Gast
Dear colleagues!
I want to make a print measuring roughly 1x1.5 metres on roll-fed material; that’s not a problem in itself, but has any of you actually tried creating something like this in practice?
I think I’ve heard something about swarms and plastic film, but I have a feeling that by the time I get the perfect print, I’ll have turned my DUKA into a battlefield.
As I said, I’d be grateful for any tips or insights.
Werner
PS: I’m probably not far off the mark in thinking that lab trays that big don’t exist, am I?
Gast
Hi Werner,
I do this quite often. I did buy a Deville-Bobinoir long tank for the job, though. At 1.40 x 26 cm, it’s a decent size. But at €160, it’s not exactly cheap. That’s why I only use a long tank. The paper is fed through the developer on a roll, over and over again. It’s really helpful to have a second person on hand.
I tried it with wet processing once too. It was too much of a mess for me!
Happy printing!
Andreas
Stagirit
If you have a tiled floor with a drain in your darkroom, you can develop on the floor.
Use a rubber squeegee to spread the chemicals evenly over the paper and move them around.
Or build a frame out of roof battens, line it with plastic sheeting and develop inside it.
And then, as mentioned, roll the paper round inside it or pull it through, depending on how much space you have.
You can also build an oversized developing tray for paper out of PVC drainpipes, but it’s only worth it if you do this sort of thing quite often.
The simplest option is a suitably large tray in the darkroom; with a bit of skill and plenty of epoxy resin (e.g. Ponal Duo), you can even build one yourself. You’ll also need chemical-resistant varnish, floor varnish or, better still, 2K varnish from Clou. Don’t forget to fit a drain and a plunger.
This is something no darkroom should be without.
MirkoBoeddecker
We have a Deville long-sheet developer unit with 4 trays (suitable for colour processing) in the rental lab.
It costs €15 per hour as it takes up the whole lab.
However, you would need to perform exposure at home and rinse the film if necessary.
Best regards,
Mirko
Gast
You can find the assembly instructions here:
http://www.schwarzweiss-magazin.de/swmag_leser_08.htm
Perhaps they’ll be of some help.
Best regards,
Otto Beyer!
arothaus
Hi,
Have a look in a DIY store; they’ve got all sorts of large containers for very little money. I also read somewhere that you can use those big, long balcony planters.
Best wishes,
Andreas
Gast
Hello!
There were lots of good tips there; I just need to decide whether to go down the DIY route or buy a Deville machine.
160 euros isn’t really that much when you consider how much the paper alone costs for a few prints of this size. Does the machine only work with PE paper, or can it handle baryta as well?
Many thanks,
Werner
MirkoBoeddecker
Well, actually, a Deville like that costs 3,900 DM.
Anyone who manages to snap one up for 160 EUR is in luck.
Best regards,
Mirko
andreasbrigachtal
Hi Mirko,
I've no idea what you're talking about! :D The Deville Langenbecken costs €160 on its own from one of your competitors?!
All the best,
Andreas
cfb_de
Hello Andreas,
There’s a bit more to it than just that one key:
http://www.deville-plastique.com/Old%20Sit...ft/jcgdform.htm
Best regards,
Franz
Gast
Well, I’ve recently planted out a lot for the first time and didn’t want to spend a lot of money buying large pots as well. I bought some standard balcony plant pots from the DIY store. And the most important thing is to make sure the coating faces inwards, because the pots usually have sharp edges at the bottom and that can lead to unpleasant consequences. But it worked perfectly afterwards, with no problems at all.
