Slosher (pic)

[jjstafford]

Is this what you all call a "Slosher"?

 

[magic823]

Is this what you all call a "Slosher"?

That would be one. Here's mine which holds six sheets.

 

[jjstafford]

Looks good! Do you know where I can get one of those?

 

[magic823]

Looks good! Do you know where I can get one of those?

Photographers' Formulary http://www.photoformulary.com they also have them for 8x10

 

[jjstafford]

Thanks, but $59.95!! That's insane!

 

[magic823]

They are well built. All things are relative. It cost me $50 to fill the gas tank in my car the other day. Besides how much does a scratched negitive cost you? Since I got one I haven't had a scratched neg or uneven development.

If you have a product with limited sales it costs more to produce. I know Bud and Lynn (owners of the Formulary), they ain't getting rich. I make their darkcloths they sell. They're pricey, but you won't find them as large or as versatile. My wife and I certainly aren't getting rich. You got to begrudge some profit or the products won't get made.

 

[KenM]

Is this what you all call a "Slosher"?

Have you used that particular model? Based on that design, and imagining what the flow of developer would be like around the 'fins', I would expect that surge marks could be a problem.....

 

[magic823]

Have you used that particular model? Based on that design, and imagining what the flow of developer would be like around the 'fins', I would expect that surge marks could be a problem.....

Looking that the photo you shown, I would worry about that also. All I known is the PF one works great. Haven't has an uneven developed or scratched neg since I started using (now if I would quit doing other stupid mistakes).

 

[Monophoto]

Actually, you can get one for a lot less if you a DIY type.

I made two sloshers - one that holds 6 sheets of flim and that fits into an 11x14" tray, and another that holds two sheets and fits into an 8x10 tray. Bought some 1/4" plexiglass at Home Despot. Cut the plexi using my table saw and a carbide blade, sanded the rough edges to eliminate serious burrs, and then assembled them using plexiglass glue. Be sure to wear glasses or safety goggles - the saw will throw lots of small bits of plexi around.

You probably won't find plexiglass glue at the home center - I found it at a shop that specializes in glass and glazing products. You will need to get an applicator - a small polyethelene plastic bottle with a top that has a hollow stainless steel stylus. To use, you place the plexi components in position, and then use the applicator to inject a drop of the adhesive at the point where the pieces join - capillary action will draw the adhesive into the joint where it softens the plexi, and then almost immediate fuses the components together. The bottle of plexi glue will cost almost as much as a sheet of plexi, yet you will only use a tiny fraction of that bottle to glue together all of the components of the slosher.

 

[Lee L]

I've also seen DIY designs using nylon stand-off hardware, screws and posts mounted in holes in the plex to separate the film sheets. Haven't built or used one, but it looks reasonable, and pretty easy to accomplish. Will post a URL later if I can find it.

Lee

 

[jjstafford]

Have you used that particular model? Based on that design, and imagining what the flow of developer would be like around the 'fins', I would expect that surge marks could be a problem.....

I'm a Rodinal 1:50 and 1:100 guy, and use just enough to cover the film plus less than 1/2". No surge marks, but it is a long time in the dark for 4 sheets!

 

[jjstafford]

Thanks very much for the generous description of your slosher project, Monophoto.

I'm quite interested in making a different product and your plexiglass tips are encouraging. What I'd like to make is a compact, multi-sheet (say twelve sheets at a time) for stand-processing which could then be used as a water-economical washer. With stand processing in Rodinal, one can use just enough developer to cover the film plus - rather like 135mm film spacing in a 36 exposure stainless reel. Perhaps I'm dreaming, but it's all your fault for encouring us. Seriously, thanks for the info.

 

[magic823]

I'm a Rodinal 1:50 and 1:100 guy, and use just enough to cover the film plus less than 1/2". No surge marks, but it is a long time in the dark for 4 sheets!

I just did some Bergger 200 with Pyrocat-HD semi-stand. Time was 40 minutes. The cool part was we had a night scope with us and could watch them develop.

 

[KenM]

I'm a Rodinal 1:50 and 1:100 guy, and use just enough to cover the film plus less than 1/2". No surge marks, but it is a long time in the dark for 4 sheets!

Hey, whatever works! Me, I use HC110 and Tri-X at 6 1/4 minutes...any longer than that in the dark and I tend to fall asleep. I do use XTOL 1+1 for HP5 medium format, and that takes 10 1/2 minutes, but at least I can dev that in the non-dark

 

[JHannon]

I found this link to a DIY tray: Slosher I hope it helps.

