APUG - Blogs - jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/ APUG.ORG is an international on-line community, completely devoted to traditional (non-digital) photographic processes. en Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:36:15 GMT vBulletin 5 http://www.apug.org/forums/images/apug4/misc/rss.jpg APUG - Blogs - jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/ the polaroid press ( copal ) shutter http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/406-polaroid-press-copal-shutter.html Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:48:47 GMT when i bought my speed graphic it came with he camera. there was a 127 tominon on it and the lens and shutter performed perfectly. over the years... when i bought my speed graphic it came with he camera. there was a 127 tominon on it
and the lens and shutter performed perfectly. over the years the shutter began to stick
and at one point the end of my shutter release got jammed inside the mechanism.
i am no shutter repair person, but i am foolish sometimes.
i have been known to take things apart not having any idea how to put them back together.
travel clocks ended up a pike of springs and gears, roller blind shutters somehow got put back correctly and even timed right.

i googled copal press shutter, hoping i would find something, and found nothing ... so i got my micro screw drivers out
and reading glasses and removed the front element, unscrewed the tiny almost invisible screw, removed the
thing that held the cover/plate on the shutter, and somehow removed the end of my release from the shutter.
i closed everything back up again and used the shutter for another couple of years.

a few days ago i had hoped to use it to photograph the side of a large building, the 127 was wide enough, and long enough
that it would have been the perfect match for my subject. i put the lens on the camera, and screwed in the release i had used
for the other lenses i was working with, and the shutter stopped working.
it opened and closed maybe once, and then remained open.

i got home and didn't bother with the lens or shutter for a few days, and last night on new year's eve i took the front
plate off and poked around as any foolhardy person would do. i put a little bit of lighter fluid on "stuff" .. i figured out
what piece was not moving back and put it "back" i moved things, i ran the shutter, and it kind of worked again ...
i closed it up and installed a release and it was stuck open again, oh well.

i left it over night someplace warm, and now, 18 hours later i decided to put the front element back in the lens. i was ok with
using it stuck open, as long as i could use the aperture i could use the lens on my speed graphic with the focal plane shutter, it would be fine ...

i put the element back on, and realized the shutter had closed ...
i put a shutter release in and it seemed to sort of work, it fired when i
release the shutter, instead of the way i remembered it always working ...
i searched around for another release and found one with a shorter throw, screwed it in ...
first into the focus-release ... it opened completely, and closed completely ...
then into the shutter ... i cycled through all the speeds, and it worked PERFECTLY ...

i will be keeping this short throw release with that lens for now on ... and label it " for 127 tominon ONLY "

i also noticed the world didn't end yet, so i will take both these events as good omens ... and look forward to a great 2012 - ]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/406-polaroid-press-copal-shutter.html print sales $$ donated to FOOD BANK http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/398-print-sales-donated-food-bank.html Sat, 26 Nov 2011 11:20:26 GMT over the last few years i have sold prints either on ebay or through my storefront on imagekind ...
the proceeds went to either dr's without borders in haiti or the japan society to help in in the aftermaths
of the earthquakes. this time around, i am donating proceeds to ever print sale ( 50% ) to
my local food bank. i usually to to our local pantry and donate bulk food that i buy extra,
but instead, i am going to donate $$$.

i am not selling through ebay anymore, the overhead is too high, but i am still selling through imagekind.
feel free to browse my storefront there. i know they aren't hand printed by me,
but they are affordable, and printed in a large variety of sizes using their own archival methods,
and i have heard great reports from the people who have bought them in the past.

there is most likely a % off code / coupon email me and ask, they change all the time

thanks in advance ! ]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/398-print-sales-donated-food-bank.html entropic technique http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/393-entropic-technique.html Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:11:52 GMT the current thread technique vs. from the gut got me thinking .. while i know i am not without any technique at all, i know my camera/s, i know... the current thread technique vs. from the gut got me thinking ..
while i know i am not without any technique at all,
i know my camera/s, i know how my film works, i know how my developer
renders a negative or positive print ... but i don't stop and think about every thing i do.
in the end i don't care what happens ...
and i let entropy do its thing.
many years ago i bought a cyclone 3 falling plate camera.
its a primitive 4x5 box camera that has 8 septums that were originally made
to hold dry plates. i have cardboard inserts in the septums and i am shooting paper negatives.
the camera has 2 milk glass viewers that don't work, so most of the time
i have no idea what i am photographing. i guess the exposure and moveon.

