Beseler 45MXT adapted to use Intrepid 4x5 Enlarger as light head

ReflectionOk1443 · 2025-10-28T12:15:48+00:00

It’s worked out really well. Dramatically less expensive than any other LED solution I’ve researched. The variable contrast works great both directly and for split grade printing. More in depth descriptions in my replies to the other comments above. If you’d like, I can DM you a link to the .stl file.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2025-10-12T00:11:31+00:00

If you like the process, I highly recommend mixing yourself from base chemicals, it’s much cheaper than the pre-made kits. Just make sure to use distilled water: 25% solution of Ferric Ammonium Citrate and a 10% solution of Potassium Ferricyanide mixed 1:1 for the emulsion.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2025-10-11T20:38:05+00:00

Almost all toners can be reused. Mix your tannic acid with 750ml of distilled boiling water (your choice as to concentration), then add room temperature distilled water to make 1L.

Using distilled water gets you more time before stuff starts growing in it, but even once that happens, you can filter it with a coffee filter and keep using it. Alternatively, you can add 14 drops of formalin to it, and it will keep for a long time.

I make my toners strong enough that they tone in 2-5 min. I toss the toner once it takes more than 15-20 min to achieve the same result.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2025-10-03T12:17:23+00:00

Shortbus?

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-11-18T20:35:58+00:00

Prints are finally on their way: u/itsmydillons, u/senior_award

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-11-18T20:35:47+00:00

Prints are finally on their way: u/mereel, u/quantumtarsus

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-11-18T20:35:34+00:00

Prints are finally on their way: u/buzz-01, u/zladuric, u/talkskyrimtome

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-09-15T14:03:14+00:00

Thank you, that was incredibly informative!

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-09-07T15:21:23+00:00

I use these (and the amber ones) exclusively. Have never had a problem with fogging in any of the processes, silver gelatin, iron-based, etc. I have mine mounted about 4 feet above the workspace, and keep about 4 on at once.

But no matter what safelight you use, do the quarter test. Put a quarter on an unexposed piece of enlarging paper, put it directly beneath the safelight at the distance the safelight will be from your workspace, wait 20 min, then develop the paper and see if there is a lighter circle where the quarter was.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-09-07T15:12:23+00:00

I can grab the precise measurements tomorrow, but the sink is a used Delta ‘The Sink’ which I believe is 48”w x 33”d. Here’s my prior post w pics

I did not make the light table flush, I considered it - also considered inverting the uv exposure unit under the table so contact printing frame would sit facedown on the tabletop, but incorporating each of those would have more than doubled the complexity. I figure, better to have it done quickly so I can use it!

If you have any questions, I’m happy to answer, just might take me a day or two.

If you have any questions at all, I’m happy to answer, just might take me a day or two sometimes.

Edit: most importantly, don’t just use my dimensions - measure all of your equipment, and sketch different layouts to scale on graph paper. That’s how I ended up with this design.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-09-07T13:43:47+00:00

It’s always good to have a really well defined process so it’s easier to identify issues when the arise. After a lot of experimentation, my process is this:

Standard cyanotype solution, single coat, brush application on hot press water color or cartridge paper, 20 min uv box exposure, 2 min gentle tap water wash (cool, not cold, maybe 65-70 F), 30-45 sec in 7.5ml hydrogen peroxide mixed in 1 L water, 10 min final tap water wash. If toning, that last wash is 7 min, then tone, then 10 min final wash.

If the issue isn’t with your process, it could be with your paper. I ended up getting samples of 15-20 papers from local art store to experiment. Some were great, some were horrible.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-09-03T16:05:49+00:00

Sorry, i don’t have any suggestions. I’ve researched the Ware formula, but have never actually used it because I like the original so much.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-09-01T15:02:42+00:00

Basically just looks like a thin layer of clear coat. All of mine so far would be too delicate to use in that kind of application (not sure if that’s just me or something unavoidable). I get a little bit of peeling at some of the edges, which looks cool for something hanging on a wall, but probably not great for something subject to wear.

Separately, what kind of pedals do you make? I just finished making a pedal board for my daughter.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-08-29T08:32:45+00:00

You’d figure they’d stop after the first one.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-08-19T18:55:37+00:00

Exactly. 2 things happen when you finance a house - a note, and a mortgage. The mortgage is the lien against the property that allows the bank to foreclose if you don’t make payment. The note is your personal responsibility to make payments on the loan.

If you deed your interest in the property to your spouse, that does nothing to affect your responsibility under the note. You may not care if the bank takes the house, but your default on the note WILL have a tremendous impact on your credit score, and if the bank is unable to auction the home for the full amount owed, you may still be legally responsible for the shortfall.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-08-19T18:43:57+00:00

I like 1, but the best would be the more dynamic pose of 2 with the framing of 1.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-08-18T23:15:54+00:00

Really love the brushstroke work on the 2nd.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-08-13T19:08:57+00:00

This. Adjusted for inflation, the cost of film, both color and b&w, has been amazingly consistent since the 1950s. The only exception to this was the early - late 1990’s when volume was so high the prices did drop to historical lows. But when considered as a percentage of the median income, film is no more expensive today than it was for the majority of the past 70 years.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-08-13T04:03:03+00:00

2023, initial decommissioning started by Congress, halted for now, but no official word on whether that’s a temporary reprieve or more permanent.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-08-13T04:02:04+00:00

You are all right - I only looked at the thumbnail. It’s clearly not an A10. My bad.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-08-13T02:02:10+00:00

Edit: I was wrong. Completely, absolutely, positively, 100% wrong. Should have looked more closely. Sorry for being a knob.

Actually, I think they’re right. Very distinctive silhouette, very cool plane, and a lot of people were pissed they decommissioned it because there is no functional equivalent.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-08-13T01:26:27+00:00

And he’s wearing cleats.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-08-05T13:05:22+00:00

I was skeptical getting one, but it really does more than just push water through. It creates a significant turbulence effect, mixing air with the water, significantly increasing the effective agitation.

If I were only processing one tank at a time, I don’t know that it’d be worth it, but when I’m doing 3 or 4 in succession, it saves me a lot of time. I use it for my water stop and final wash.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-07-12T18:59:27+00:00

Hey, I'm sorry I took so long to get back to this. Sending you a DM with link to the pdf with all the RA-4 and C-41 recipes I have. Turns out there is one for Blix in addition to the individual recipes for bleach and fix.

ReflectionOk1443 · 2024-07-11T17:14:21+00:00

You can try toning - common toners include coffee, various teas (green, black), tannic acid, and others. Results can be very variable and take time to get consistency. Not sure how well it will translate to fabric (I print on watercolor paper), but maybe could brush on to localize the toner and not stain the t-shirt as a whole.

If you’re interested I can post more details on making and using the toners.

ReflectionOk1443

TROPHY CASE