Trays, Stainless

[nsurit]

Over the years in the "Hunting and Gathering" stage of putting my darkroom together, I've accumulated a bunch of trays. I am now attempting to make my space more manageable by de-annexing some trays. There are several complete sets of trays from deep 20 X 24 Cescolite down to 5 X 7. There is also a custom made set of 5 heavy stainless steel 12" x 25" trays in near new condition. If these are sold will I reget it later? In other words, is there any compelling reason to keep them?

 

[Rick A]

The force is strong within you my young apprentice, however that is a question only you can answer. Some items I end up having sellers remorse over, though usually much later on. Most things I sell I don't care because I have already rationalized the need to excise.

 

[gone]

Never throw anything away you think you might never need. You probably will.

 

[resummerfield]

Since nice SS trays don't seem to take much space to store (you can usually nest them), and since SS trays (even the very nice ones) don't seem to get much on the auction site... I would keep them. They will be fine even if stored in the damp basement or hot attic, and someday you are sure to regret selling them.

 

[fotch]

I never seen photo trays in 12x25 size. Seems like a space waster. I guess the value depends if that size works for you..

 

[Jim Jones]

Keep the stainless steel trays. They are also useful in kitchens, workshops, and around pets.

 

[nsurit]

The trays are of high quality, don't nest and fit nicely in my 30" by 108" sink. They would be great for someone working in panoramic formats. I wouldn't give them away or send them to the dump. They would be very costly to replicate, I just can't imagine how I might use them.

 

[eddie]

If they're deep enough, they may have been designed for rolling development of large prints. They seem to be the right size for 24x36 (or longer).

 

[nsurit]

They are 3" deep. Bought them from a photographer in Boulder, Colo several years ago who was moving.

 

[Rick A]

Given the size of said trays, I'm sure that shipping would be dear for them. If nothing else, they would likely make great liners for planter boxes on your deck.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Stainless steel trays can be float submerged into a larger water bath to provide easy solution tempering, should that need arise.

Perhaps for hand processing of sheet film. Or toning large numbers of prints where batch-to-batch consistency might be important. Or for stand development of sheet film in a horizontal orientation where bromide streaking may be minimized.

They are also good for room temperature tempering where you keep the entire darkroom at a known temperature, which is then much more efficiently transferred to the tray solution.

And they clean up easily and never stain.

Sounds like these may have been custom-made, either to fit a specific sink, or for panoramas. An archival double-fix setup of dev-stop-fix1-fix2-clear? Were it me, I'd keep them. And use them.

Ken

 

[eddie]

Based on the depth, I'd say they were for rolling development, or group use in a school darkroom.
Ken- Aren't there toners which don't react well to metal?

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Aren't there toners which don't react well to metal?

I know that has always been the common wisdom. Just keep all toners away from all metals all of the time.

However I'm exclusively a selenium toning guy and have used stainless steel trays (type 316) back and forth with plastic trays for years. I can't say I've seen any practical differences. The solutions are always reasonably close to 68F/20C and sometimes sit open in the trays for over an hour at a time. And I do save and reuse the solution over a period of years. The mix date on my current 1+9 dilution bottle is 3/21/2008.

But this is also basically a one-off anecdotal observation by me regarding only my use of only prepackaged selenium toner (KRST) only in my darkroom. I have not performed rigorous testing.

If there are others reading this who may have more complete knowledge, especially regarding selenium, please chime in. It's important that the information archived in these threads be as correct as possible for future member searches.

Ken

 

[M Carter]

Photo trays - exp. stainless - are great for organizing stuff on shelves or in cabinets. I'd find a use for 'em. Having some big trays around is handy for holding baths or wash stages if you don't have an archival washer. And stainless trays just have sort of a serious hardcore-ness, in addition to being kind of retro-industrial cool.

I stored some mixed Dektol in a plastic jig and didn't print for a few months. It sprung an undiscovered leak that soaked into some linoleum floor, swelled it, and semi-dissolved it. Insane mess. Now all my re-used plastic jugs sit in trays unless they're made for photo chemicals. So iof you have extra trays, I'm in!

 

[Arklatexian]

I know that has always been the common wisdom. Just keep all toners away from all metals all of the time.

However I'm exclusively a selenium toning guy and have used stainless steel trays (type 316) back and forth with plastic trays for years. I can't say I've seen any practical differences. The solutions are always reasonably close to 68F/20C and sometimes sit open in the trays for over an hour at a time. And I do save and reuse the solution over a period of years. The mix date on my current 1+9 dilution bottle is 3/21/2008.

But this is also basically a one-off anecdotal observation by me regarding only my use of only prepackaged selenium toner (KRST) only in my darkroom. I have not performed rigorous testing.

If there are others reading this who may have more complete knowledge, especially regarding selenium, please chime in. It's important that the information archived in these threads be as correct as possible for future member searches.

Ken

I would be very surprised if any of the chemicals used in most darkrooms would react with Type 316 Stainless steel. Concentrated acids don't seem to affect it. Just be sure that the stainless is Type 316.............Regards