ArgusSnap1 Loc: Indiana

Hi I have an old Albert specialty co contact printer. I have read that today’s silver photo paper is too sensitive for the light that these use. Do you have any suggestions what kind of bulb we could use that would emit less light.

Also did this have to be plugged into a a timer to set the exposure because it just has a power cord no switch to turn on and off?

Also does anyone know of a bulb to use in it to make cynanotyp or van dyke prints?

If anyone has more information on this and how to use it would be really helpful and appreciated. Thanks so much.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

I had some old WWII surplus aerial photo contact printers which I used in a B&W mass reproduction lab back in the 8x10 glossy era. To use them with modern papers we got some large sheets of ND filters to cut the light. There were timers which which had special connections to the printers which might be hard to find now.

User ID

Theres contact printing paper and theres enlarger paper. Using enlarger paper in a contact printer is usually problematic cuz its way too fast.

OTOH forget about cyano, vandyke, pop, etc, etc, in "normal" contact printets cuz that stuff is waaaaaay too slow.

ArgusSnap1 Loc: Indiana

Thanks for the info. We have a regular darkroom timer that we can try plugging it in. I bought some small sheets of grey plexiglass that may act as nd filter. The real neutral density filters big enough for the printer are way too expensive. So thanks for your ideas.