First off: I hope discussion posts are OK? I don’t see any rules except for tagging photo posts.
I have an old beseler B&W enlarger, no color filters or brightness configuration. I have a set of gels for contrast control.
When I’m printing 5x7 and I have my lens at the manufacturer’s recommended aperture size, exposure times are very short (4-6 seconds). It’s hard to get a good dodge/burn in such a short period. I can dial my lens down to f16, but even then I’m starting around 8 seconds for exposure, I’d like maybe 12-16.
I was thinking 1 or 2 stops of neutral density filter could slow down my exposure and give me more time to execute the print. Is that a thing people do?
Paper is Arista Edu Ultra VC RC. I got a seriously good deal on 500 sheets of 5x7 and an additional 250 sheets of 8x10, so have been practicing with them. And when I compare to 8x10 Ilford multigrade RC, exposure times are the same. The film ISO equivalent of Ilford multigrade is 3-6, per their data sheets.
On 8x10 I need a higher enlarger height, so the inverse square law gives me more time, 10-12 seconds.
I’ll give a look at the bulb next then. Thanks.