DIY 8x10 Darkslides

[Deniz]

Hi,

I was wondering if any of you happen to make your own 8x10 darkslides? I have a film hodler that needs darkslides and i dont want to pay $10 for a single darkslide so i was wondering if you ever came across any kind of 1mm opaque plastic sheet that could be used for this project?

I had an older binder kincing around so i cut the plastic covers off and painted them black but they are a little too flexible so they are not easy to insert in allthe way..

any help is appreciated.. thanks

[Andy tymon]

Deniz, you could try www.usplastic.com I did not see any black sheet 1mm thick but they had white,you could also contact them directly as they have lots of stuff not listed. Hey order yourself a free catalog they have lots of stuff that can be used for photographyespecially if you want to build anything from plastic. Oh yes, I'm not in anyway connected to this manufacturer. Andy

[Bob._3483]

Hobby shops sell black plastic sheet in several thicknesses - I used some to make a GG protector. Not sure if you would save much tho. Ask Mr. Google for online shops. The same shops sell thin plywood in assorted thicknesses too if you prefer.

Cheers,

[Jay DeFehr]

Here's a link to the stuff you need:

http://www.mcmaster.com/param/asp/psearch.asp?FAM=plastics&FT_128=521&FT_101=46159&FT_1200=46167&FT_129=526&FT_130=1622&FT_1290=49282&session=desc=Garolite;plastics;128=521;101=46159;1200=46167;129=526;130=1622;1290=49282

[ronald moravec]

I copied the link and went there. The item listed was .125 thickness which is 1/8 inch.

[Jay DeFehr]

If you go to the thickness link at the top of the page, you'll see that it comes in thicknesses ranging from .031" to 1.5".

[Nick_3536]

Thanks for the link to mcmaster. Does anybody know of something similar in Canada? It would seem easy enough to build a non-standard ULF film holder using some of the parts.

[Michael Kadillak]

I got a 1/32nd section of the McMaster Carr garolight and it is NOT the best material for the task at hand. First, it is really not black, the material is not consistent in thickness from lot to lot and it is not sufficiently flat.

I found a more suitable material after an extensive search and some assistance with folks in the business. I am having a sample 8x10 dark slide cut and hope to test it in the next couple of weeks and will report back shortly.

[monsta]

I have used black aluminium sheet, the type folks use for shooting collodion plates onto.

[Michael Kadillak]

I have used black aluminium sheet, the type folks use for shooting collodion plates onto.

Looking objectively at the costs aluminum is always going to be the higher cost alternative which as a one off to a specific need of a person clearly would solve the immediate problem. However, if one could keep the costs down more folks would likely opt for stocking up on replacement / backup dark slides. As to the specificity of the different film holders I feel that the market is dominated by Fidelity/Lisco holders that are more susceptible to cracking and/or breaking so that is where I am directing my efforts. I have a pile of Toyo 8x10 holders and these seem to me the least likely to break since they could very well be aluminum.