its kind of fun not having a care in the world, but i know it isn't for everyone ...
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]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/393-entropic-technique.html a few days ago ... http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/390-few-days-ago.html Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:19:15 GMT the rain came down hard
i saw cats and dogs running away

the streets were filled with rivers
the dogs and cats floated away

the sun's out today
the sky checkered with scalloped clouds
soggy grass
streaked cement
cold fall morning ]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/390-few-days-ago.html dead developer http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/385-dead-developer.html Mon, 15 Aug 2011 03:38:34 GMT nothing stinks more than processing 6 rolls of 120 film at once using developer that worked not too long ago only to realize it was nearly dead ...... nothing stinks more than processing 6 rolls of 120 film at once
using developer that worked not too long ago
only to realize it was nearly dead ...
after the film was fixed and washed ]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/385-dead-developer.html 7x11 http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/383-7x11.html Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:07:49 GMT yesterday i cut and made a 7x11 camera. i have to tape the paper inside and see how it works. its been many months since i made a nice big box yesterday i cut and made a 7x11 camera.
i have to tape the paper inside and see how it works.
its been many months since i made a nice big box ]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/383-7x11.html completely lost it http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/378-completely-lost.html Sat, 21 May 2011 00:37:20 GMT well, i did my best to rework my little 4x5 cyanotype instead of the yellows and greens, i used reds and purples and oranges so it looked more... well,
i did my best to rework my little 4x5 cyanotype
instead of the yellows and greens, i used reds and purples and oranges
so it looked more like what i posted earlier here in my blog. i would have posted it into my gallery
but since i tweaked the levels more than " to look like the print " and the contrast boosted so
the image looked completely different i couldn't do the gallery thing ...

well, i added layer to layer to layer mixing my pastel crayons ...
and paints ... and when i scanned it i just adjusted the levels so it looked not so blindingly contrasty and
overly saturated as my scanner likes to make things ...

i don't think i am going to wash off the colors this time around,, the paper is getting weak
so it is beginning to rip ...
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]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/378-completely-lost.html cyanotypes http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/377-cyanotypes.html Fri, 20 May 2011 14:59:37 GMT the other day i realized that sometimes
i can't do things i wish i could do ...
i think i am going to learn how to use thick waxy paints
instead of the crayons i have ... the crayons and water colors, while they are
fun, they don't add any relief to the image.

i love the flatness sometimes of cyanotypes, but when i boost the contrast/levels
it gives these images a new life ... something i don't know if i want to learn how to do by hand ...

i can't post this image into the gallery because i think it is too manipulated ..
the final scan doesn't match the print, so here i put it ...


thanks !
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]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/377-cyanotypes.html cyanotypes http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/373-cyanotypes.html Sat, 07 May 2011 23:18:24 GMT these days i have been keeping busy with making cyanotypes and bleaching + reworking them with watercolors and crayons. these days i have been keeping busy with making cyanotypes
and bleaching + reworking them with watercolors and crayons. ]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/373-cyanotypes.html long exposures, paper negatives, hand made cameras http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/372-long-exposures-paper-negatives-hand-made-cameras.html Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:46:26 GMT i havent used my home made 4x5 camera since i made it last fall. so yesterday i took it out for a spin and again today ... i have posted a few... i havent used my home made 4x5 camera since i made it last fall.
so yesterday i took it out for a spin
and again today ...

i have posted a few images in my gallery, but the one i posted today is 1/2 the image
unfortunately i can't make chemical prints with it, so i had to flip it and mirror it in PS
its a pretty common practice with an enlarger and i am confident if i had a way to
chemically reproduce this image i wouldn't have trouble ...

the first one is from last night ..
i parked the car and stuck it on the dashboard for a good 40mins.
20 of those mins i was in the car with it :)
the one today was a good 3 hour exposure ...
the paper was fogged when i took it from the film holder it fell out of
and i stuck it in my home made camera for a while ...

