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large format prints how

barry van leeuwen

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
Aug 25, 2010
Messages
3
Location
rotterdam
Format
Medium Format
Hello,

I'm planning to make some large prints, I was wondering If people have a smart solution for the developing trays?
normally I do it in rain pipes (half cilinders) I'm looking for large plastic trays so I can make large salt prints and platinum prints as well.
for toning large trays are as well more precise, prints up to 60x60 the paper will be larger.

I hope someone has a clever solution.

barry
 
Not very clever, or inexpensive, but I use Cesco trays for prints up to 30x40". Some use gardening trays or the industrial kind put under washing machines.
 
Are you referring to 60x60 inches. If so how about the plastic pools sold for small children to play in? They should be inexpensive and although I have only seen round ones they should be large enough. It will take a lot of chemistry! If you are talking about centimeters there should be photographic trays that will handle that size.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/
 
jeffreyg said:
Are you referring to 60x60 inches.
Click to expand...

You know, given that the OP is from Europe, I just assumed that what was meant was metric. This is an all too frequent occurrence from people who don't respect: the necessary rigor of science (i.e., labeling units), the goodwill and/or expertise of those offering free assistance (free = worthless), or the fact that most of the respondents are from a country that commonly uses other units of measurements. It's really a disrespectful abuse of other's goodwill. Sorry to be harsh, but there it is. Kinda like showing up late continually. A waste of other's given time. Discourteous. Rude.

…or hopefully, he just forgot, but making corrections here doesn't require White-Out.
 
I vaguely remember reading about using trays used for either hanging wall paper or as a water collector for a water heater.
The dingus for water heater is used for minor leaks or condensation.
The local hardware emporium can be your friend,
 

Ya know pal, I also (at first glance) read that as inches, being from the USA and almost everything in my life has been imperial measure(retired construction super) but soon realized the OP was in metric mode. I think a modicum of kindness in a reply (especially when addressing a specific person) goes a very long way in garnering the communities respect( of which I don't have for you). Take a fricken chill pill.
 
Thanks, you've made it as the 1st one on my ignore list. Moving on.

 
My apologies to the OP for my rudeness this morning, it was a knee-jerk reaction to a jerk. I attribute it to the obscenely large cup of smart ass I drank when I got up.
 
If my five sentence post was read all the way through, ROL would have seen that I also referred to metric measurements. Today there are a number of photographers making very large prints. A number of galleries exhibit prints that can be measured by the foot. A visit to shows such as Art Basel will make my point albeit that many are printed digitally.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/
 
Although the tone of some responses was a bit harsh it doesn't hurt, in an international list like this, to remind people to post whatever units they mean and avoid a lot of misunderstandings.
 

I only print up to 20 x 24 inches, and do that one of two ways, I have some trays (Cesco) which work well, but take up a lot of space, and I also use a Jobo Processor with a 3063 print drum. Neither solution is completely satisfactory. If my darkroom were larger, the trays would be the clear winner. If I am jot going to be doing a lot of large prints, the Jobo Drum is easier.

Mark
 
So 20"x24" trays (about 51cmx61cm) will do? Those are out there, but expensive -- unless you find someone gone to digital who has a few. Good luck with the search!

30"x40" (76cmx101cm) trays new are $160US at Freestyle! Ouch -- but they'll last (Cesco)!
 
I have both official hard plastic trays and some expensive stainless ones for 20x24 (actually oversized, as they should be). But on the cheap,
deep mortar trays have already been mentioned, and large shallow plastic trays can inexpensively be obtained from restaurant supply outfits.
If you know how to solvent-weld plastics, scraps of scratched plexiglas or ABS can be obtained cheaply in the scrap bins of plastics suppliers.
I've done this for my oversized 30x40 (inch) trays. Otherwise.... just use thin vinyl rubber - then you can stretch it when converting from
metric to inches! ... just in case you don't own a film stretcher yet.
 
pbromaghin said:
I know you're in Europe, but here is an example from the US. About 2x3 ft or 60x90 cm. Bricklayers use them to mix up their mud.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Plasgad-Large-Mixing-Tub-887102A/202086174
Click to expand...

Great idea. Will look to see if similar are available in the UK. As a printer, I'm set up with archival washers and trays up to 20x24"/50x60cm so when I do occasionally go bigger, I use a mix of bigger trays and plant troughs for rolling the paper through the chemicals. These are nice and cheap; http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/garden/pots-and-planters/terrace-trough---green---100cm-877930

It is quite tiring work though rolling the paper in each bath. I like your Bricklayer's bath tub! Would be good for 20x30" prints.
 
Lloyd Erlick uses a single tray. Depending on the size it might be worth considering, bearing in mind that it has to be lifted to tip out.

http://heylloyd.com/technicl/single.htm

I used the system recommended by pbromaghin above for 40inch wide paper, making prints of approx 40in x 30in. I used an Agfa developer marketed for the purpose that developed slowly making handling the paper a bit less frantic. I used 2 trays. I don't remember using a stop or rinse. I must have been lucky to not get stains.
 
Trays of the size required are unwieldy at best, and a real pain to manhandle to dump. My suggestion is a large industrial tray and add a drain with a ball valve in one corner (or wherever convenient) to empty it. You would only need one tray, fill with developer, drain into a pail, add stop, drain into another pail, then fix, emptying in the same manner. A custom stand could be fabricated from lumber to hold it, and facilitate the drain assembly. A 1" or 1.5" drain should dump chems quickly enough .
 
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