Suggested material for DIY negative carrier

[MikeM1977]

After a multi-year hiatus of 35mm enlarging, I'm getting back into it. I can't find the 35mm negative carrier for my Omega DII enlarger (I have the 4x5 and 6x6). Yes, there are some on eBay but seems easier/cheaper to just DIY it.

Any suggestions on a material besides metal? Maybe plexiglass and then just mask it off? I have a bandsaw set up to cut wood...I could reconfigure to cut metal though I'd have to buy a different blade and pulley to slow it down...

Then I figure I could just drill holes for the registration pins and glue in something.

 

[R Paul]

try phenolic resin board. The stuff is strong, stable ,isnt affected by water,and can be cut with wood working tools.
I made film holders for sheet film and wet plate from it

 

[darkroommike]

In my opinion a 35mm D2 carrier is too common and cheap to be hand made but in a pinch I've used mat board for carriers and even two sheets of glass masked off for the required format. Aluminum works well but is a lot of work for me since the only tools I have are a bandsaw and a drill press.

 

[Michael L.]

try phenolic resin board.

Single-sided copper clad printed circuit boards made of glass fiber (FR-4, reinforced with epoxy resin) are another possibility. The copper layer makes the board opaque to light.
Such boards are available in many thicknesses/gauges and have very high flexural strength, yet can be worked with a common coping saw.

 

[Jim Jones]

When I had to adapt an old DeJur 4x5 enlarger to 35mm, I made the film carrier from tempered Masonite with nails epoxied in place for film guides. The DeJur could accept thick film carriers. It is still in use 30 years later in preference to a smaller enlarger made for 35mm and roll film.

 

[MartinP]

A couple of sheets of 2mm plywood from a modelmaking shop would be easy to work and stiff enough. Neg guides can be made with (very) short lengths of dowel glued in the bottom part of the carrier then fitting through clearance holes in the other. Or you could get clever with a single piece of glass, over a simple 24x36mm aperture - but the practicality of that would depend on how the carrier fits in to the enlarger.

My 'large' enlarger is 10x15cm with a recessed double-glass carrier, so smaller formats needed some d.i.y. due to the length of the film that wasn't in the centre, being printed.

 

[paul ron]

Ive made neg carriers from matt board. Paint the cut edges with flat black paint.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

I've made carriers with this. http://www.rexart.com/bai_super_black.html

It cuts easily with a mat cutter and it's solid black.