Category Archives: Personal

Ice, Ice baby

by in Motor Vehicles, Personal, Work Related | Leave a comment

Bloody typical, I purchased a Swedish Ice Scraper back in 2020, not used it for a little while, needed it a couple of days ago, damned if I could find it, check everywhere, eventually gave up, assuming that I had left it in the old car when I part-exchanged it, so I ordered a new one, then wouldn’t you know it almost exactly an hour before the new one arrived, I found the old one.

If you haven’t already got one, I’d definitely recommend one, so much better than anything that Halfrauds sell, and definitely better than damaging a debit/credit card.

Ice, Ice, Baby

Whoops, been a while….

by in Analog, Lenses, Personal, Retro and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
Canon R with Urth RF-FD adaptor and Canon FDn 50mm F1.4

Been a little busy in recent months and haven’t added anything to the blog, but that is about to change.

I recently started shooting & processing film (only for private work) which I haven’t done since I went completely digital in the very early 2000s. It has been fun shooting with a pair of Canon F1n bodies & FD glass, some of which i have owned since the early 1980s. I recently decided that I should shoot some digital images with the old glass as well so I bought a little Canon mirrorless camera & an Urth RF to FD adaptor.

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Another Good Weekend

by in Analog, Darkroom, Personal, Retro and tagged | Leave a comment

Managed to get some film shot during the weekend, only the one roll, but also got into the darkroom on Sunday afternoon and processed and printed a number of frames. Mainly shooting some test photos with the Canon New-F1 and FDn 15mm F2.8, FDn 20-35mm F3.5, I still need to do some tests with a recently acquired FDn 35-70mm F2.8/3.5.

The photos were shot in Burton-on-Sea, Bognor Regis and Guildford. Ilford FP4 Plus, dev’d in Ilfosol3. The images below were scanned with a Canon EOS 5DS on an Bowens Illumitran. (I did also some 9½x12 Multigrade prints on some paper that I was given a couple of months ago, which is currently my favourite print size.)

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Continuing my Film Journey

by in Analog, Cameras, Lenses, Personal, Retro | Leave a comment

Having started shooting film again, after many years being digital (circa 1996 with the DCS3) I have recently gone back to my roots, not just shooting film, but B&W only, and processing and printing ‘old school’, I have added a couple of bits of glass recently that were really quite exceptional in their day (and indeed I owned the EOS versions of both). The latest acquisitions include a 20-35mm F3.5L and the newest one is the 15mm F2.8.

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Finis…….

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The replacement compression springs arrived from China, the only issue is that they are simply cut from longer lengths of springs, meaning that the finish is crap, there are sharp edges & the springs will not sit flat, usually compression springs are flattened or ground to ensure that the top & bottom of the spring is level. So out came the hand file initially, but ultimately as I had a few to do I fired up the angle grinder.

Having restored a few of the RRB easels, I will be offering a few for sale, I will be keeping the 12×10 & one 12×16, but the rest will ultimately be sold, interested drop me a message.

Bit of a mission….

by in Personal, Photographic Repairs, Retro | Leave a comment
In need of a bit of TLC, blades are fine under that tape, steel needs polishing.

Went on a little trip to pick up some bits, mainly a couple of Manfrotto Autopoles, but also a very used 10×12 RR Beard Enlarging Easel. Having got the Easel home and examined, I have to wonder who looks after their kit like this? Same with the Autopoles, which had 5 Manfrotto 035 Clamps attached, most of which are covered in white emulsion, surely if you are painting the studio you take them down!

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Not had one of these for years

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Found an old Nikon Loupe on-line looking rather sad for itself & quite cheap, other than Evri trying to lose it and a 2 day trip lasting closer to seven, it eventually made it home. Cleaning it has revealed some small cracks, but I have at least been able to polish out the name & “artroom” that was heavily scratched into the clear acrylic, it needs a little more work with the polish but is already 100% better than when it arrived.

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Too Many Tripods?

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Can you have too many tripods? I am starting to think so, however this one will probably only be mine for the short term. It’s a Benbo One and it is in dire need of a service, the head won’t lock on to the Tripod itself and is prone to rotating even when fully locked. The Ball head is sticky and the legs have a foot that needs replacing as it is cracked & has been glued back together very poorly & also glued to the leg itself. So I have ordered replacement feet, I have stripped the bent bolt mechanism and cleaned & re-lubricated, now all that remains is to strip down the head.

