DIY Gizmos

[Blighty]

I wonder, has anyone made a simple labour-saving device for their darkroom such as a 'tray-rocker' or an 'auto-dodger/burner'? I don't about anybody else, but I sometimes think I could do with an extra pair of hands, especially when it comes to print manipulation. Regards, BLIGHTY

 

[Leon]

I heard once that someone calle A Dobe had come up with a device he called Ph Otos Hop. From what I understand it did all this and more Blighty, although I am quite doubtfull about Mr Dobe's claims

 

[BWGirl]

Well, let's see.... Mr. RH made the most wonderful enlarger timer (called the StopClock Pro)...with input from our own Les McLean. That thing has saved me HOURS!

An auto rocker for my trays would be wonderful! I'll have to think about how to mechanize one. Been wanting that for a while now.

 

[rbarker]

I've been thinking about making a CNC-style accessory for my old Omega D2V enlarger. That way, I can program in all the dodging and burning, using machine-selected, program-controlled dodging tools, just like they do with those CNC lathes for machinists. I haven't decided if the machine should load the easel, and then move the paper into the developer after exposure, though.

 

[Monophoto]

Let's see -

I have DIY doding tools (caps from film canisters hot clued to a piece of coat hanger wire), burning tools ("shirt cardboard" with various size/shape holes, spray painted flat black), a couple of "sloshers" (tray inserts for processing 4x5 sheet film), a 10x13" contact printing frame, a 35mm contact printer (a sheet of plywood covered with black felt, and with a sheet of automotive safety glass attached as a cover with duct tape), various borderless easels (sheets of either plywood or particle board with plastical laminate on one side, and with double-stick masking tape to hold down the paper), a safelight (a coffee can with a small light fixture mounted inside and with a 5" safelight filter attached to the open end with mirror clips), and a chemical mixing wand (made from stainless steel welding rod, bent into a spiral shape).

 

[gordrob]

Hi Jeanette

An auto tray rocker is not a difficult item to make. I use one for gently rocking three trays when doing dye transfer printing. Kodak has a blueprint for a tray rocker in their E-80 publication. You can find a PDF file of the E-80 at http://www.airwreck.com/dnloads/E80.pdf

Check page 26 and it will give you an idea of what you are looking at to build.
My rocker is a bit of a scaled down version of this one - it uses a small rpm motor that drives a plastic ecentric wheel agains the bottom of the panel the trays sit on. It works well for B&W as well and can handle up to 11x14 trays.

There is also a web page with a commercial tray rocker to give you an idea of what is involved
Dead Link Removed

If there is anything I can help you with drop me a line and I will see what I can do.

Gord

 

[lee]

I've been thinking about making a CNC-style accessory for my old Omega D2V enlarger. That way, I can program in all the dodging and burning, using machine-selected, program-controlled dodging tools, just like they do with those CNC lathes for machinists. I haven't decided if the machine should load the easel, and then move the paper into the developer after exposure, though.

Dream on Ralph. you have way to much time in your new home.

lee\c

 

[eric]

I wonder, has anyone made a simple labour-saving device for their darkroom such as a 'tray-rocker' or an 'auto-dodger/burner'? I don't about anybody else, but I sometimes think I could do with an extra pair of hands, especially when it comes to print manipulation. Regards, BLIGHTY

I've never used anything but my hands to burn. I put them together with the thumbs meeting each other and I can open that up to make the hole bigger. It kinda looks like a bird when doing shadow puppets but with both palms facing the same way. But for for dodging, I have homemade wire with black cut out pieces of paper.

 

[David Brown]

I've been thinking about making a CNC-style accessory for my old Omega D2V enlarger. That way, I can program in all the dodging and burning, using machine-selected, program-controlled dodging tools, just like they do with those CNC lathes for machinists...

You know, this sounds great! However, I would bet that it would take as long or longer to do the programming for a print as to just do the dodging/burning. :rolleyes: Still, if one had to make multiple prints (such as the 13=14 I need for a print exchange) well, let me have it!!!

As long as we're automating, can we have multiple/different exposures through different filters?