 

[m. dowdall]

I took a workshop with magic about a month ago and saw the results of his slosher with stand development. I can confirm that his negatives looked good and even throughout. If I hadn't already made my own using the plans in JHannon's link I would likely have bought one from the Formulary. I made a few modifications to the design suggested. I used a thicker peice of plexiglass and tapped the holes for the screws, that did away with the need for the bottom nuts. The result being that a lot less developer is needed to cover the film. I also put a longer screw in the center of each of the short sides as handle to make it easier to remove the slosher. The plexi base I also made swiss cheese out of to alow the liquids to flow more freely on the underside of the film. I'm not sure this last change realy helped all that much, just what I did. With this setup I can do stand development as well as developing 4 sheets at a time using the same proceedure as paper development. (in total darkness of course)

Michael

 

[Lee L]

I found this link to a DIY tray: Slosher I hope it helps.

That's the link I was recalling. Thanks for posting it.

Lee

 

[mikewhi]

I was thinking of a 7x17 slosher. Could I just take a 16x20 tray, cut the corders out and drill some holes in the botton, add 1 divider and end up with a decent slosher tray?I could process at lest 2 sheets at a time that way, maybe 4 if I could stack them.

-MIke

 

[Jeremy]

I went to the hobby store and bought one of those plastic cases to store small thingamabobs (sorry for the technical terms) like buttons and what-not. Then I took a hot utility knife (just heated it with a lighter) and cut out the dividers till I had 3x4" areas divided--no reason this couldn't be done to 4x5" or whatever size. Later I will be drilling holes in it with a paddle bit then covering any sharp edges with a little epoxy. Total cost: $3 including epoxy

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

Another excellent "Slosher" is the Summitek Cradle.

http://www.summitek.com/cradle.html

I have the 4x5 version and the 5x7 version and I like them very much. The CR45 holds 6 sheets of 4X5 film, fits an 11X14 tray and costs $45 + shipping. The CR57 holds 6 sheets of 5X7 film, and fits a 16X20 tray and costs $55 + shipping.

Summitek does not make an 8x10 version of the Cradle. I have the PF 8x10 Slosher. It is very similar to the Summitek design but is more expensive.

 

[jjstafford]

Another excellent "Slosher" is the Summitek Cradle.

http://www.summitek.com/cradle.html

Looks like a copy of the Formulary's slosher. Or is the Forumulary's a copy of theirs? In any event, it's $10 cheaper than the Formulary's, but not cheap enough. Look, it's a $19 part, at best.

 

[JHannon]

That's the link I was recalling. Thanks for posting it.

Lee

Glad to help Lee. I have a collection of these photo "DIY" Links. Maybe someday I will actually have the time to do some of them....

 

[Monophoto]

Here's a photo of my home-built 4x5 slosher. It was modeled after one that Chip Forelli let us use in a workshop last summer that in turn was modeled after one that he had used in a workshop with John Sexton.

The dimensions are not critical - the inside dimensions of each of the six "boxes" has to be slightly larger than a sheet of 4x5 film - I made mine about 4.25 by 5.25. The overall outside dimension has to fit into your 11x14 tray. The holes are 1" diameter. Each box has two 1" holes - the idea is that lowering the slosher into the tray forces chemicals through the holes - this lifts the negative sheets a bit, both for agitation and to assure that chemical flow all around the sheets. I cut an opening from the "outside" hole in each "box" to the edge of the bottom to provide a way to grasp each sheet of film.

Total construction time was about an hour - I bought one sheet of 1/4" plexiglass at Home Depot from which I was able to construct both the six sheet slosher and a smaller unit that does two sheets in an 8x10 tray.

 

[jjstafford]

Monophoto: That's a product I would pay $59.95 for rather than the others. Methinks you are overestimating our average skills; an hour? I couldn't make that in a day! And the scraps.... whew, I'm really shop-incompetent.

 

[photobackpacker]

Monophoto: That's a product I would pay $59.95 for rather than the others. Methinks you are overestimating our average skills; an hour? I couldn't make that in a day! And the scraps.... whew, I'm really shop-incompetent.

JJ:

If you would like, PM me and I will give you my phone number. I will help you build one.

Bruce