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  #11  
Old 3rd January 2022, 11:16 PM
Nat Polton Nat Polton is offline
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This evening I found the answer to my similar problem.
Exposures have been slightly erratic of late.
I thought it was my timing and chemistry in the dishes at fault.
It was only when I had the wireless playing that I noticed the occasional crackling interference on it.
The enlarger light slightly flickered and coincided with the radio interference.
I then looked at the safelight behind me. That also twitched slightly when the radio crackled.
I metered everything I could think of. Then I checked all the connections, and even re soldered every joint in the transformer.
I could not find anything faulty.
In desperation I removed the plug-in RCD circuit breaker from the socket, and lo and behold no interference or twitchy lights.
You would think I should have noticed the flickering lights but I am usually looking at the timer countdown display and the safelight is high up behind me.
So now its another RCD to order up.

The other thing I had when my set up was in an unheated loft, I ​had a cup of piping hot tea next to the enlarger. The steam from the cup condensed on the the cold lens.
This would come and go as I moved the cup around.
I cannot remember now if it upset the exposure or just the focus.



Good luck with the problem.

Cheers.
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  #12  
Old 4th January 2022, 10:58 AM
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Rob Archer Rob Archer is offline
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This reminds me of a problem I had some years ago, soon after I set up my darkroom. It's in the roof space of what was then a garage. I was constantly getting inconsistent prints. I eventually cottoned on to the fact that the problem only occurred when the washing machine was on. The wiring in the garage (installed before we moved in) was so poor that the washing machine drained the power enough to significantly dim the enlarger bulb! We've since had the garage converted to a 'granny flat' and rewired properly so not a problem now.
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  #13  
Old 4th January 2022, 12:32 PM
Terry S Terry S is offline
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Thanks for all the further suggestions.

Watching telly last night, something came to me, so I need to check out this first before trying anything else.

I'll report back afterwards and explain. Probably a couple of days now until I can get back in the darkroom.

Many thanks again.

Terry S
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  #14  
Old 4th January 2022, 06:46 PM
John King John King is offline
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Default Basic photography

I have just renewed my passport on line. That was relatively easy except the part where you have to upload a photograph within their parameters. It must be in colour. There are certain other stipulations such as no shadows or spectacles unless you need to wear them all the time or odd objects not appearing in the frame.

I took the photograph myself and it was in my view exactly as they requested. It was uploaded and then electronically checked to see if it was acceptable. No manipulation software is allowed to alter the image.

The 1st analysis came back apparently I was using black and white. I tried it again with different lighting and this time the image was unsharp. I checked - it wasn't! The camera had been on my Manfrotto tripod and the shutter released by delayed action. I tried again and again, both times it came back as being in black and white.

I started to think their computer was colour blind. The umpteenth time afterwards it actually worked. I had not changed the lighting, the camera or the focus, so why were the first ones not accepted. A bit of a gripe really but it just goes to show that you cannot beat a Mk1 human eye to judge photographs.
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  #15  
Old 4th January 2022, 07:11 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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It must have been B&W, John. A machine never gets it wrong in the same way that having explained exactly his circumstances the domestic customer asks the human customer adviser how his fuel bill can have jumped from £100 the previous quarter to one million in the current one and receives the answer that the bill is correct as the computer cannot be wrong

Mike
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  #16  
Old 10th January 2022, 11:06 AM
snusmumriken snusmumriken is offline
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Terry, we await your update with bated breath!

I think I would bypass the timer and do a set of test prints by the clock (without touching the aperture ring!). If they are consistent, the answer must be the timer. If inconsistent, the bulb (you have a spare?) or electricity supply must be suspect.
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  #17  
Old 10th January 2022, 01:22 PM
Terry S Terry S is offline
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Jonathan, the last thing I did was use a socket tester on all the sockets and they all came back OK.

I've tried changing both the bulb, the chemistry, the paper and the timer and the results still remain the same.

I've also checked the timer against another timing devise and they were both the same.

I was going to double check the sockets, by taking the covers off one by one, and check the screws on the wires are all tight next. But being covid positive since Saturday, I don't feel safe doing that just now, as I'm quite wobbly and light headed at the moment. Hopefully well enough to do it next week. I want to do this as I've just remembered about 10 years ago, I found this fault with one socket. I do hope that this is the problem, as otherwise I'm totally stumped and it's most annoying having to use extra paper, when the exposures keep varying.

I'll post back as and when able.

Terry S
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  #18  
Old 10th January 2022, 02:04 PM
Nat Polton Nat Polton is offline
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Sorry to hear you got it Terry.

A quick test instead of opening up the sockets,
run a temporary extension lead into the darkroom from a different ring main. That should get a big portion of mains wiring out the way with no real effort.



If you are anything like my neighbour is at the moment, you are probably feeling a bit too fragile to do anything.

Look on the bright side Terry, you are now a Government Statistic

Cheer up and take it easy.

Cheers.
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  #19  
Old 10th January 2022, 03:11 PM
Terry S Terry S is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nat Polton View Post
A quick test instead of opening up the sockets, run a temporary extension lead into the darkroom from a different ring main. That should get a big portion of mains wiring out the way with no real effort.
Ahh! I never thought of that simple idea. Obvious when you know.
I won't be doing if for a couple of days but it's a good idea.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nat Polton View Post
If you are anything like my neighbour is at the moment, you are probably feeling a bit too fragile to do anything.

Look on the bright side Terry, you are now a Government Statistic
That's about right. I'm even having trouble typing these messages, so off goes the computer for the day after this.

And how I love to be a Government Statistic!

Terry S
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  #20  
Old 13th March 2022, 01:09 PM
Terry S Terry S is offline
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Well, as you will know, I got over my Covid infection after about 2 weeks, back in January 2022, but had other symptoms for about another month, which have now been labelled as 'Long Covid'. I had terrible constant head and eye aches - not very nice at all, but at last I feel a lot better.

Also I forgot about this post and can now report back that all is fine! My exposures are now correct and prints and test-strips are all repeatable and come out fine, or at least when I don't have brain fog, as I did on Friday. On this day I did loads of test-strips and prints for the current Print Exchange, trying to get the exposure and the burning in times just right. Eventually I gave up for the day after about 8 versions. The next day after a good rest and nights sleep, I looked at the previous days prints and could immediately see that the second print was the correct exposure, with about the forth print's burning in exposure being the one I needed to add. How glad was I that I write notes for each of my printing sessions, 'just in case', which as it turned out was indeed the case! It was now so much more obvious which exposures were required, but I just couldn't see it the day before! So I now hope to remember this and if I have a bit of brain fog, to stop immediately and try again the next day or so.

Anyway, getting back on track, if you read previous posts, you will see that I tried just about everything I could think of, to try and work out why I was unable to get repeatable exposures of either test-strips or prints. I even ended up investing about £28 in a voltage stabilser, which showed the current to be fine.

But as with other posters and their problems with RCD's and washing machines, I suddenly clicked one day that it could be to do with the 2000 watt fan heater that I had in the same circuit, as the darkroom was only about 5C, whilst the heater was pointed at my feet to keep them warm. Turning it off that day, as it was a tad warmer, at about 10C, everything was fine - except the temperature! Why it was an intermittent problem I don't know, but in the future when it's cold in the darkroom and I want to get in there, I'll put on some thermal socks and if necessary try and run the heater off a different circuit.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I'm just glad I sorted it, as I really thought that my own darkroom would be no more and that I would have to hire a local one by the hour.

Terry S

Last edited by Terry S; 13th March 2022 at 01:15 PM.
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