both these will be in my imagekind gallery soon, if you ever have the desire ...
i am still donating 100% of the proceeds to disaster relief in japan.
thanks to some of the kind people here, and some unknowns in cyberspace
i will have about 200$, maybe more, to donate, so a HUGE THANKS!
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]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/372-long-exposures-paper-negatives-hand-made-cameras.html Art and Japan http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/369-art-japan.html Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:05:31 GMT i guess this note is for shameless self promotion. i have had an account / space over on imagekind.com. yeah, i know what kind of site it is, and... i guess this note is for shameless self promotion.

i have had an account / space over on imagekind.com.
yeah, i know what kind of site it is, and i normally wouldn't mention it here
but ... i am donating all the proceeds from sales of my photography
to people in japan.

last year i had 30-40 things for sale on ebay and to be honest
it is less of a hassle selling my work through imagekind than it is on ebay.

if you like the things i post here, and have a few dollars to spare
i will be donating it all to save the children, or the salvation army or doctors without borders.

http://jnanian.imagekind.com

thanks!

john ]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/369-art-japan.html 110 http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/358-110.html Thu, 24 Feb 2011 23:16:39 GMT well, i bought a film slitter to cut down 35mm film seeing i have a bunch of it that was intended to be shot by my 110 camera. i shot a bunch of... well, i bought a film slitter to cut down 35mm film
seeing i have a bunch of it that was intended to be shot by my 110 camera.
i shot a bunch of 110 last weekend
and pulled the cn film out of it in the dark on sunday, and its ready for me to process ...

THEN
i too a utility knife and cut the seams to remove the lid so i could familiarize myself with the whole
deal (murray kelly here has a great image set showing the whole deal thanks murray ! )
http://www.apug.org/forums/members/m...artridges.html

well, i got 1 open a few days ago, but lost part of it, so i went into the dark and grabbed the 3 empties
and the blade and started in on it ...
by the end of the whole ordeal, i got them apart, some i messed up,
and i stabbed myself 3 times.

im gonna use a dremm'l next time ]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/358-110.html yesterday ... http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/353-yesterday.html Thu, 27 Jan 2011 17:29:59 GMT yesterday was wednesday. it was cold and snowy. the snow came down light and steady for hours and then it stopped. the sun came out and warmed... yesterday was wednesday.
it was cold and snowy.
the snow came down light and steady for hours
and then it stopped.
the sun came out and warmed the road,
it gave me a chance to shovel and see my breath.
later after the kids got home they did their homework.
it wasn't snowing, it was cold and grey.
i rolled some more paper, this time ilford and taped it tight on itself
and then i trimmed a 5x7 sheet and stuck it in the back of the 3A.
i saw the nosecone lenscap
i saw the snow, sometimes deep
and the flurries started again.
big flakes falling in slow motion as they always do.
i propped the camera on my leg and flopped the mirror
i pulled the lever to make sure it was up, as i always do and removed the cap
i counted: 1 sip of coffee, two sips of coffee three sips of coffee
i might have gotten to 4 or 5, i don't remember.
the sun was down now and the snow glowed in the late afternoon light.

a few hours went by .. more like 5.

it was now 10pm
and i turned on the stove and put the wok ontop of it,
i reached in to the paper bag and pulled out 2 -3 handfuls of green beans
and swirled them around
at about 4 minutes they began to crack and sizzle
i moved them faster and removed them from the heat
i shook them and with "wrist action" i mixed them up and chaff continued to fall off the beans
they changed from pale green to light brown and they smoked
i opened a window but it didn't do much ...
the fan was on but it didn't do much.
the beans were darker brown now
some darker than others
( old beans seem to roast at different speeds because of varying moisture contents )
and i poured them out into the mixing bowl.

i did this again and again 3 more times until i had enough.

after the beans were put into empty jelly jars i went into the dark.
i brought the 3A with me and turned on the red light.
i uncovered the 2 quart container with my spent developer and put the paper from the camera in the drink
i pulled it in and out of the developer to agitate it and the timer was on for 4 minutes.
at 2 minutes the image appeared i kept on with the tongs
and at 4 minutes i put the print into a water bath.
i filled and dumped the water a few times before it went into the fix tank and 'agitated" the print for 5 minutes.
i washed it
i squeegeed it
blow-dried it
( and when it was not tacky )
i numericalized it ...

i'll be putting this in a print frame soon to contact print it
maybe in the sun
maybe under the flood

i haven't gotten that far yet ... i just don't want to keep it all numbers
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]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/353-yesterday.html a new roll of .. paper http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/352-new-roll-paper.html Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:17:24 GMT i learned from my ways over the weekend. yesterday when the 3-homework-doers were doing their homework, i left the door open and the red light... i learned from my ways over the weekend.

yesterday when the 3-homework-doers were doing their homework, i left the door open
and the red light called me. i took some polymax rc and cut it in half lengthwise and trimmed a little more off.
i taped end to end to end to end to end
and then the leader was taped on too.
i rolled up the paper and taped it tight to help it stay rolled.

this morning i realized the spool was oriented the wrong way, on these ole 122 spools
there is a long hole and a small hole, the small one is for the top spindle, the long one is for the winder ...
so i unrolled and flipped the spool and put the paper roll inside the camera.
i affixed the leader to the other end and the spool and turned a few turns.
the paper moved smoothly on the take up spool
and it's ready for me to use ...

i made one exposure after another, approximating the exposure using iso 3 for my paper.
i had no idea how much to wind, so i guessed a bit, sometimes it wound 2.5 turns, sometimes less,
and sometimes i forgot 1 full turn was 2x around, so there were mishaps, i like happy accidents ..
when i was finished, i went into the dark and peeled the tape off of each sheet of paper ..
into a cold soup of cold used coffee and a pinch of print developer.
( i am still using spent sumatranol 130 and haven't replenished it since it was used for film.
it has been 2 weeks or so, in the 3L of developer i have processed 7 or 8 or so rolls of film
and now 12 sheets of paper, a mixture of rc and fiber.
when i used to use ansco 130 1:6 or 1:10 for film the developer would go bad after 4 rolls
i would save it and attempt to process paper negatives in the same developer, and the paper
wouldn't develop, especially cold. im not sure exactly why, but the coffee developer is still making
great prints, and they come up on the paper after about 3-4 minutes.
( there is about 90cc of ansco130 in this developer ).

the paper is hung from clothes pins after
i squeegeed off. eventually i got my wife's blow dryer
and dried it off for the sk-n.
hand rolling rc paper worked great, but unfortunately i forgot kodak writes
a message on the back of all their rc paper so i can't make contact prints from it.

i better dig up some ilford, or use fiber base next spool.

enjoy your coffee
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]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/352-new-roll-paper.html graflex 3a + spools http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/350-graflex-3a-spools.html Sat, 22 Jan 2011 18:40:37 GMT i recently bought a graflex 3a postcard format camera on the auction site. over the past week i have used it a handful of times inbetween minor and... i recently bought a graflex 3a postcard format camera on the auction site.
over the past week i have used it a handful of times inbetween
minor and major "stuff".
i opted to slide a sheet of 5x7 paper in the camera, close the back
and expose it. while the shutter opens and closes, i leave it on "T"
focus, release the shutter to "0" and then release the mirror to expose the paper.
i made a lens cap out of cardboard and tape that slides on and off the lens so i don't
need to move the shutter back to "T" after the exposure. it works great ...

after 3 exposures on 5x7 sheets i decided to roll some paper on 122 spools i have.
there was a take-up spool in the graflex, and there was also one in the kodak folder
that was given to me years ago. the spool is about 3.5 inches wide, the same width as
a half sheet of 5x7 paper. instead of using a large sheet of 11x14 or 16x20 paper i cut 5x7 paper
and taped it end to end. i made a "tongue" out of a end clipping of 35mm film and taped it
to the spool and to the back of the paper.

i wound it onto the spool.
i fed it onto the take up spool.
i did a test-wind to see how many turns = 1 full frame.
it was 2.25 turns.

i wound the paper back onto the feeder spool and closed the back of the camera.
i heard the spool unwind, and then it bound up and wouldn't wind onto the take-up spool.

