A friend of mine keeps inviting me to his darkroom facilities at one of the colleges on campus, but he doesn't have any 6x7 negative carriers (6x6 is the biggest). My camera club would obviously not be too thrilled if I borrowed the only 6x7 carrier they have. Could I sandwich my neg between two contact sheet glasses? Would there be contrast/flare/etc. problems? I wouldn't want to bring all my chemistry/paper/etc. across campus for nothing...shawn

-- shawn gibson (SeeInsideForever@yahoo.com), January 06, 2000

Answers

Hi Shawn,

This certainly works, depending on the enlarger- it has to fit in the slot!. I use two sheets of plain glass, with a tape hinge. You should stone the edges to avoid cuts and neg damage if they hang over. No, it's not as good as a properly designed glass negative carrier with anti-newton ring glass, but it's quite servicable. You should make a mask to prevent excess light from getting around the outside of the neg. This will reduce flare.

-- Conrad Hoffman (choffman@rpa.net), January 06, 2000.

Hi Conrad, thanks. What do you mean my a mask, tape the edges?

-- shawn gibson (SeeInsideForever@yahoo.com), January 07, 2000.

my=by (o my...). shawn

-- shawn gibson (SeeInsideForever@yahoo.com), January 07, 2000.

Hi. The mask can just be a piece of black construction paper or black photo tape placed on top of the sandwich. It should have a hole about the size of the negative. This prevents a flood of white light from getting around the neg and possibly degrading the print. I don't put any tape between the glass, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good idea. It might take some pressure off the neg and reduce newton rings (odd, I never have 'em) or make damage less likely. I do tape the back to form a hinge, but even that isn't necessary. It just keeps me from dropping things when I'm getting it ready to print.

-- Conrad Hoffman (choffman@rpa.net), January 07, 2000.