Personal Movies (1933)

OCTOBER, 1933 249 Helpful Hints for the Amateur )y M. Luther Keagy To Sharpen Blade on Print Trimmer Clean the blade and straight-edge thoroughly then rub a slight coating of paraffine wax along edge of both the blade and straight-edge. Usually this will make it cut like new. How to Strip Emulsion from Glass Plates Place the plate in ice water for 8 to 10 seconds. Then lay flat on a towel or blotter, blotting up the surplus water. Be careful not to rub. Then start to roll up the emulsion from the corners of the plate. You will find it an easy matter to peel the emulsion off without any trouble. Retouching Your Negatives Sometimes amateur photographers find it necessary to remove harsh lines and spots on negatives in making portraits. With a little practice this can soon be mastered by anyone who is the least bit skilled with pen or pencil. Three things are necessary — a small amount of retouching fluid, a suitable pencil, and a little patience. For the average use I would suggest a 2H KohI-Noor pencil. Eastman retounching fluid can be obtained at most photographic supply stores and is excellent for this purpose. First take a small tuft of cotton and moisten it slightly with the retouching fluid. Then apply fluid to the film side of negative on the portion which is to be retouched. This gives the negative a "tooth" enabling it to take the lead or graphite from the pencil quickly and smoothly. It is advisable to sharpen the pencil to an almost needle point because the retouching in most cases must be done very lightly. It is a good idea for the beginner to practice on old discarded negatives, making contact prints now and then to check results. After the negative has been prepared with the retouching fluid, begin lightly to touch up the transparent spots. It is advisable to work very, very slowly at first. Too much pressure on the pencil will cause white spots to appear. Some workers use india ink for retouching with a very small brush. However, for the amateur it is advisable to try the pencil first. In case you have retouched a negative too heavy or made an error which you wish to correct, the retouching fluid may be removed by flowing the negative with denatured alcohol. After this has been done and the negative is dry, you can then start all over again. Like other arts where a certain amount of skill is required, retouching necessitates more or less practice to become proficient. Making Slides in Holder Easy to Withdraw or Replace If the slide in your film or plate holder sticks or is difficult to withdraw, first smoothe the rough edge down with a bit of fine emery paper then apply a small amount of paraffine wax around the extreme edge of the slide by rubbing. Making Your Own Reflectors Do not throw away the silver foil that the manufacturer places around your film for protection. By saving this and pasteing several sheets on a large piece of card board you can make a very efficient reflector to be used in conjunction with either Photoflood or daylight illumination for both personal movies and portraiture in the home. To Prevent Glass Stopper in Bottles from Sticking Clean off the stopper thoroughly, then lightly grease with a small amount of vaseline. Often paraffine can also be used to an advantage. Mercury Intensifier Bleach the negative to be intensified m the following solution: Potassium Bromide % oz. Mercuric Chloride % oz. Water to make 32 ozs. After negative has been bleached in the above, wash thoroughly for about 10 minutes. The negative is then placed in a Sodium Sulphite solution which consists of the following: Sodium Sulphite 1 oz. Water 9 ozs. Wash for about 1 5 minutes then dry. The above process will usually "snap up" a flat negative considerably. Diffused Enlargements In making enlargements you can accomplish many degrees of diffusion by usinsj different meshes of wire screen. A very fine copper or aluminum mesh will give a beautiful diffused effect. It is suggested that various meshes be tried to obtain the desired degree of diffusion. A H andy Device for "Dodging" Enlargements Dodging enlargements, or holding back the shadows is a stunt which must often be resorted to. A handy device for local or spot dodging may be made by taking a wire about two feet in length and at one end make a complete circle and a half about two inches in diameter. This circle is a sort of a spiral clamp which is to be used for a holder for dodging screens. These screens may be made from either extremely dense cut films which have been discarded or red or amber celluloid. These pieces of film or celluloid should be cut into various sizes and shapes. In dodging, the screen is simply slipped into the circular clamp, which is used as a holder. The long wire handle serves as a means of manipulating to the best advantage. By using amber screens the image may be observed through the screen, making it possible to clearly ascertain the extent of the area covered. Local Reducing Here is a method of local reduction for negatives which may be used to an advantage in some cases. However, as in all retouching which involves the physical altering of the negative a certain amount of care and caution must be exercised. Take a small portion of floor wax — say about one-fourth ounce, and mix thoroughly with powdered flour of emery. This should be completely mixed to an even consistency. Apply this as an abrasive with the end of the finger. Rub gently with a circular motion until the parts are reduced sufficiently. Separation of Alcohol from Water Where alcohol is used for acceleration in drying of negativess it soon becomes weak with water. To restore its strength or to separate the alcohol from the water, place a small quantity of dry potassium carbonate in the bottle, shake thoroughly and let it stand for a while. The carbonate will absorb the water which remains at the bottom of the bottle allowing the alcohol to be poured off.