Making your own negative Carrier

[bmac]

I spent some time today at Tap Plastics, I was a kid in a candy store

I've been thinking about making a few more negative carriers for my Omega D2v, and after seeing the prices on custom cut plastic, I am thinking about doing it with opaque flat black plastic. I figure that dust may be a problem due to static electricity, am I right? It can't be worst than the 10 year old matt board neg holder I use for my 6x9 negatives... can it?

 

[Aggie]

I've seen it done, go for it Brian

 

[Reinhold]

I'm assuming that you're considering black acrylic as the plastic. It's ok, but cutting it is a bit tricky. It's brittle, so saw tooth profile is very important, and it tends to melt the saw chips along the cut line if you don't watch the saw speed. Even drilling it takes a bit of care, especaily as the bit exits out the backside of the pastic. Polycarbonate (Lexan) is not so brittle, and easier to work.

Yep... static will be troublesome in a dry climate.

Consider using tempered 1/8 inch masonite instead. Much easier to work, and very stable. Tempered masonite is the same stuff used for pegboards, so it wont get ..fuzzy.. and warp like the untempered stuff. A quick poof with some flat black spray paint, and you've got a holder for life. I've probably got 8 0r 10 of them for my various enlargers. Works great.

Reinhold

 

[glbeas]

Sounds like it would cost more to make the holders than to pick one up on Ebay. I think Beseler holders will fit those things too won't they?
BTW if you have to use the black acrylic you may try spot glueing it with a low tack glue to some wood veneer to help support the material to reduce the risk of breaking.

 

[gma]

Another material to consider is the very thin hardwood model building plywood that can be found at any hobby shop. You can get 6"x12" sheets with a thickness less than 1/8". You will need to examine the sheets closely for warpage. When sealed and painted they are very rigid and can be cut and drilled much easier than acrylic. I have used the plywood for LF lens boards with good results.

 

[inthedark]

What about putting your black plastic idea with the black plastic being some heavy film, like 7mm inserted in an oversized filter holder?

I have never seen what you all call a negative carrier, could someone direct me to an image please?

 

[inthedark]

What about the same heavy film on a coat hanger frame? Somethin' like that?

 

[Konical]

Brian,

I'll second the tempered Masonite idea; I've made several and used them in my Beseler MCR-X without any problems. No special tools are needed, just a fine-toothed blade in a saber saw does the trick.

Konical

 

[Donald Miller]

I would agree with the tempered masonite choice of materials. The potential problem that I see with acrylic or any shiney material is that it could involve image degrading fog from reflection.

The considerations that I see are that the material must first and foremost be dimensionally stable. Second it must not induce any image degradation. Third it must hold the negative securely in a parallel plane to the lens and paper.

 

[Aggie]

Brian, I have a tap plastic near me too. Go for the matt surface. If they have a dylrin plastic sheet, use that, it won't break. In fact it is a PIA to even file. If they cut it and you have small burs, I have a foredom I can smooth it out for you. The dylrin is what they make the plasctic hammers out of for metalsmithing. I doubt the enlarger is going to break it.

 

[ann]

In the dark;
go to this thread and you will find a negative carrier.
Each enlarger has it own outer shape

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=629&item=3813186007&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

I have found that beseler carriers and omega carriers (d type) are interchangeable.

 

[noseoil]

Brian, if you know someone with a router and a pattern cutting bit (flush cut bit with a bearing on it), you can use your old negative holder as a template. Once the plastic, masonite or whatever is cut to the rough size, you can use the router to make a final pass and the bearing will follow your original exactly.

It will take someone with a bit of experience, but this is a fast way to produce a number of parts that are identical, fit perfectly and are exactly like the original.

 

[DrPhil]

Before I bought my 4x5 enlarger I had to use my 8x10 enlarger. I really didn't want to spend the money on a 4x5 carrier for the enlarger (think several hundred bucks). Thus, I looked at a few pictures on the web and made a mask out of acrylic. It was actually pretty easy to make. The acryllic pieces replace the glass in my 10x10 carrier. They both have a 3 13/16 by 4 13/16 hole cut in the middle. I had a nice guy at the university where I work cut them on his laser cutter. They've worked like a charm. However, now I have a dedicated 4x5 enlarger. Mostly because I couldn't afford a pin registered carrier for the 8x10. What negative carriers do you need for your omega? I have several that I'll never use.