I’ve been experimenting with a hybrid of trichroic negative processes and Quadtone RIP. Since the ink control with QTR is so great, theoretically it should be possible to produce any color that routines like RNP or PDN can produce, but from within the QTR interface.
Going through serious gum withdrawals so I spent a couple of days reliving the agony. I’ve been going round and round with the separation technique, but finally proved to myself the multichannel and RGB give identical results (at least on CS4), while the CMYk ( K layer as needed) method tends to give more saturated isolated colors. This duck image illustrates that pretty well in the yellows, oranges and reds- note the duck body and bill. The channels are in order left to right- C, M, Y. I do print the K channel with ivory black, to build the shadows back up.
Instead of making an entire new 4×10 back for my 5×12 camera, I just made an adapter the size of a 5×12 holder that the 4×10 holder fits into. This allows me to shot either format with the one back. Since the new 4×10 holder’s T-dimension is exactly 1/16″ less than the 5×12 holder, that allowed me to use a piece of 1/16 garolite for the bottom of the adapter. The adapter has a slot for the 4×10 riblock to fit into, and a riblock of its own to fit into the original back’s riblock slot…
I do have an obvious issue with pulling the darkslide when only one of the slides is reversed and the pulls are then aligned, making it difficult to grab the pull that’s tight to the back. I might have to redesign the pulls a little so they will always offset each other, regardless of orientation, but that is more difficult than it sounds. For now just using a spring clip to extend the pull.
This is my second go at a tripod- same three-stage design, but much lighter- the first one was ash and dramatically overbuild. I hesitate to mention that this was built out of Spanish Cedar- yes, cigar box cedar. Not only does it smell great (?) but it’s very light. Spanish cedar is much like Honduran mahogany- open grained, lovely to work, and has a durability and stability that belies it’s lightness. The cam levers are yellowheart.
I used to set up a rather elaborate system of fences, squares and clamps to cut 5×12 film down from larger stock, but if this move to 4×10 is to be sustained I realized I’d need something a little easier to setup.
I really need a smaller, much smaller camera. Had a piece of decent cherry in the shop, started milling. Rough, oversize. Stickered for a week. Design all week. Worked out rough idea with CAD and cardboard silhouettes. Pretty effective in finding pivot points, brace lengths and extension. Need to decide on folding or non-folding WA design. I like the utility of Ebony’s non-folding models, but would miss the base tilt on both standards.
April 24
Bellows. I hate them so. I did a paper mock-up but still the pleats are folding oddly. I think the geometry of this isn’t quite right. The front standard is fairly close to the size of the back on the side, so there’s not much taper there- 7 3/4 inches to 5 1/4 . But on the tops and bottom it’s 14 3/4 to 5 1/4 . There seems to be nowhere for some of the folds to go. I think the mock-up worked because it was just kraft paper, no stiffeners. I should have just made a @!$# bag bellows- I rarely use anything longer that a 250 lens anyway. Edit- updated way to make bellows at end of page-
