These steps will help you make a POSITIVE out of your pinhole NEGATIVE.
You will need a good pinhole negative and your photo paper.
Step 1: Set the Height and Focus
Turn on the enlarger by pressing the FOCUS button on the timer.
Move the red safety filter out so you can see the light clearly.
Lay your negative under the light. You should not have any other photo paper out at this point.
Adjust the HEIGHT of the enlarger so the area of light is a little bigger than the negative.
Adjust the FOCUS so the edges of the light are crisp all the way around.
Sometimes you have to go back and forth between the height and focus to get them both adjusted correctly.
Step 2: Set the Aperture and Time
Set the APERTURE to 3.5 (the brightest setting).
Set the TIMER to 5 seconds (5.0).
Also, make sure the CONTRAST FILTERS are turned off (on the Beseler) or not inserted (on the Omega).
Step 3: Make the Test Strip
Place the red SAFETY FILTER under the lens and take out one piece of 4x5 photo paper.
Place the new piece of paper shiny side up under the light and the negative face down on top.
Place a clean piece of glass on top of the papers and a piece of cardboard to cover everything except for about an inch of the papers.
Press the FOCUS button on the timer to turn off the light.
Move the safety filter out from under the lens.
Press the RUN button to make the first exposure.
Move the cardboard over to expose another inch of the papers and press RUN again.
Continue making 5 second exposures all the way down including one with no cardboard covering any of the paper. You should be able to do 4-6 exposures, each about an inch wide.
Step 4: Develop!
Develop the newly exposed piece of paper for the same times as when you developed the negative.
Test strips do not have to wash for a full 5 minutes, but at least put it in the washer for a few seconds to wash off some of the Fixer and squeegee it.
You will then have a positive image that will have multiple exposures to determine the best time for your image.
Step 5: Make the Final Positive
Once the best time has been determined you will make the final positive.
Set up for the exposure with a new piece of 4x5 photo paper, setting everything up the same way, but without the cardboard.
Do the exposure for the determined time with no cardboard and develop.
