Solargraphs - Summer>Winter Solstice 2018

[TakMan]

All from Baked Bean cans within a 10 mile radius, using Ilford Multigrade B&W paper. Scanned and played with in Photoshop.

For more solargraph info and previous attempts, see our club blog:

https://roslistonastronomy.uk/category/equipment/solargraphs 

Here is the link to our solargraph archive (before we set up the new blog):

http://www.thornett.net/Rosliston/Solar/html/solargraphy.html

My observing mate - Andy's first one, slightly different angle to his usual version.

And his second - massive amounts of water damage (was still a few mm of rain in the bottom of the can), but love the effect it's created. This is his usual angle (so can be compared to previous attempts). Can just make out the house bottom right of centre and the tree to the left.

Mine, screwed to the house as usual, SSE facing.

Sister's from her new home. Was surprised at the very upper sun trace, but it can be matched to my own above. Thought at first it must have moved or have been a reflection from the inside top of the can. The cans are painted black inside and any movement would have created a double image of the houses - there isn't anything to suggest that.

Finally, one I made up for a lady at my new workplace. Still need to check the father-in-law's...

Damian

 

[Moonshane]

Amazing. Never seen these before.

[TakMan]

So easy to do! No need for developing fluids, just dry with a hair dryer and scan - in colour (the chemical reaction that takes place means (somehow) you can get a colour image from B&W paper. Just be aware that they don't always work... so that can be disappointing after waiting the full six months!!!

Damian

[Stu]

FLO are doing these if you want the easy, and waterproof option! I will try to start mine on 1st Jan for 6 months. Still need to find a location which will work.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/other-science-gadgets-models-toys/solarcan-ready-to-use-solargraphy-camera.html

EDIT Great shots Damian!

[TakMan]

Solstice to solstice gives the most. Doesn’t matter though that you’ve missed a week or so, just if you want the ‘full effect’ you go S to S. Can even do just a month or so if you wish to experiment first.

Don’t go past either solstice though, as you start to overlap solar traces so could loose the gaps!

D

[JamesF]

They do look like fun.  I really want to do one, but I'm trying to avoid expanding my list of outdoor projects at the moment, at least until I get enough decent weather to finish a few of them.  It is on my "future todo" list though

James

[JamesF]

Actually, come to think of it, this would work nicely when the observatory is finished.  The Sun just scrapes over the roof of the house at the winter solstice when viewed from the observatory, so it should be possible to create an image of the solar tracks framing the house.

James

[Pete Presland]

Fantastic results, I would love to try this.

[Demonperformer]

Rushed to the website link and found a link " Instructions on how to make a solargraph can be found here (PDF)." Got really excited, only to discover that it starts "Here is your RAG solargraph - already pre-loaded with B&W photographic paper!". So I am none the wiser on "how to make a solargraph" (sob!).

[Moonshane]

I presume the paper has to be handled in the dark (or red light) and protected from white light until wet processed?

[TakMan]

Sorry, the instructions are just for folks who grabbed one from me that I made up, although there are some useful handling tips in them!

Very easy.

One can, I prefer the baked bean size (as I can get 6x sheets cut to 9.8 x 20.2 cm of photographic paper cut from a single sheet of Ilford Multigrade paper measuring 12x16 inches. You get 10 of these in a pack and get via Amazon - so that’s enough paper to make 60 up). We tried the Milicano/Lavazza style coffee cans, but I could only get 3 sheets out of the same paper (11 x 21 cm and that doesn’t make economic sense to me!)

Purely an observation, tinned tomato cans appear to be better! They are ‘lined’, I presume to stop the acidic tomatoes reacting with the tin..? Also, ‘branded’ cans seem thicker - makes them a bit more weatherproof and less prone to rusting!

One ‘posh coffee’ (Kenko Milicano/Lavazza) or a Pringle lid (!).

Paint inside of can (probably don’t really need to), but I do and also the lid with blackboard paint (Wilkinsons).

About an inch from the top of the can I usually (when I can’t be bothered), use the smallest drill I have and put a hole in the can (used for my own solargraph shown above in original post). The ‘correct’ way to proceed though is to drill a bigger hole in the can. Clean off edges and then glue a square piece of tin (preferably turkey) foil over hole. **

**Note and warning if using foil method. I now paint or use a black Sharpie pen to paint over the foil (don’t block hole with paint though!!) as magpies will be attracted to shiny hole and try and peck it out! This will ruin poor solargraph (I believe this did happen to me once - hence why I now drill a hole instead on my own!!!)

Await glue to dry and then prick foil with a needle/pin. This should in theory give a small sharp hole through thin material - so give you the best f/ratio and focus - sorry, I’m not clever enough to work it out using the width of the can, etc, etc.

