Photo Enlarger

The following information contains the parts and how the photo enlarger should be
used. A magnifying glass is a special type of film projector used to make
photographic prints from film or glass negative or overhead projector films. All
enlargers consist of a light source, usually a light bulb shining through a condenser
or translucent screen to provide even illumination, negative or transparency, and a
special projection lens, although some such as Rapid Rectilinear or Aplanat can be
used. both in the camera and in the zoom camera. Larger lenses, such as the dialit
design, are typically symmetrical or nearly symmetrical, optimized for sharp focus
at 2x to 10x magnification.
 How to Use a Photo Enlarger
Photo enlargement is an important tool for film photo development. This allows
you to project your negative onto photographic paper and enlarge the image at the
same time. Enlarging a photo can seem confusing the first time you do it in the
dark, but luckily, it's easy to use once you get the hang of it. Before making the
final print, you should develop a test strip using a magnifying glass to determine
the best exposure for your image.
PART 1: Setting Up the Enlarger
Place your negative in the enlarger carrier. The enlarger carrier is a plastic tray
that slides out of the enlarger. To put your negative in it, open up the tray, and
insert the negative into it so the image you want to enlarge is lined up with the
square hole in the tray. Then, close the tray, and slide the carrier back into the
enlarger.
Clamp the enlarger down over the carrier. Clamping down the enlarger will seal
the negative inside of the enlarger carrier. The right way to clamp down the
enlarger will depend on the photo enlarger you’re using, but there’s usually a
switch or lever on the side of the device that you’re supposed to pull or turn.
Position a sheet of scrap paper on the projection plane. The projection plane is
the flat frame that holds the paper you’ll be projecting onto. Lift up the top layer of
the frame, and insert a scrap piece of paper before closing it again. Then, place the
frame back down on the base of the enlarger.
Turn off the lights in the darkroom. Turning the lights off will make it easier to
see your image projected on the piece of scrap paper. It’s also important that you
turn the lights off since you’ll be working with actual photo paper later on. If the
lights are on when you remove the photo paper from the packaging, it will be
ruined.
Turn the enlarger on using the timer. The timer is the small box that’s connected
to the enlarger by a cord. To turn the enlarger on, locate the “on” switch on the
timer and flip it. After you flip it, the display on the timer should light up. Then,
press the “outlet focus” to turn the light bulb inside the enlarger on.
Adjust the height of the enlarger until the image fits on the scrap paper. There
should be a knob on the enlarger, near the back or on the side, that allows you to
raise and lower it. When you raise the enlarger, the projected image will get bigger,
and when you lower the enlarger, the image will get smaller.
Focus the image using the knob on the side of the enlarger. When you first
enlarge a negative, it will likely be out of focus. To fix that, turn the knob
clockwise or counterclockwise until the image looks clear and crisp.
Set the aperture on the enlarger to f/8 for most photographs. The aperture
setting determines how wide the lens opening on the enlarger is. The higher the
aperture, the wider the lens and the more light that passes through. The more light
that passes through, the brighter your image will be. To adjust the aperture, rotate
the lens on the enlarger until you get to f/8.
Part 2: Testing the Exposure
Cut a strip of photo paper to test the exposure with. Before you print onto a
full-size sheet of photo paper, you’ll need to test several exposure times on a strip
of photo paper to see which time is best for your image. Cut a strip that’s wide
enough to capture a detailed portion of the image. The size of the strip doesn’t need
to be precise.

Place the strip of paper on the projection plane. Open up the top of the frame,
and place the strip inside of it. Then, close the frame.
Expose the entire strip of paper to light for 2 seconds. First, use the dial on the
timer to set the exposure time to 2 seconds. Then, press the “start” button on the
timer to turn on the light bulb inside the enlarger. After 2 seconds, the light should
turn off.
Cover one-fifth of the strip, and expose the rest of it for another 2 seconds. Use
a piece of thick scrap paper to cover up the end of the strip. That way, that portion
of the strip won’t be exposed to any lighter, and you’ll be able to see what 2
seconds of light exposure looks like once you develop it. After you cover one-fifth
of the strip, set the timer to 2 seconds, and press the start button.
Repeat until you’ve exposed 5 sections to different durations of light. For each
additional section, increase the exposure time. Use the following schedule for the
remaining 3 sections.

Develop the test strip. Dip the strip of paper in a development bath for 60
seconds. Then, transfer it to a stop bath for 30 seconds, stirring it continuously.
Next, submerge the paper in a fix bath for 30 seconds. Finally, rinse it with water
for 1-2 minutes.
Use the test strip to determine the best exposure time for your final print. Your
developed image should be divided into 5 distinct sections. Choose the section that
looks the best (not too bright and not too dark), and write down the exposure time
for that section so you can use it for your final print. The exposure times for the
different sections are:

 First section: 2 seconds.

 Second section: 4 seconds.
 Third section: 8 seconds.
 Fourth section: 16 seconds.
 Fifth section: 28 seconds.

Make a more specific test strip if none of the exposures look quite right
(optional). The test strip is a good way to narrow down what exposure time might
be best for your image. However, if none of the strip colors are what you want, try
making another test strip with exposure times in closer increments.
Part 3: Enlarging and Developing Your Final Print
Turn the lights off again. Do this before you remove the photo paper for your
final print so it’s not ruined by the light. If it’s not still on, turn the red safety light
on so you can see what you’re doing.
Place a full sheet of photo paper on the projection plane. Lift up the top of the
frame, insert the paper, and close the frame. Then, place the projection plane on the
base of the enlarger.
Expose the paper to light using your desired exposure time. Set the exposure
time on the timer using the dial. Then, make sure the projected image is lined up
with the photo paper, and press the start button on the timer.
Develop your final print. Repeat the developing process that you used for the test
strip. Start with the development bath for 60 seconds, then dip the paper in the stop
bath for 30 seconds. Finally, transfer the paper to the fix bath for 30 seconds before
rinsing it off with water.