Next Project…..Updated

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And the next project, seeing as I am going to keep the LPL 5×4 enlarger is to refurbish the RRB 12×16 enlarging easel. I love the design of these things and so much more substantial than the LPL easels that I used back in the day. First up will be a thorough clean, I have already ordered replacement knobs, as it was acquired with two different knobs, one original & the other a completely different & wrong sized knob. I may replace both as even though it would remove the branding, it would look better.

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Yet another project…

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Purchased a new enlarger the other day, a very nice LPL 7451, 5×4 colour enlarger which is going to be kept, needs a little maintenance which will be tackled over the next few weeks. It also came with quite a few other bits & pieces, but was significantly for me missing 35mm negative carriers. It also came with a fantastic RRB easel, enlarger timer, an old but mint Ilford EM10, a colour analyser and various other bits.

Amongst the bits that will be sold off are a number of enlarging lenses, including two 150mm lenses (Schneider Companon & Astron), a Rokker 50mm (which along with another Rokker 50mm F4.5) and a AICO 75mm as I will never use them, unfortunately.

There are also a number of other bits that will be donated to any local darkroom clubs or disabled photographer societies. But most importantly the reason for this post, if you happen to know anyone that has 35mm & 6×6 & 6×7 negative carriers for this enlarger please let me know.

Another Project

by in Personal, Photographic Equipment, Photographic Repairs, Retro | Leave a comment

So not content with the on going project of getting the Bowens Illumitran set up to do the digitising of slides & negatives, I found a bargain LPL C6700 on Facebook Marketplace, described as not working, I figured it can only be the electrics that are a problem & took a gamble & went to see what it was like. Correctly described as not working, it also had a broken knob (phnar phnar) anyway I took a punt, and it also came with a load of other bits, nothing particularly exciting, a couple of cheap enlarging lenses, some 1960s Paterson Major II tanks, a Photax Westbury Printer, whatever that is, trays, measures etc.

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Getting Serious Now

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Need to pick up a couple of bits, but nearly there, just need time to get out and shoot some actual film. Won’t be processing the XP2 that is currently in the EOS1V but will load some Agfa that I bought last week. Quite looking forward to it, it has been so many years since I last processed a film myself.

UPDATE

A few more bits have arrived, just waiting on the last couple of things that are still in the mail.

Supporting Ukraine

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I recently ordered a NAFO patch to help raise money for Ukraine, and in the same delivery came a Bose sound system that I ordered. Not sure which I am happiest about, the Bose system is brilliant, so is the patch which will find its way on to one of my camera bags in due course.

Just the start

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So having bought a Canon EOS 1V HS a while back and some XP2, I found some bargain priced conventional B&W film, only £3.60 a roll, instead of the more usual £9.00, so now I have to invest in developing kit that I haven’t owned since 20 years ago, so next week I will dive down to my local specialist and get Dev Tank, measures, thermometer, bottles, dev & fix etc, so in saving £30 on film, I’ll have to spend £100 to see the results!

Love a bargain

by in Personal, Work Related | Leave a comment

I love a bargain, I wanted a digital watch for work, preferably something with a plastic case/strap etc as anything steel gets scratched to buggery, and I wanted something cheap & easy to read in low light. £30 and I have what must be the largest ever LCD watch. Waterproof to a far deeper depth than I will ever dive to and lighter than any watch that I have owned since the original Swatch.

Not Work Related

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driver

With a weekend off, I was planning on doing some running repairs, so I purchased a new  Drill and something I have never owned before, an Impact Driver. What a revelation, needing to drive a few 100mm+ screws, it made life so much easier. So if you are using a drill/Electric Screwdriver, stop, get yourself an impact driver.

Hugo Boss

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I like Hugo Boss gear, have done for many years, their polos seem to last forever, despite near daily abuse. I am throwing some out that are over 10 years old & the only reason for most of them being disposed of, is that they appear to have shrunk, they are a little tighter round the middle than they used to be.

Anyway the original point was to be that whenever anyone comments it is always “You do know that they made the SS Uniforms, DON’T YOU?”  At which point I am usually floundering for a response.  A great many companies cosied up to Hitler & The Nazi Party, especially German ones, but also a few  British & American ones.

A Sad Day

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As I have posted before, my mother was diagnosed with Cancer a little over a year ago. She gave up the fight on Thursday at 1030hrs, and will be buried at the Shamley Green Natural Burial Ground in the near future.

I have poked fun at Jade Goody and her death from Cancer, my mother had the dignity to die at home, and without feeling the need to hawk her private life to the highest bidder, I still maintain Jade Goody was a Chavy talentless bint that the world will not miss. My Mum was never a celebrity, but she was an intelligent, articulate, funny woman, who died with dignity, and fortunately without pain.

RIP JRB