Experience with Cesco Tray with Flat Bottom

[Andrew ren]

http://www.adorama.com/DKTRC2328.html

anyone had bad experience with the prints sticking to the tray with those flat bottom trays?

23x28 is the idea size for my setup, and looks like this is the only choice.

Cheers

Andrew

[Drew Wiley]

You should be able to get large trays with grooves, but the Cesco trays are nice and
stiff. Since I always wear gloves, I also keep around a little plastic pancake-turner
device just in case - but generally no problem with fiber-based prints.

[Ron McElroy]

I use Cesco flat bottom trays. I've had problems with film sticking to the bottoms during development, but not prints. That said Paterson trays have ribs in the bottom. I don't know it they are available in that size.

[jeroldharter]

I have the big Cesco trays for the same reasons. I would prefer Patterson if available that large. Sometimes the prints don't "stick" but lie on the bottom and it is hard to get your fingers underneath without marring the edge of the print. It is manageable though and constant agitation helps a bit. The sticking is an occasional nuisance.

[ic-racer]

Here is a cheap option: 28x30" at Home Depot for about $20

[Andrew ren]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I want to be able to print the full sheet of watercolor paper(normally @ 22x30), so the 22x28 will work nicely, or I can pre-trim the paper to 20x26 as the image size will be 15x21, that way i can get the regular paterson 2024 will ribbed-bottom.

ic-racer, what's the mfr name for this? I can't find this on their canadian site.

also how you guys handle pouring in and out all the chemicals? I mean no matter how rigid it was made, it got be hard to lift them up and pour the liquid out without splashing everywhere... I am think of getting a squeezie/sucking pipe from the auto dept. in Walmart..

Andrew

[ic-racer]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I want to be able to print the full sheet of watercolor paper(normally @ 22x30), so the 22x28 will work nicely, or I can pre-trim the paper to 20x26 as the image size will be 15x21, that way i can get the regular paterson 2024 will ribbed-bottom.

ic-racer, what's the mfr name for this? I can't find this on their canadian site.

also how you guys handle pouring in and out all the chemicals? I mean no matter how rigid it was made, it got be hard to lift them up and pour the liquid out without splashing everywhere... I am think of getting a squeezie/sucking pipe from the auto dept. in Walmart..

Andrew

That big tray is sold to fit under a washing machine. I think I saw them at both Home Depot and Lowes.
I'm going to put a spigot on my trays (but have not gotten around to doing that yet...I need some good negatives to print big )

[Rick A]

I think the large under-washer trays have a knock-out for adding drain pipe to run the overflow out. Would make an ideal place for a valve to drain into a container. Then you would need only one tray, then fill and drain for each chem. step.

[Andrew ren]

Thanks guys.

just came back from home depot, the washing machine under-fit tray here they only have one size, 30x32, which is too wide for my setup, my sink is 24x96 inner dimension, so, i might go for the cesco, wish Paterson have had 23x28 in size.

Cheers


Andrew

[Drew Wiley]

Here's a simple trick with flat-bottomed trays. Get some small self-adhesive hemispherical silicone (not vinyl) cabinet door bumpers. They're chemical-resistant and
very durable, and can be applied to the flat bottom of the tray. Work very well for
keeping the film or paper from sticking, and take up much less volume of dev than
grooves in the bottom of a tray. Trays with built-in draincocks are readily available from lab suppliers, but a bit expensive.