todo combination printing, but you can double print—that is, put in clouds. Of this, however, I shall speak later on. I ama great advocate for enlarging in this way. When one gets excerienced, failures are rare, and besides, double printing can be done, or any dodging or shading of the negative in parts it may require. The greatest advantage of all is that camera and stand can be worked in any ordinary room, and that the same outfit will do either for enlarging or reducing. When enlarging, the lens is close to the plate; and if working in an ordinary room, or even out of doors, all that is necessary is to throw a dark cloth over the front to protect the lens from any stray light, and do the dodging and vignetting at the back of the negative. The exposure which will be required depends to a yreat extent on the negative and stop used. I enlarged |-plate up to 15 x 12, my window facing W. (with a tin reflector outside at an angle of 45 degs.), using a Beck 8x 10 RR., F 22, and Fry’s Argentoty pe Bromide I gave nine minutes, the negative being a fair one, but certainly not thin. On a fine summer day three minutes would be enough. ; The next plan is enlarging by throwing the image on a screen, the same as whenusing an enlarging lantern. Here a dark room is required, as one is not able to work where there is any white light. If the dark room is a fairly large one, 8it. or toft. in length, it is very easy to rig up an enlarging camera to work this way, and at a small cost, as almost any camera and lens can be employed ; but a good portrait lens (4-plate) works best, and gives all that is required. Supposing one has a dark room large enough to work in, it is necessary to cut a hole in the wall facing N. or W.. and place a camera against it, excluding all light excepting that which comes through the lens The drawing (Fig. 5) explains what I mean. Aisa hole cut in the wall, with a camera placed against it, excluding all light, except that which comes through the lens. It can be made to fit in a groove, and the carriers for the negatives fastened in the hole in the wall (behind the camera), but whichever way the camera is fixed, allowance must be made to get at the : negative, so as to put in a sky negative when one requires to double print. To do this I fix a frame of carriers in the wall, flush with the front, or nearly so, and then nail two pieces of grooved wood (AA) in Fig. 6, on which I have a board (BBBB), to which is fastened my camera (C) in a manner that it will not move. The board holding the camera moves up and down, so I can, by lifting the board up, fasten it on a nail with a piece of string, and can then readily get at my negative D. and when the board is let down again— if it is made square—all will be in register. So that for printing on sky, after focussing. I take the view negative out, put in a sky one, give the required exposure, then lift up the board the camera is on, take out sky negative, replace with view negative, and give the exposure required. The manner! prevent light getting on the paper [ will explain when I come to that part of the enlarging apparatus. To returnto Fig. 5. Procure a long board or table, with grooved pieces of wood, on which is an easel or board to throw the enlargement on (see B, Fig. 5). Now, here there are various ways of working. One can use a frame, as shown in the drawing. to pin the paper upon, or else an easel, as sold at the various photo dealers, but if so you are zxad/e to do double printing. and it is this point I referred to above when I said I would explain how I kept the light from getting to the bromide paper. I have an easel that can be moved back and forwards to do the focussing on, on which I have fastened the back of a 15 « 12 camera—that is to say, the part that holds the ground glass and the dark slide —so all one has to do is to buy any old camera at auction, the size required to work up to—viz., § X fo, 1o » (2, or 15 X 12—and use the dark slides and ground glass for putting on the easel as shown. The great advantages of so doiny will be apparent, and the cost is next to nothing, for if one Fic. 6.