Want to Buy Steel print flattening plate

peter16 · Jan 22, 2024

I see these are still sold new by Talas but are very expensive for what they are.

There was a steel plate that was white and had lips at the end, can't remember if it was made by Calumet or Zone 6 or printfile but does anyone have one of those they could part with for a reasonable price?
11x14 or smaller is all I need.

Todd Barlow · Jan 22, 2024

No quite on point, but if you can’t find what you are looking for, I have been told that a stone counter top supplier may have sink cutouts that provide the size and weight with a smooth surface.

Pieter12 · Jan 22, 2024

You probably ought to say where you're located, because shipping will kill you.

peter16 · Jan 22, 2024

Thanks yea – lots of things would work, I just know a few things were made that were designed for this.

I'm located in southern California, Los Angeles area.

Roger Thoms · Jan 22, 2024

I’ve used both and much prefer my 3/4 stone counter top sink cut out. I did square it up on my tile wet saw and eased the edges over with low speed right angle grinder and carborundum sanding disks. Lot of work but I got the cutout for free.

An alternative would be a marble pastery board. I also have one of those that I got for making tortillas. Ready made, no fabrication necessary.

Roger

Pieter12 · Jan 22, 2024

No handles, but a steel pizza baking sheet should do the trick.

Roger Thoms · Jan 22, 2024

Pieter12 said:
No handles, but a steel pizza baking sheet should do the trick.

No handles on my sink cutout either. I just set the stone on my work table with it hanging over the edge about an inch so that I can easily lift it up.

Roger

mshchem · Jan 22, 2024

I have several Seal brand plates for use in dry mounting. They're marvelous, very heavy plates with handles. Find used. Mine are at least 40 years old

Roger Thoms · Jan 22, 2024

mshchem said:
I have several Seal brand plates for use in dry mounting. They're marvelous, very heavy plates with handles. Find used. Mine are at least 40 years old

Yes, the Seal plates are excellent, that’s what I used in school, I just like stone better, it’s heavier and flatter, plus I tend to favor diy solutions.

Roger

eli griggs · Jan 22, 2024

Be careful of stones of Granite, as there can be holes below the surface 'plate'.

My wife worked for a large stone & tile shop and I have a number of Granite slabs I use, from cutting boards, work bench surfaces, a pair of enlarger boards, a single piece, 3' x 9' outdoor work surface/layout bench and an assortment of counter sink cutouts, and while I must use my hands to find by feel, these 'defects' are frequently found in many panels, in my experience.

There are a number of ways, materials that can save the surface defects from affecting your use of the slabs, which will you to fill in the voids and finish the 'caulking' so it blends into the polished stone surface in the Granite.

One way to avoid these defects is to hand inspect the stone, with finished, chamfered edges and a powerful flashlight or a laser level.

You can avoid the need to do any of this is by buying new, quality "surface plates" made for Machinist tool rooms to use, but be aware there are several surface/stone ratings, you'll want to know so you don't spend money on to high or lowly quality stone for your use.

Have fun, Eli

peter16 · Jan 30, 2024

i ended up ordering a piece of .19 inch steel from Grainger - am going to use the metal shop at school to bend up two angles on the ends for handles.

Below was what I was trying to find - but I guess maybe it was some custom made thing also. One person on Large Format had a seal one for $100 but after paying for shipping it wouldn't really make sense - plus they are square which i didn't like.

Hassasin · Jan 31, 2024

peter16 said:
i ended up ordering a piece of .19 inch steel from Grainger - am going to use the metal shop at school to bend up two angles on the ends for handles.

Below was what I was trying to find - but I guess maybe it was some custom made thing also. One person on Large Format had a seal one for $100 but after paying for shipping it wouldn't really make sense - plus they are square which i didn't like.

View attachment 361674

0.19 in steel plate? DIdn't you need something as flat as possible? Rolled steel plates are not generally thought of as ... flat in this sense. You may get lucky with the section cut for you, but I would have a shop run a mill over both sides to actually make it flat.