Another posh method (used by a member of our club) is to buy a laser cut hole (oooooo!) to attach to your solargraph!

Close hole / shutter carefully if using this method (foil hole) with electrical tape (personally I stick it to my jeans first to take the edge of the stickyness).

Load paper (photographic side facing inwards into the centre of the can!) I am slightly anal here. I do cut the fresh photographic paper and load it in the garage via my Astro red head lamp (but it is not fully ‘dark room’ dark though). I use tank tape to secure the lid plus a bit extra over the cable ties to keep everything in place.

If using a stake to fix into garden it is a good idea to check that the paper hasn’t moved inside the can with the vibrations of the hammer, by peeling back the shutter to check that the paper hasn’t moved and not obscuring the hole.

If it has, by this stage I just take into the house and as long as I’m not in direct light (under the stairs or something), open can, adjust and refix lid with tank tape.

I usually pre-angle the can on the stake. I use bits of dowel, some use a pencil, others just afix to the stake (large cable ties) and then angle the stake back. You can check what sort of angle you need by holding the empty can up to a light and watching it inside the can as you move it around being projected through the hole. You possibly don’t even need to angle the can if you put the hole in the centre.... I don’t recall why the hole is an inch or so from the top... that’s just the one I copied long ago! I assume it and the angle has something to do with your latitude and the sun’s height..? If you don’t get this bit ‘right’, all that will happen is the top of the sun will get cut off, or you have too much foreground or too much sky.... if you are worried by this (and purchased the pack of Ilford paper), make a few up to experiment with - as there is a bit of preparation and making of a solargraph - drilling, painting.... make a load up to begin with and offer to observing mates or their child to try out.

For the fullest effect, point South!

Leave solargraph in place from Solstice to Solstice if possible. If you move it (hit with the lawnmower!!) all that will happen is you get a double exposure!

***The old notes of mine you added are useful here for placement and what you want to achieve, foreground interest, etc

Once the six months has passed, or curiosity has taken the better of you, close shutter and take can inside.

Open. We used to take great care - in the dark, etc, etc. Now we just turn the lights off, remove, dry with a hairdryer (if you don’t you’ll get a damp contact patch on the scanned image)!

No point in worrying too much about it not being dark at this stage. Computer on, scanner is bright anyway!

Don’t panic, the solargraph will not go black when exposed to light! You can rescan as well, and again if you need to. I have 4-5 year old ones that have started to fade, but are still fine to be scanned again (I do keep these in the old photographic paper black plastic bags and envelopes).

Scan in COLOUR. You can always convert to B&W afterwards if you so wish. I scan at 600-900 dpi (depending on how slow your scanner is) and then resize down to a more manageable 300dpi in Photoshop later.

I repeat, the solargraph won’t be ruined when you expose it to the bright light of the scanner, so enjoy the process of opening up the can, looking at the results (explaining to the kids that it’s horizontally mirror imaged and the image is ‘inverted’ at this stage), drying it off and carefully picking off any bits of black paint that have come off the inside of the can! Don’t start trying to ‘clean’ it though either as the paper surface will be ‘fragile’ and you don’t want to remove nature’s weathering, pollen, etc as that gives the thing some character in my opinion! If you took the effort at the beginning to make sure all edges aren’t too sharp (ring pull cans are the best rather than those can openers that horrifically remove the entire top of the can), then children can remove the paper with supervision and be part of the discovery...

 

Hope this helps....

 

D

 

 

[Moonshane]

Thanks Damian

I'll be trying this for sure ?

[lukebl]

Impressive results and thanks for the detailed information. I've been meaning to try one of these for ages, and will definitely have a go at a few around the garden this year.

I now have a glut of photographic paper which I'll never use! Free to anyone who wants a few sheets although it's not worth the cost of postage, so collection only if you're in the S.Norfolk area.

[JamesF]

This thread has just reminded me of another solar project I'd like to do, which is to create an "analemma" image over the course of a year.  Another one for when the observatory is finished I think.

James

[Davey-T]

11 minutes ago, JamesF said:

This thread has just reminded me of another solar project I'd like to do, which is to create an "analemma" image over the course of a year.  Another one for when the observatory is finished I think.

James

Good luck with that James, might be a few gaps 

Dave

[Davey-T]

When I were a boy and my dad " borrowed " rolls of Kodak paper in cans from work we made a camera type thing that rolled the paper slowly from one reel to another powered by a clockwork mechanism also    " borrowed " from a Victorian gas lamp, never a great success but fun to make and it was sunny every day back then 

Dave