enlarging neg carrier opening

Hi,

I find that I have to widen the opening of a negative carrier on my Beseler 45
to accomodate a panoramic format ... does anyone have any suggestions about to
cut the aluminum neatly? I have to pick up 11 mm on either side of the
opening. I do have a dremel set and had thought to use a cutting bit and the
router base but if anyone has successfully performed this operation before I'm
open to their suggestions.

thanks,

argon

Take it to a machine shop and have them do it on a milling machine.

--

Argon3 wrote:
Hi,

I find that I have to widen the opening of a negative carrier on my Beseler 45
to accomodate a panoramic format ... does anyone have any suggestions about to
cut the aluminum neatly? I have to pick up 11 mm on either side of the
opening. I do have a dremel set and had thought to use a cutting bit and the
router base but if anyone has successfully performed this operation before I'm
open to their suggestions.

thanks,

argon

Tom wrote:
Take it to a machine shop and have them do it on a milling machine.

Other options are laser or plasma cutters...

--

Argon3 wrote:

Hi,

I find that I have to widen the opening of a negative carrier on my
Beseler 45
to accomodate a panoramic format ... does anyone have any suggestions
about to
cut the aluminum neatly? I have to pick up 11 mm on either side of the
opening. I do have a dremel set and had thought to use a cutting bit
and the
router base but if anyone has successfully performed this operation
before I'm
open to their suggestions.

thanks,

argon





--
.~. Jean-David Beyer Registered Linux User 85642.
/V\ Registered Machine 73926.
/( )\ Shrewsbury, New Jersey http://counter.li.org
^^-^^ 4:40pm up 22 days, 4:05, 3 users, load average: 2.13, 2.18, 2.17

"Jean-David Beyer" wrote in message ...
Tom wrote:
Take it to a machine shop and have them do it on a milling machine.

Other options are laser or plasma cutters...

You guys are just soooo complex.

I take it the poster has no power tools, so 1. hand coping (scroll) saw. 2.
fine file to finesse the corners and edges 3. #1200 wet-n-dry and finally
hit it with a very light coat of flat-black.

Done it _lots_ of time. Never had a scratched negative. No problems. (Today
I use Power Tools!)

--
jjs - I also cut lens boards in my sleep. (Hell, my wife says I sleep so
good that I can sleep in my sleep.)

I find that I have to widen the opening of a negative carrier on my Beseler
45
to accomodate a panoramic format ... does anyone have any suggestions about
to
cut the aluminum neatly? I have to pick up 11 mm on either side of the
opening.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------

It's not simply a matter of cutting aluminum.

You have to consider whether your enlarger condenser lenses (or cold light)
will cover the extra inch or so of negative you'll be adding, not to mention
your enlarging lens coverage.

My experience is mostly with Omega enlargers and I can tell you the 4x5
versions barely manage to cover a full 4x5 negative. I assume Beselers are no
better.


Bob G

Argon3 wrote:

Hi,

I find that I have to widen the opening of a negative carrier on my
Beseler 45 to accomodate a panoramic format ... does anyone have any
suggestions about to
cut the aluminum neatly? I have to pick up 11 mm on either side of the
opening. I do have a dremel set and had thought to use a cutting bit and
the router base but if anyone has successfully performed this operation
before I'm open to their suggestions.



A square/flat file is a much better way to do it. Easy to control and alum
is very soft, shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. There is no reason to
get crazy with it, just lay out where you want to enlarge it to, file it to
the line and then smooth the edges with some fine sandpaper and paint it
flat black.

--

Stacey

Bob G has a good point. It might be worth the trouble of making a
cardboard(!) carrier of the format you want just to see if you have
sufficient illumination and optical coverage before going to all the trouble
of hacking the aluminum.

Greg Latiak

Images http://members.rogers.com/greglatiak/

"Bob G" wrote in message
...
I find that I have to widen the opening of a negative carrier on my
Beseler
45
to accomodate a panoramic format ... does anyone have any suggestions
about
to
cut the aluminum neatly? I have to pick up 11 mm on either side of the
opening.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------

It's not simply a matter of cutting aluminum.

You have to consider whether your enlarger condenser lenses (or cold
light)
will cover the extra inch or so of negative you'll be adding, not to
mention
your enlarging lens coverage.

My experience is mostly with Omega enlargers and I can tell you the 4x5
versions barely manage to cover a full 4x5 negative. I assume Beselers are
no
better.


Bob G

On 1/28/2004 2:31 PM jjs spake thus:

"Jean-David Beyer" wrote in message ...
Tom wrote:
Take it to a machine shop and have them do it on a milling machine.

Other options are laser or plasma cutters...

You guys are just soooo complex.

I take it the poster has no power tools, so 1. hand coping (scroll) saw. 2.
fine file to finesse the corners and edges 3. #1200 wet-n-dry and finally
hit it with a very light coat of flat-black.

Done it _lots_ of time. Never had a scratched negative. No problems. (Today
I use Power Tools!)

Oh, no, "jjs", there you go spreading that heresy and bad, bad advice. Don't
you know the rule? that One Must Never, Ever Cut One's Own Negative Carrier?
No, one must take it to the nearest High Priest of Complex and Unknowable
Operations Involving Metallic Objects; well, today they're just called
"machinists". The ordinary lay person is strictly prohibited from practicing
these black arts. You could get hurt! You could severely damage your precious
negative carrier, and thence ruin your precious negatives!

You ought to be ashamed of yourself.


--
It's stupid, moronic and too fcuking obvious, as obvious as counting your
fingers, so TELL ME SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW or just shut the fcuk up.

- "jjs" in extremis on rec.photo.darkroom

Well, my strange thought was, "why spend a couple of hours with a file when a
few bucks will get it done super neat?" If the cost is a problem go ahead and do
it yourself.

David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 1/28/2004 2:31 PM jjs spake thus:

"Jean-David Beyer" wrote in message ...

Tom wrote:
Take it to a machine shop and have them do it on a milling machine.

Other options are laser or plasma cutters...


You guys are just soooo complex.

I take it the poster has no power tools, so 1. hand coping (scroll)
saw. 2.
fine file to finesse the corners and edges 3. #1200 wet-n-dry and finally
hit it with a very light coat of flat-black.

Done it _lots_ of time. Never had a scratched negative. No problems.
(Today
I use Power Tools!)


Oh, no, "jjs", there you go spreading that heresy and bad, bad advice.
Don't you know the rule? that One Must Never, Ever Cut One's Own
Negative Carrier? No, one must take it to the nearest High Priest of
Complex and Unknowable Operations Involving Metallic Objects; well,
today they're just called "machinists". The ordinary lay person is
strictly prohibited from practicing these black arts. You could get
hurt! You could severely damage your precious negative carrier, and
thence ruin your precious negatives!

You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

In article , Tom tom@localhost wrote:

Well, my strange thought was, "why spend a couple of hours with a file when a
few bucks will get it done super neat?" If the cost is a problem go
ahead and do
it yourself.

For many of us, finding a machinist and then the wait for the job would
take days. An hour listening to some good music as one files and shapes is
a pretty good alternative.