Cheers

David

 

[rbarker]

Dream on Ralph. you have way to much time in your new home.

lee\c

Too much time? I'd agree with you, Lee, but I'm still unpacking - only about 200 boxes left to go, out of the 721 delivered. These fantasies are used solely for medicinal (mental health) purposes. (lol)

 

[Bob F.]

Well, been meaning to make an LED based safelight for yonks and finally got around to it last week. Adjustable brightness, plug-in LED heads for different colours & more output than my Duka 50 (2 or 3 times) in a box the size of a packet of cigs.

Next up: motorized filters for split-grade printing to move under-the-lens filters in place automatically via a dual channel f-stop timer... Don't hold your breath....

Cheers, Bob.

 

[Blighty]

Reckon I could always train Stef (my son) to rock trays 'coz the way I see it is, I've suffered for my art! Now it's his turn! Not so sure about the dodging though. Yep, An Rh designs stopclock pro is on my shopping list Jeanette!!

 

[Flotsam]

A few convenience items that I have come up with over the years:

A burning card made out of black on one side, white on the other mat board that accepts quickly interchangable slip-in cards with various size and shaped holes in them.

This dodging tool:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)
By bending the wand so that the handle is about four inches higher than the dodging shape, not only does it throw a more out of focus shadow but the shadow of the handle moves around much more radically than the shape while dodging. No more prints ruined by wand shadow, ever.

After pulling the lamp off of a cheap-o clamp-on swing-arm desk lamp I put a bolt through it to hang a pair of locking darkroom tongs. Now I can pull a print out of the fixer and let it hang over the tray for a couple of minutes while the surface solution drains completely back into the tray without sitting there and holding it by hand. It swings over any tray and pushes out of the way when not needed. I know that it seems silly but it actually is a real convenience item that lets me do little things like inspect a test strip or change a negative instead of acting like a coat rack for several minutes a session.

And I've invented a weather machine that will someday allow me to become supreme ruler of the entire... oops, I've said too much.

 

[Donald Qualls]

Well, I guess one could consider buying theatrical lighting filters (for contrast control) and cutting them to size myself to be "DIY" -- I just see it as getting split contrast filters with lots of spares for much less than the price of on 6x6 filter on each end of the scale...

 

[srs5694]

It's nothing too substantial, but I've just put together a custom-built 3-up 4x6 print easel:

http://www.rodsbooks.com/easel-3up.jpg

I used the base from a 4-up easel (which is still functional as such; I just built a new removable top). I constructed the border areas from thin metal tubing and added the plywood to fill up the extra space. I then epoxied everything together. I used a cardboard template to get the spacing right, and left it in place when I was finished because the tubing twisted slightly out of shape as everything dried, so the cardboard template helps provide a more regular shape to the borders. I added removable wood covers for each individual 4x6 photo. It's not clear from the photo I referenced, but these are actually made of three pieces of wood each: a 4x6 piece in the middle, a slightly smaller piece below that so that this lower piece fits within the border area for a light-tight seal, and a little handle so I can easily lift them out. The top of the frame and the bottoms of the covers are spray-painted black. I may eventually paint the tops of the covers white for easier positioning of the frame under the enlarger, but in my trials this evening I didn't have any trouble with the raw wood.

The goal was to have something into which I could put a piece of paper and then leave the paper there when I turn on the lights to change negatives. I didn't quite achieve that goal, though; some light leaks around the edges of the frame, darkening some of the borders. I think that draping some felt or something similar over the edges between exposures should cure that ill. I've also got to fine-tune the border sizes a bit, as they're currently somewhat irregular.

 

[noseoil]

Best tool for dodging and burning is a good negative. Try tube development and stand or minimal agitation (pyrocat or rodinal, choose your poisin). This eliminates tray rocking completely, controls contrast, avoids most dodging and burning and gives the sharpest film possible. Oh yes, also allows for development with the lights on, instead of off. tim

P.S. See "how to" articles for simple development tubes, best for sheet film.

 

[Poptart]

Well, been meaning to make an LED based safelight for yonks and finally got around to it last week. Adjustable brightness, plug-in LED heads for different colours & more output than my Duka 50 (2 or 3 times) in a box the size of a packet of cigs.

Interstingly, Bob, I just made a similar LED safelight from an old turn-o-matic sign. Bright as a Thomas duplex (almost) and it'll probably last forever.