i should have left the paper wound on the spool for a few hours before putting it through the camera.
i did the same thing with a junk folder years ago, and the winder broke after the paper unwound inside the body ...
i guess now, like then, i was just eager to see if it worked ....

i went into a dim room and opened the camera.
i taped the pieces that had separated back together
wound the paper tight and closed the back.

today i went into the darkroom, untaped all the paper, and put them into warm water to get their newfound curl out.
after the paper relaxed into the coffee bath they went.
nothing appeared for a few minutes, then at 3 minutes images began to appear ...

i guessed all the exposure ( i was mostly way off )
but i got a good frame out of the roll, and it is hanging/ drying now.

while i now know i can wind paper onto a 122 spool, there are 2 things i would do differently.
first i would use large sheets, instead of small and second i would leave it wound + taped for at least a day before i load the camera.

my only complaint is that there is very little border around the images, and i kind of like the .75" border when i use 5x7 sheets.

the sumatranol is still working great, even after 10? rolls of film ( 120 + 135 ) and now the 8th sheet of paper ...
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]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/350-graflex-3a-spools.html not just for film http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/346-not-just-film.html Tue, 18 Jan 2011 05:06:48 GMT i had received it from terry in alabama a few days ago and it took me about 3 days to get it up to speed. i had searched off and on every new years... i had received it from terry in alabama a few days ago
and it took me about 3 days to get it up to speed.
i had searched off and on every new years for about 10 years for a 3A,
and finally i got one. it looked nice and didn't smell like old cigars which was a plus.
when i took it out of the double box the shutter was sluggish and didn't really work.
the mirror didn't flip, and the rear standard didn't travel to the camera box.
i took the chimney off and the ground glass out,
i removed the lens and the bottom plate ..
i smeared oil where i thought it needed to be and worked it in.
i contacted the graflex guru bert and he and i exchanged emails
and eventually i wound up the shutter and fired it, and fired it and fired it
to work the spring. and today was the day.
i went downstairs and put a sheet of ilford paper in the camera.
originally it took 122A roll film but that is long gone, so paper had to do.
i laid it across the film gate and closed the back.
i brought it upstairs and my 8year old son was ready.
we put the camera on the cardboard boxes it arrived in
and propped the camera up on a vacuum cleaner attachment.
we focused on the window, and big wicker basket.
the light was kind of harsh but we threw caution to the wind.
paper negatives can be really beautiful if treated the right way so
we stopped the lens down to f8 and computed 3 seconds ...
( afternoon sun, highlights and developer that might not be, well, the most active )
we wound the shutter to T and he released the mirror.
i depressed the lever and together we counted to 3 slowly.
together we went to the darkroom.
i put the lights on
and the spend sumatranol 130 from the last weeks worth of film processing in an 8x10 tray.
it only had about 30cc of ansco 130 / 750cc of sumatranol, so i knew it was going to not be in and out
of the developer really fast. it usually takes 25 minutes for a roll of film so i figured it would be good.
toffle uses caffenol, so i was in good company.

we turned the over head off and the room went red
he put the paper in the developer and we waited patiently.
i held up the negative from time to time and asked if had anything on it
each time he said "nope"
then all of a sudden the negative appeared.
we probably over exposed the paper because it was dark and dense
but that is OK we were both learning: new equipment, new developer.
we fixed and washed the paper and he was kind of smiling, but playing it cool.
when the print was dry, i couldn't help myself
i didn't contact print it yet but turned it into numbers.
i made 2 passes one was a severe crop and one was the whole paper.
i adjusted the levels to the peak and that was it.

this is the first of many i think
paper negatives seem to love sumatranol 130 as much as film.
i have a feeling this is going to be my all around developer.

enjoy your coffee!
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]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/346-not-just-film.html the cup of coffee, the negatives http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/343-cup-coffee-negatives.html Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:46:00 GMT a few nights ago it was cold, batch 5 was cooked up and roasted to a not light, and not dark color. it slept overnight in a glass jar, i think it... a few nights ago it was cold, batch 5 was cooked up and roasted to a not light, and not dark color.
it slept overnight in a glass jar, i think it once was a jelly jar, it was there so i used it.
i grabbed my mortar and pestle and threw a few beans in, then a few more and i began to crush them.
i realized from my first batch, that the fewer the beans the easier it is to crush them
so i took my time and threw a few beans at a time and pulverized them so they were probably a fine grind
if i were to judge by a burr grinder.
the powder was dumped out into a small tray and i added a few more beans.
they cracked and jumped out sometimes, they were hard and brittle.
i had been "trained" for many years to believe robusta beans were not very good
i was told they smelled bad when they were roasted, and the caffeine was harsh and jittery.

