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Max, Why don't you just use the enlarger as the light source for your contact printing on Azo? Most of them will work just as good as your utility light, and if it is a condenser type enlarger then you may even be able to put a stronger bulb in it. Just because you use an enlarger doesn't mean that you have to put a negative in it.
I would encourage you to go ahead and use the AZO. It doesn't really care that much (to a degree at least) which light source you use to expose it with.
And yes, if you are exposing your film for enlarging paper then it will not be ideally matched to AZO.
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I know you can use the enlarger for contact prints (which is what I'm planning to do), but wouldn't the exposure times for Azo would be prohibively long?
(I have no experience with enlargers, but have read about the new head that can be used to expose Azo - that's pretty expensive, though, especially if I only want to use it for a ten-week class...)
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Try it out. You can maximize the output of the enlarger light by removing the lens (and lensboard if the enlarger has one) and setting the head on the column as low as possible to give you adequate coverage and even output across the frame.
If it's a condensor enlarger, though, watch out for a hotspot or image of the bulb appearing on the print. If you have this problem, it will appear as a frustrating little grey blob in a slightly different location for every print. The solution is to add some diffusion material (like a sheet of white paper) in the neg carrier, but this will also reduce light output.
If this works, and if the enlarger doesn't produce too much overspill, it will allow you to work at an enlarging station in a shared darkroom, but you'll still have the issue of whether the developer is suitable for Azo. One option might be setting up a tray of amidol for your prints (and maybe another tray for water bath), if there's room.
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