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I have been struggling to get a darkroom online for the past few years, buying odds and ends here and there, building when I get a chance and buying darkroom equipment where and when I can.
I have a reasonable setup with a Jobo drum processor, a nice 20" or so print washer, fiber drum drying machine and the normal assortment of graduates and trays.
One of the "gems" I acquired a few years back in a Police Auction, along with a mint Crown Graphic 4x5 evidence camera kit, was a Powers FotoPanel 420 series tempering mix valve.
After spending several months building a darkroom sink in my basement out of plywood and epoxy paint in my spare time, I hook it up to the water supply and leaks spring from every seal! :-(
Guess it sat dry too long!
Long story short, I dismantled the valve to see what the seals look like and the main on/off valve, a weird brass internal part, came apart in my hand as I pulled it out. The thermostatic engine looks fine, as far as I can tell, but now I can't turn the water on or off and the shaft of the valve pops out without the restraint of the brass "slider".
I wonder if anyone has a 420 series valve laying around I could purchase for spare parts?
While I could get the rebuild kit from Powers, it is $168 USD and only changes the 420 to a 440 series thermal engine and doesn't even replace the gaskets on the main shutoff valve or the brass valve stem.
For that price, I could get a replacement on Ebay for not much more, but it would be in as uncertain shape as the one I have.
It is such a nice mixer I hate to totally cut it out of my sink and replumb a non-thermostatic valve into its place!
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
I have a reasonable setup with a Jobo drum processor, a nice 20" or so print washer, fiber drum drying machine and the normal assortment of graduates and trays.
One of the "gems" I acquired a few years back in a Police Auction, along with a mint Crown Graphic 4x5 evidence camera kit, was a Powers FotoPanel 420 series tempering mix valve.
After spending several months building a darkroom sink in my basement out of plywood and epoxy paint in my spare time, I hook it up to the water supply and leaks spring from every seal! :-(
Guess it sat dry too long!
Long story short, I dismantled the valve to see what the seals look like and the main on/off valve, a weird brass internal part, came apart in my hand as I pulled it out. The thermostatic engine looks fine, as far as I can tell, but now I can't turn the water on or off and the shaft of the valve pops out without the restraint of the brass "slider".
I wonder if anyone has a 420 series valve laying around I could purchase for spare parts?
While I could get the rebuild kit from Powers, it is $168 USD and only changes the 420 to a 440 series thermal engine and doesn't even replace the gaskets on the main shutoff valve or the brass valve stem.
For that price, I could get a replacement on Ebay for not much more, but it would be in as uncertain shape as the one I have.
It is such a nice mixer I hate to totally cut it out of my sink and replumb a non-thermostatic valve into its place!
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