i looked at the beans as they powdered up and they didn't look too bad.
they didn't smell bad when they roasted either, but still i had to wonder how they were going to taste.

i was told by my bean-guy, a local master coffee roaster and all around guru they were from sumatra
and the people who were drinking it 4 or 5 years ago, well they never complained.
so at least these old, stale dry brittle beans had something going for them, besides working great as a film developer :)

i looked for my jezvah and threw a few teaspoons in.
i used to always drink turkish/greek/armenian/near eastern coffee and i love the process.

the stove was on and the powder hissed as it dried out a little bit on the.
i added the water, and waited.
i stirred a little
i waited some more.

slowly the bubbles formed and it rose the first time
i removed it from the heat and thought, 2 more times ..

the second time ...

and the third time came and went as the other two.

i took the jezvah off the burner and let it sit while i sought a small cup and its saucer.
i poured it in and it smelled delicious.
i put a half teaspoon of sugar in it and stirred.

some people add as much sugar as coffee when they cook it.
i usually drink my coffee black but i was living it up so why not ...

first i smelled it as it steamed.
floral, sweet earthy

i closed my eyes and took my first sip.

it was as delicious as it smelled.

when i was done, i photographed the jezvah, and turned the cup upside down to read it.
i turned it 3times and popped it from the plate.
thumbprint on the bottom and i looked
and looked and this is what i saw ...

hills and mountains
birds flying over head
and the sun.

i put my jacket on an with the strength of 10 men, i shoveled some more of the driveway.
the birds flew overhead
as i moved mountains in the sun.


later, i spooled my film and it too drank from the same roast.
this is what it told me.
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]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/343-cup-coffee-negatives.html 5th batch, stovetop http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/341-5th-batch-stovetop.html Thu, 13 Jan 2011 04:34:33 GMT it was too cold tonight to roast outside. around 20ºF, and about 6 or 7 fresh inches of snow on the ground, so i put the stovetopfan on and opened... it was too cold tonight to roast outside. around 20ºF, and about 6 or 7 fresh inches of
snow on the ground, so i put the stovetopfan on and opened a window.
i put a wok on the stove and the heat on. i put about 2 handfuls of light beans in it,
grabbed my blackened spoon and scattered them for 20 minutes.
they smoked a little, but not too bad.
i watched as they went from whitish yellowish to brownish tan
to darker. the chaff littered the wok as the beans cracked the first time.
being old beans some were cooking faster than others. i continued.
i scattered the beans more as they smoked a little more and i raised the wok from the coil.
eventually they cracked again and went from light brownish to a darker brown, the crack in the beans
went from white to dark and i took them off the heat. i inspected the beans
and put into a glass jar. soon after, i put the wok back on the heat and threw some more beans in.
this time it was 3 or 4 handfuls.

20-21 minutes later that group of beans was dark too, and in the jar they went.

i don't have any film to test them with, and i want them to sit overnight, and maybe drink them this time,
just to see what i am forcing my film to drink, and who knows, maybe i will make some photographs of the experience ;)


enjoy your coffee ! ]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/341-5th-batch-stovetop.html 4th batch http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/340-4th-batch.html Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:19:07 GMT it was cold, really cold. snow was falling and the young ones were all sound asleep. i had gone to the coffee shop earlier in the day and... it was cold, really cold.
snow was falling and the young ones
were all sound asleep.

i had gone to the coffee shop earlier in the day
and picked up the motherload of green beans.
it was a win-win situation, seeing he has no use for
robusta and only sells arabica to his clientele.
he had a client years ago he roasted for but she hasn't come back
in years. when i called a few weeks ago i could tell he was happy.