Hassasin · Jan 31, 2024

eli griggs said:
Be careful of stones of Granite, as there can be holes below the surface 'plate'.

There are epoxy fillers to close up any pours in the surface, then polish flat again. If purpose is explained to a shop, they will know how to handle it and make it as flat as tooling allows.

eli griggs · Jan 31, 2024

peter16 said:
i ended up ordering a piece of .19 inch steel from Grainger - am going to use the metal shop at school to bend up two angles on the ends for handles.

Below was what I was trying to find - but I guess maybe it was some custom made thing also. One person on Large Format had a seal one for $100 but after paying for shipping it wouldn't really make sense - plus they are square which i didn't like.

View attachment 361674

For smaller prints, I suggest you give the highly polished, heavy aluminum, automotive mixing board a good lookover.

https://www.harborfreight.com/mixin...Fryj3JRakCUfQJqZ5cbiEkuHa7UFUA_oaAovqEALw_wcB

eli griggs · Jan 31, 2024

Hassasin said:
There are epoxy fillers to close up any pours in the surface, then polish flat again. If purpose is explained to a shop, they will know how to handle it and make it as flat as tooling allows.

You're likely correct, but I've never really trusted fillers of epoxy, etc.

Hassasin · Jan 31, 2024

eli griggs said:
For smaller prints, I suggest you give the highly polished, heavy aluminum, automotive mixing board a good lookover.

https://www.harborfreight.com/mixin...Fryj3JRakCUfQJqZ5cbiEkuHa7UFUA_oaAovqEALw_wcB

HF calls it "light weight".

eli griggs · Jan 31, 2024

The specs say it's "1.42 lb" which is, in my opinion a smart little piece of Aluminum, but others will have different ideas as to the topic.

Hassasin · Jan 31, 2024

eli griggs said:
The specs say it's "1.42 lb" which is, in my opinion a smart little piece of Aluminum, but others will have different ideas as to the topic.

That's about equal to one large pizza.

pdccamerqs · Jan 31, 2024

How about a 16"x 12" stainless steel sheet pan. $12.99 at Amazon.

Bill Burk · Jan 31, 2024

From the “Don’t overlook what you already have” department - A dry mount press does a real good job. With the power off.

Not sure if you already have one, but many of us do.

Roger Thoms · Jan 31, 2024

Bill Burk said:
From the “Don’t overlook what you already have” department - A dry mount press does a real good job. With the power off.

Not sure if you already have one, but many of us do.

That’s what we use down at Harvey Milk Photo Center. It’s a very old Seal press that I assume is broken, works well for keeping the prints flat after they come out of the working press.

Roger

eli griggs · Feb 2, 2024

Hassasin said:
That's about equal to one large pizza.

But in a smaller package.

MTGseattle · Feb 25, 2024

I would source a quartz(or other man-made) countertop scrap. easy to cut, easy to ease the edges, heavy and should be free or cheap in southern CA. If worried about chemicals or other contaminants, still use 2 sheets of 100% rag archival mat board as a "sandwich."

Pieter12 · Feb 25, 2024

I think the heat conductivity of steel is a factor along with weight in producing nice flat prints after they leave a hot press. I don't know if any of the alternate solutions works as well. I know that even leaving my prints under a 10" stack of heavy photo books overnight is OK, but not perfect.

darkroommike · Feb 25, 2024

peter16 said:
I see these are still sold new by Talas but are very expensive for what they are.

There was a steel plate that was white and had lips at the end, can't remember if it was made by Calumet or Zone 6 or printfile but does anyone have one of those they could part with for a reasonable price?
11x14 or smaller is all I need.

I've also seen plates like that with handles and a gray "granite" paint job that were pair by the Seal Drymount Press people. My school darkroom had a couple but no working drymount press. I was always tripping over the damn things so I put them way under a counter somewhere. I've also used a laminate counter sink cutout.

Want to Buy Steel print flattening plate

Attachments

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency