I got one figured out !

Hello all,

I was fortunate enough today to ruin a negative completely. Now while
that may sound terrible, at least I had one now that I could use to
practise loading and unloading with. Today, I had the same jamming
trouble when attempting to reinsert the dark slide. After completely
ruining one negative and pretty much ruining a second with exposure to
daylight, I've figured out that I was getting the negatives under the
lower rail, but I wasn't pushing them all the way to the bottom of the
groove. The trap door would still close and the dark slide would go in
because I was holding the trap door shut, but once in the camera, the
negative would pop out.

I feel better now, and have one negative hanging to dry to see how I did
with focus and movement in the camera/tripod arrangement. If they are
ok, then I have two things figured out.

I also got the ash that I'm going to use for the front and rear
standards on my home-brew 8x10 planed to thickness today. I'm pretty
pleased with being able to use this ash as it came from a house that my
Grandparents lived in. The 100+ year old house was in North Gower
Ontario, and was the floor and ceiling wall trim in the summer kitchen
before my Dad and Grandpa (and I) converted it to a downstairs bedroom.
We salvaged that wood probably 30+ years ago and I've been storing it
ever since, waiting for a good use for it.

More to follow !!

(Pretty boring stuff for most of y'all I'm sure, but very exciting for
me :-) !)

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)

John Bartley wrote:

Hello all,

I was fortunate enough today to ruin a negative completely.
(Pretty boring stuff for most of y'all I'm sure, but very exciting for
me :-) !)

:-D .
http://www3.sympatico.ca/oldrad/Phot...0040702-sm.jpg :-D

Number three died - this is number four.

Please ignore the computer ruination of the scan during the resize - my
son has offered to teach this old lad "how to" later on.

cheers eh?

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)

I've figured out that I was getting the negatives under the
lower rail, but I wasn't pushing them all the way to the bottom of the
groove.

If you've solved the problem that's good, but what groove are you referring
to?

"John Bartley" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

I was fortunate enough today to ruin a negative completely. Now while
that may sound terrible, at least I had one now that I could use to
practise loading and unloading with. Today, I had the same jamming
trouble when attempting to reinsert the dark slide. After completely
ruining one negative and pretty much ruining a second with exposure to
daylight, I've figured out that I was getting the negatives under the
lower rail, but I wasn't pushing them all the way to the bottom of the
groove. The trap door would still close and the dark slide would go in
because I was holding the trap door shut, but once in the camera, the
negative would pop out.

I feel better now, and have one negative hanging to dry to see how I did
with focus and movement in the camera/tripod arrangement. If they are
ok, then I have two things figured out.

I also got the ash that I'm going to use for the front and rear
standards on my home-brew 8x10 planed to thickness today. I'm pretty
pleased with being able to use this ash as it came from a house that my
Grandparents lived in. The 100+ year old house was in North Gower
Ontario, and was the floor and ceiling wall trim in the summer kitchen
before my Dad and Grandpa (and I) converted it to a downstairs bedroom.
We salvaged that wood probably 30+ years ago and I've been storing it
ever since, waiting for a good use for it.

More to follow !!

(Pretty boring stuff for most of y'all I'm sure, but very exciting for
me :-) !)

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)

Vladamir30 wrote:

If you've solved the problem that's good, but what groove are you referring
to?


In the holders that I am using, the dark slide runs in and out on one
groove molded into the plastic, and just "below" that is the groove that
the negative slides into. On these holders, as you slide the negative to
the bottom of it's holder, the bottom of the negative is held in a
groove that runs along the "short" edge of the negative. The "trap
door" closes off the other end and keeps the negative from moving. - I
can post a digital photo to try and explain if that's not clear. I think
my decriptive abilities are competing with my photographic abilities for
last place :-) .

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)

Thanks, no need to post a photo it isn't any big deal, I was just curious.
I know how hard it can be to explain some of this stuff in writing.

"John Bartley" wrote in message
...
Vladamir30 wrote:

If you've solved the problem that's good, but what groove are you
referring
to?


In the holders that I am using, the dark slide runs in and out on one
groove molded into the plastic, and just "below" that is the groove that
the negative slides into. On these holders, as you slide the negative to
the bottom of it's holder, the bottom of the negative is held in a
groove that runs along the "short" edge of the negative. The "trap
door" closes off the other end and keeps the negative from moving. - I
can post a digital photo to try and explain if that's not clear. I think
my decriptive abilities are competing with my photographic abilities for
last place :-) .