the first batches came out OK. i don't have a very good roasting technique.
i don't allow the oils to come out, but i do allow everything to get black, really black
inside and out, crumbly and carbonized.

this night was no different.
when everyone was sleeping, i took the plate and plugged it in.
i cleared the snow off the ground first with a few good sweeps of my foot.
i got some of the greenbeans and poured them into the metal tin and eventually
they began to sizzle,
i worked them with the spoon and eventually they browned and were shiney
then black as night.

the snow continued , the smoke was thick as they roasted.

i figured they were done, and poured them into a bin to cool for the night.
the next day i ground them up and made some more coffee in the perk.
after it cooled it went downstairs where i mixed with soda and the vitamins.
3 rolls were ready and on reels
it was just enough fluid for all of them.
35-30mins later they washed and were hanging to dry
and i picked the young ones up at school.

the turned out OK, nice grain and stain.
and no uneven development.
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]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/340-4th-batch.html ( no 130 ) sumatranol, just plain old sumatranol http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/338-no-130-sumatranol-just-plain-old-sumatranol.html Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:47:03 GMT it was about 1245 and i didn't have much time
i grabbed a few rolls of 125 and the mamiya and headed to the cove.
the light was soft, the sky was grey and it was about 25ºF.
i pulled into a parking space as i listened to the tires crunch on the ice.
the film was put in and advanced.
instead of 125 or 80, i rated the film at 20ish, a stop or two lower than i usually shoot it.
the wind blew but the sand was frozen
the water ebbed and flowed
and the gulls flew and walked

i was cold and i reloaded the camera.

when it was time for the second roll to end i drove off to wait in line waiting for the bell to ring at the school.
the 2 rolls waited in my pocket.

we arrived home and the kids got ready to do their homework, and so did i.
i journeyed to the cave and loaded the film on the metal spirals, and put them in a tank.

i still had about 800cc of coffee left over from the other day. it had the equivalent of about 4 or 5 tablespoons of soda and maybe a tablespoon of vit c,
but i am not really sure since it was the remains of a 12 cup perk, a liberal pour of soda and the last tablespoons of vit c ...
the coffee that waited for me had no ansco 130 in it and was ready to use.

i poured the coffee into a beaker, and it was cold
i make a water jacket, to raise the temp, and filled the film tank with 70ºF water

i rapped the bubbles out, and checked the thermometer it was close enough at 65ºF.

the water poured out blue and the coffee went in
i topped it off with about 200cc of regular water and rapped the bubbles off the film.

i poured out the water jacket and filled the tupperware tub with water that was about 70ºF so it would raise the temp of the coffee.
the timer went on for 35mins upstairs and down.

all this coffee was making me thirsty so i pulled a long shot of espresso and realized we were nearly out
i went to amazon and replenished.
they still had the cheap stuff we usually get ... i got 5lbs and went back downstairs to enjoy my espresso and chitchat.
we watched youtube and i showed the kids marilyn monroe and the ramones singing "happy birthday", doing our best keeping it real

we were interupted and the buzzers began to squawk
they went back to homework and so did i

i plugged in the green light and poured out the coffee (just in case i needed to keep it going)
i filled and dumped with tap water a few times until it ran clear
and filled it up again

the overhead went dark and all i could see was green

i pulled off the lid and stuck my fingers in the water, pulling out a metal spiral
and i inspected a few frames ...
there were details in the highlights ...

the film went back into the tank
the lid back on
the green light went dark
the overhead on

i poured out the water and added some fix
and then the 20 fillndump wash

the rolls are hanging from the ceiling now ...

i got a chance to cut and numericalize some of the frames and
while they processed and look OK to a certain extant,
they aren't as smooth and clean as those processed together with 130.
the plus x has a healthy brown stain, and the ilford125 base is clear,
no stain ...

some of the frames have developing issues, streaks, mottled areas
almost as if they were paper negatives that i made, instead of film.

while i know this coffee works, and works well with or without ansco 130,
i am planning on using 130 most of the time, unless i want "the look"
that plain old sumatranol can offer

enjoy your coffee !
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]]> jnanian http://www.apug.org/forums/blogs/jnanian/338-no-130-sumatranol-just-plain-old-sumatranol.html