Automating agitation!!!!

[afirmin]

Hello,

I have just started to get back into fibre based printing but sadly I am finding the long agitation times in the development tray rather difficult with my arthritis.

Does anyone know of a device that will rock/agitate a dev tray or some other Heath Robinson type contraption that would help me.

Thanks,

Ant

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Does anyone know of a device that will rock/agitate a dev tray or some other Heath Robinson type contraption that would help me.

Take a look at this Edwards Engineered Products Dead Link Removed setup. Maybe this would help?

Ken

 

[afirmin]

Ken,

Thanks for the quick response. That was exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of.

A tad on the expensive side though and not sure whether (a) its electrically compatible here in the UK, and (b) is wife compatible for such a major modification to the kitchen!!


Cheers,

Ant

 

[Removed Account2]

Rube Goldberg had all kinds of stuff like that in the 1950's - simple gravity driven.

There must be a site somwhere for that? I think Popular Mechanics put out several books with contraptions like that, it was basically a weight and an excenter adapted to each situation. Just give it a thought!

 

[domaz]

Just use a print drum on a rotary base. Let it agitate for you.

 

[AgX]

Ant,

No need to shout (headline).

 

[eclarke]

Look on eBay for one of these rocker agitaters. When labs have these, they seem to have many and they do show up cheaply.

 

[Allen Friday]

I built a contraption similar to the tray rocker mentioned above. I bought a mirror ball motor (I think I got it from Surplus Shed). I mounted the motor on the wall and attached a round, wooden washer on the front. The wooden washer was drilled from a 1/2 inch thick piece of lumber and is 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Near the edge of the washer, I attached a thin bolt with an over sized spacer around it. I attached a flexible cable (the thin kind that comes in kits to hang pictures.) I tape that to the tray to be agitated. When I turn the motor on, the wooden wheel spins and the tray is lifted about 1/2 inch when the bolt is at the top of its cycle. I basically used parts I had on hand--except for the motor. The tray is lifted 3 times a minute. I think I have about thirty dollars invested in the contraption. I built it because I do a lot of platinum prints, which require 15 to 20 minutes of rocking to clear. Rue Goldberg in spirit, but it works.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Just use a print drum on a rotary base. Let it agitate for you.

Either that or develop prints during earthquates.

 

[bobwysiwyg]

Did the Google thing out of curiosity, found it thought I would post the URL.

http://www.airwreck.com/dnloads/E80.pdf

 

[Robert Hall]

It's in Spanish, but I think you will get the idea...

http://www.foto-r3.com/agitador-de-bandejas.html

I believe it's a Heiland product

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

It's in Spanish, but I think you will get the idea...

http://www.foto-r3.com/agitador-de-bandejas.html

I believe it's a Heiland product

I think you are correct, Robert. I believe it could be this Heiland product, but equipped with a dedicated tray rocking connection. Heiland markets the unit as a rather cool automated film developing tank inversion device. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. The little product photo in your linked catalog listing looks like it might be the same or a similar thing, minus the pedestal legs.

Ken

P.S. Out of curiosity I checked the Versalab website to see if they offer it in the USA, even though the OP is in the UK. They don't list it. But I was struck by the following July 2010 note at the top of their home page regarding Versalab's future prospects in the analog darkroom equipment market...

 

[vedmak]

Jobo

 

[Removed Account2]

Whats wrong with you people? Electric motors, pneumatic pain in the asses?

Don't discount good 'ol newton and his falling apples! Gravity is free, and available everywhere.

You place a 6-sided rocker/dowel on a table, connect it to a pendulum with an appropiate WEIGHT & length (have to test this out)

You let the pendulum hang over the side of a table while the rocker lies flat on the table.

Place a board on top of the rocker/dowel, so that it sits on the table at one side only.

Place the film tank or a print tray on top, and adjust the length of the pendulum until it swings at a suitable period.

Go about your normal development, nudging the pendulum from time to time, keeping the rocking action fairly constant.

Nearly zero cost in materials, zero cost in use, and let you automate your process as needed. Rube Goldberg had 100's of inventions absed on simple physics like this.

EP