print drum

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I'm looking for a way to make 16x20 prints in my tiny, tiny darkroom. I think that a 16x20 print developing drum might be the answer. If anyone has one for sale please let me know.

-- jeff schraeder (jeff@circlesofclarity.com), January 11, 2002

Answers

Would wall paper troughs help you?

-- John Hennessy (northbayassociates@earthlink.net), January 12, 2002.

John, I thought of it but it seems the least attractive. The paper is a bit stiff until it gets wet and I'm not sure if I can get even development. The Nova slot processor has mixed reviews and is expensive. I tried using my BTZS 8x10 tubes to develop some 8x10 prints and it worked really well. I checked B&H last night and a Jobo 16x20 print drum is about $65. I am going to see if I can find one of those to see if I can use it standalone.

-- jeff schraeder (jeff@circlesofclarity.com), January 12, 2002.

Go to the local Home Depot, Lowes, whatever you have in your neighborhood, and get a piece of 6 or 8 inch PVC pipe. Cut it to the length you need. Get a tray or trough large enough to hold the piece of pipe. A narrow but deep trough works better than a photo tray if you can find something. It works reasonably well if you elevate the tray from the bottom of the darkroom sink to facilitate pouring out the chemicals after each step. You can cut a few sections of your pipe 2 or 3 inches long to make these stand-offs. Put the paper inside the pipe the same way you use the BTZS film tubes. Fill the tray half way or less with developer and simply roll the pipe in the tray. Dump the tray after each step into a waiting container and pour in the next chemical. It works well for large prints where you simply don't have room for several trays of that size. Since you develop a print fully even development is much less an issue than with film, so don't worry of you are not rolling very evenly.

-- Dave Schneider (dschneider@arjaynet.com), January 12, 2002.

You should also look at the NOVA slot processor systems. See the JOBO website for detailed info.

-- Ted Harris (slberfuchs@aol.com), January 12, 2002.

Look around for Besseler drums, they're pretty cheap, I think I got my setup (8x10 drum, motor base and 16x20 drum) for around $25.00.

-- Andrew Cole (laserandy@aol.com), January 14, 2002.


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