Popular Science Monthly 



603 



A Photographic Printing-Box for Use 

 with Electric Current 



TWO of tlic cliiff (lit'fuulties confront- 

 ing the aniatfiir photographer are 

 getting a light just right for printing, 

 and coloring glass a ruby which will not 

 spoil plates or films during dc\elo|)nK'nt. 

 To overcome these I constructed a 

 printing-box which worked very well. 

 Of course, it can be used only where 

 there is electric current. 



Procure four bf)artls 14 in. long, 12 in. 

 wide and JA in. thick. (M one of these 

 boards fasten two lamp sockets as shown 

 in Fig. I. Make the connections as 

 shown, letting the two cords pass 

 through holes in the board to the under- 

 side. In another of the boards an 

 8-in. square hole is cut, which is 

 located by the dimensions given in Fig. 

 2. This hole is co\ercd with a ruby 

 glass 9 in. square, glued, pasted or 

 fastened with strips of wood to make it 

 entirely light-tight around the edges. 

 These two boards serve as front and 

 back; the other two are for the sides of 

 the finished box. All of them are 

 nailed together with brads to form a box 

 with o\erlapping joints at the corners. 



The top consists of a board I2>^ in. 

 square and J4 in. thick. The printing 

 frame is placed on the center of this 

 board and marked around the outside, 

 making the outside line shown at A , 

 Fig. 3. The frame is then removed and 

 a line draw'n J^ i"- inside as at B, which 

 is used to cut out the opening necessary 

 for the printing window. Cut halfway 

 through the board on the lines A to 

 make it appear as shown in Fig. 4. 

 This recess is for the printing frame to 

 rest in during exposure. Secure another 

 board I2>2 in. square for the bottom 

 and nail it in place, as well as the top 

 board, to form the box, Fig. 5. 



Paint the box a dead black on the 

 inside and insert the electric lamps in the 

 sockets. Connect the ends of the wires 

 extending from the lamps to a lamp 

 socket with a cord and plug, and the box 

 is ready for use. It is best to ha\e a 

 switch in the circuit for turning the 

 light on and off while changing papers 

 from the frame. The hole in the top of 

 the box is covered with some light-proof 

 material, such as a cardboard or a book, 

 when using it in the dark-room for 



the purpose of developing negatives. 



To use the box for making prints, 



jjlace the negative and ])rinting-out 



paper in the printing frame in the usual 



manner and droji the frame 



the 



FIG.V- 



An easily made box for exposing develop- 

 ing papers; also for a dark-room lantern 



recess cut out for it in the top board; 

 then turn on the light by means of the 

 switch. The time required to expose 

 the print is found after repeated trials. 

 By using a timing de\'ice one print may 

 be developed while another is ex- 

 posing. — H.\RKV Wilson. 



A Scheme for Keeping Pictures 

 Hanging Straight 



IF two pieces of rubber are secured to 

 the lower ends of a picture it will 

 prevent it from assuming different angles 

 on the wall when a jar tends to move it 

 from its proper position. The pieces of 

 rubber act as a frictional break and are 

 effective in holding the picture steady. 



