The Darkroom Cookbook Forum

Kimberly wrote: Hi. This barely falls under equipment, but I've been looking for a better squeegee for selective bleaching and keep hearing that windshield wiper blades are the best option these days. Can anyone advise? As in do I just use the blade as is or is it kind of a DIY type thing? Btw, sorr...

sanchell wrote: Litmus paper is not a very precise testing method - it will provide you with a ball park figure. What I would like to ask is why you wish to use supermarket grade carbonate? The important difference between supermarket and photo quality is the purity of the carbonate. S/m quality is ...

robert.frase wrote: I was curious also about the small vacuum you carry. I had searched a few months ago but haven't been able to find one that wasn't meant for a home. What you are looking for is a 3M SV-497AJM Service Vacuum. I first saw these years ago carried by most copy machine repairman. They...

Hi Robert. . . We are just cleaning up film from our last road trip, 30 days is the time we are usually out. We will bring back over 100 8x10's and 4x10's. . . maybe two dozen 11x14 and 8x20 to process. We carry empty film boxes to unload into. The boxes are labeled for N, N+ as you say. Be meticulo...

Hi Robert. . . great to see you on here! What size frame are you looking for? Personally, I have never owned a new printing frame. The ones I have are all very old. They don't get used much, since we use a vacuum frame most of the time. Wish I could be of more help. Steve has more experience with th...

Steve, I have to agree that of all of the Pyro film developers we have used, the Sandy King PyorCat HD is the most stable, easy to use and our preferred film developer. Instead of going on and on here, if you are interested in what I have learned, drop by our BLOG and do a search for PYRO. . . http:...

sanchell wrote: You should contact Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee, http://www.michaelandpaula.com. They are perhaps the number one experts when it comes to AZO. I have used their Amidol formulas and others. Had mixed results. Azo does not do well in some developers. It likes to turn green. Amido...

Ever wonder how this amazing darkroom safelight works?



http://jbhphoto.com/blog/2015/06/21/tho ... elight-sox

Anyone using selective bleaching? My wife and I both use the technique when we feel it will enhance a finished print. Here are a couple of BLOG entries that outline what we do. . . http://jbhphoto.com/blog/2012/09/02/a-little-selective-bleaching http://jbhphoto.com/blog/2012/09/16/selective-bleaching/

nikontim wrote: looking forward to so 8x10 contact printing, I'll be shooting 8x10 VC paper as my negative material and prints . . . so I'll be watching this JB Personally I have never made paper negatives, but I have seen some beautiful images that others have done. The paper is very slow, so you w...

RichKlein wrote: Not yet, but I'd like to be! Please do share your knowledge. Contact printing isn't difficult. . . in fact, it is quite easy. If you print on graded paper all you need is a printing frame or sheet of glass and a bare lamp. Little more complex using VC papers but definitely doable. W...

Anyone else using PPPD (Pyro Plus Paper Developer) formulated by Donald Miller? I use a modified version that has proven to work very well with Azo. Just curious if anyone else has experimented with this Pyro-based paper developer?

I have been doing nothing but contact printing for about the last 8 years. . . ever since I starting using an 8x10 for my main camera. I also do some 11x14 and it looks like I will be dragging the 16x20 out again. Not sure if I remember how to use an enlarger. Anyone else bitten by the Contact Bug?

Began experimenting with Pyro developers about 10 years ago. We eventually chose Sandy King's PyroCat HD and have never looked back. Staining developers have a uniqueness all their own.

Congratulations! Thanks for your continued support of traditional photographic processes. The DCB is a must have for anyone working in the wet darkroom.