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)

"John Bartley" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

I was fortunate enough today to ruin a negative
completely. Now while
that may sound terrible, at least I had one now that I
could use to
practise loading and unloading with. Today, I had the same
jamming
trouble when attempting to reinsert the dark slide. After
completely
ruining one negative and pretty much ruining a second with
exposure to
daylight, I've figured out that I was getting the
negatives under the
lower rail, but I wasn't pushing them all the way to the
bottom of the
groove. The trap door would still close and the dark slide
would go in
because I was holding the trap door shut, but once in the
camera, the
negative would pop out.

I feel better now, and have one negative hanging to dry to
see how I did
with focus and movement in the camera/tripod arrangement.
If they are
ok, then I have two things figured out.

I also got the ash that I'm going to use for the front and
rear
standards on my home-brew 8x10 planed to thickness today.
I'm pretty
pleased with being able to use this ash as it came from a
house that my
Grandparents lived in. The 100+ year old house was in
North Gower
Ontario, and was the floor and ceiling wall trim in the
summer kitchen
before my Dad and Grandpa (and I) converted it to a
downstairs bedroom.
We salvaged that wood probably 30+ years ago and I've been
storing it
ever since, waiting for a good use for it.

More to follow !!

(Pretty boring stuff for most of y'all I'm sure, but very
exciting for
me :-) !)

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

There is also a shallow rebate at the loading flap end
that the end of the film goes into. Its held by the loading
flap. If the film is not all the way into the holder, i.e.,
not under the rail at the darkslide end, it is probably
bowed and not fitted under the side rails properly either.
I've had occasional problems with 8x10 holders of having the
film fall out into the camera when the darkslide was
removed. Either it prevents the slide from going back in,
or, if it falls completely out, the clue is seeing it on the
ground glass when the shutter is opened next.:-(
I have had this happen only a couple of times but that was
enough to make me _very_ careful about loading holders. 4x5
is a lot less fussy but still requires care.


--
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA

Richard Knoppow wrote:

There is also a shallow rebate at the loading flap end
that the end of the film goes into. Its held by the loading
flap. If the film is not all the way into the holder, i.e.,
not under the rail at the darkslide end, it is probably
bowed and not fitted under the side rails properly either.
I've had occasional problems with 8x10 holders of having the
film fall out into the camera when the darkslide was
removed. Either it prevents the slide from going back in,
or, if it falls completely out, the clue is seeing it on the
ground glass when the shutter is opened next.:-(
I have had this happen only a couple of times but that was
enough to make me _very_ careful about loading holders. 4x5
is a lot less fussy but still requires care.



You are correct. This is exactly what happened, and it sure was a relief
to figure it out.

The other problem that I got solved was the question of focus. I wasn't
sure whether I was out of focus or had movement in the camera when the
shutter was released. I wasn't using a remote shutter cable ( I know -
HORRORS!!), so I went and bought one, and that did the trick. I still
have to be carefull about focus, but at least I'm not introducing
movement when I trip the shutter.

Finally.........I bought a fifteen watt bulb and confident that I had
the third problem solved, headed into the bathr...er...darkroom to print
#'s 5 & 6. Even with a 15 watter, I can still only expose for a max of
about 1.5 seconds or the paper goes dark. I headed off the the Ilford
website, and read the .pdf carefully and I think I know what the trouble
is. The MG4RC has an unfiltered ISO of 500. I'm guessing that I'm going
to have to buy a filter and build some sort of device to hold the lamp
while I filter the light. Any, and I mean ANY confirmation of or
rebuttal to this idea would be gratefully accepted.

cheers

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)

John Bartley wrote:

hold the lamp while I filter the light. Any, and I mean ANY
confirmation of or rebuttal to this idea would be gratefully accepted.

I guess Richard has already confirmed this, although I had yet to have
the ONGOING trouble when he posted this :::

For enlarging paper contact printing is most conveniently
done using the enlarger for a light source. Exposure time
will be whatever you get with the head at the same height
for enlarging. If you are using a separate light source it
will have to be very low power. I would start with something
like a 7.5 watt night light bulb in a small reflector. You
can also rig a cardboard holder for variable contrast
filters to fit a small reflector or a Kodak "Beehive" type
safelight holder. Experiment with distance, start with a
couple of feet. Exposure times should run between 15 and 30
seconds to be controlable.

I guess I'll just have to go smaller and filtered - Good thing paper is
cheap :-) !

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)