Thinking about making tubes to develope 30-40" prints

sruddy · Sep 11, 2018

My current project is to do 30-40" prints. My film aspect is 1:1. I don't want to make temporary trays out of 2x4's and plastic. It takes too much space and will be messy. The only thing I know for sure is I will need 10" id pipe for 30" prints and 14" id pipe for 40". I haven't figured out the most cost effective pipe and how to terminate it and the least expensive way to spin for development.

chris77 · Sep 11, 2018

sruddy said:
My current project is to do 30-40" prints. My film aspect is 1:1. I don't want to make temporary trays out of 2x4's and plastic. It takes too much space and will be messy. The only thing I know for sure is I will need 10" id pipe for 30" prints and 14" id pipe for 40". I haven't figured out the most cost effective pipe and how to terminate it and the least expensive way to spin for development.

make one tray with a valve. and change liquids.easy..

Luckless · Sep 11, 2018

I imagine that standard end caps for the type of pipe you're working with would be your best bet. If you keep your cuts clean on the pipe, and prep well with light sand paper, then the friction fit alone should give you a good enough seal, but plenty of testing before loading with chemistry sounds sensible.

As for rolling them, bath tub of tempered water? Unless you're looking to automate things more than that, I can't think of a more cost effective way to tackle that problem.

REAndy · Sep 11, 2018

If you are thinking PVC, you can get a schedule 10 (schedule 40 is "normal", 10 is thinner walls). It is typically used for drain lines. This would be much more cost effective than a "normal" PVC pipe.
Rolling it? maybe a BBQ rotisserie device "McGyvered" to the pipe, with the pipe resting on a pipe roller.

Ian Grant · Sep 11, 2018

When I made a lot of prints that size I would spray the developer, stop and fixer. But they were small fry compared to the vehicles I applied photographs to, sraying on emulsion, exposing, the spray dev, stop, fix.

Later in a small darkroom I sponge processed and that was 40"x30" prints into a single tray. the paper was taped to some plastic sheet. very easy and economic.

Ian

sruddy · Sep 12, 2018

Thanks for the replies. So far the least expensive is 10' of 10" id schedule 40 pvc for $100. I can get 10" id thin wall class 12 for $8.75 a foot but have to buy 20'. 15" per 20' is $370.00!!

DREW WILEY · Sep 12, 2018

It's been done quite a few times. Agricultural irrigation pipe can be used, or big ABS drainage pipe. The design of the endcaps is a little tricker, but no big deal for anyone accustomed to basic plastic fabrication. PVC isn't always light-proof. I happen to use 30X40 drums made from black Noryl sheeting; but that's a pricey alternative noted for its superior thermal properties - the idea is to keep the developer temp INSIDE the drum steady, with either a thicker walled plastic like cellular ABS or a more inherently insulating variety. The bigger problem is how to keep fiber-based prints from collapsing during drum development. RC paper doesn't have that issue.

Konical · Sep 12, 2018

Good Evening, sruddy,

For rotation purposes, mount four furniture casters on a suitably-sized and sturdy board ( ½" or ¾" plywood works fine). Space them so that the drum easily clears the board and far enough apart (lengthwise) to provide a solid support. Manual rotation shouldn't be a problem, especially for the short processing times with RC paper. It's an easy approach for any drum up to three or four feet long.

Konical

msage · Sep 13, 2018

I used wall paper trays, long and narrow. I rolled the paper for agitation. Works easiest with RC but also works with FB.

sruddy · Sep 13, 2018

msage said:
I used wall paper trays, long and narrow. I rolled the paper for agitation. Works easiest with RC but also works with FB.

This sounds interesting. They used to do the same for very long mural size prints at a photo lab I worked at years ago. Can you tell me more about the construction.

sruddy · Sep 13, 2018

My wife sourced a 12" x 37" schedule 40 pvc. all I need are two caps. So far $45 each is the least expensive I can find. Since I only have one piece I'll have to use the same tube for all the processing.

DREW WILEY · Sep 13, 2018

If you also happen to develop color paper, drums are a whole lot safer and use far less chemistry than open trays or troughs.

msage · Sep 13, 2018

sruddy said:
This sounds interesting. They used to do the same for very long mural size prints at a photo lab I worked at years ago. Can you tell me more about the construction.

Do a search for "wall paper trays" and should find them. They are cheap, less then $5 as I remember. We used roll RC mostly but some FB. You didn't note if you want to use RC or FB, RC is easiest but FB is possible. I always left extra length when cutting the paper so you have non image area to handle the paper. A extra pair of hands helps. Start the paper at one end and smoothly start it in the dev. The paper has a natural curl and will want to roll up, make sure that solution reaches the emulsion as the rolls in to the tray. Hope that helps!

bunip · Feb 22, 2019

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/extra-large-print-drum.146399/#post-1920608
here you can read how I did it without spending too much money

Thinking about making tubes to develope 30-40" prints

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