38. Retouching Desk

Retouching Desk. A suitable retouching desk may be obtained from regular dealers in photographic supplies. In Illustration No. 2 is shown a very convenient easel which will close up in very compact form. For those who prefer making their own outfit, the following description may be of assistance:

39. A retouching desk or easel should be made as convenient and yet as compact as possible. First, provide three pieces of soft wood surfaced on both sides, 1/2 inch thick, 18 inches long and 14 inches wide. Cut an opening in the center of one of the boards, the opening measuring about 4x6 inches. Next provide two pairs of small hinges. Attach one pair under one end of the board with the hole in the center, and to this end attach the board to be used as the baseboard. At the other end or top of the easel, and on the upper side, attach the remaining pair of hinges and fasten the headboard to this end. With these three boards attached they will fold together nicely.

40. The easel may be set up so the center board will stand at an angle of about 30 degrees with the table. This may be arranged in two ways, either by attaching stationary braces or movable ones. By the former method you nail two wooden braces (one on each side of the frame) to the lower and middle sections. You also attach a pair of braces on each side of the upper and middle sections. Braces for the lower section will need to be about 14 inches in length and should be attached to the rear edge of this section, while the ones for the upper section need not be over 8 inches in length and should be attached about 7 inches from the upper end of the top and middle sections, raising the upper section to a height suitable to your convenience.

41. As the upper section serves as a hood for shielding light from overhead, this section must be made to suit the person working under it and, therefore, the length of the brace for this will depend entirely upon the user. With

the easel arranged in this manner, it will form a letter Z. Where it is desirable to make the easel adjustable to different heights and collapsible so that it may be folded up when not in use, the braces may be made detachable as follows:

42. Insert a few holes, half-way through the wood, about 1/4 inch in size and one inch apart, on both sides of the middle section, on the lower side of the top section, and on the upper side of the bottom one, locating them about 6 inches from the hinge joint on the top section and about 10 inches from the hinge joint on the bottom section. Next provide four small rods of wood or metal to insert in these notches or holes, to support the frame when in use. In order to hold the negative in position in the retouching frame, insert two thumb tacks at the base of the opening in the center board. An opaque cloth thrown over this desk will keep out all light from the film side of the negative and permit retouching with ease and without any strain on the eyes. With this arrangement the desk is complete.