Jerold: That's very interesting to hear. By prints I guess you mean paper, not print film?(Sorry i'm a bit new to darkroom stuff) I use the Ilford Multigrade Warmtone developer... would I be better off using plain Multigrade one instead?
John: Great idea. Fiberglass didn't cross my mind.
Thanks again...
I have had limited success in "welding",using an ordinary soldering iron,on thermo-plastics. Paterson brand trays.
Backed up with duct tape to reduce flexure/stress on the remelted area.
Epoxy-fiberglass works best. Silicon RTV doesn't work. You can get an epoxy fiberglass kit at Walmart or an auto-parts store. Be sure to rough up the surface with some coarse sandpaper before applying the patch.
Generally the better moulded (non-fiberglass) trays were made with non-gluable poly plastics like polyethylene. Only the cheap ones were ABS or styrene. Polys have to be
heat welded, but aren't prone to cracking anyway. Just rub some acetone onto the plastic.
If it hazes, it's gluable; if unaffected, it isn't.
I meant that you could process paper or film in any vessel. Trays are usually the most ergonomic. Huge prints can be rolled up and processed in wallpaper troughs for example. Plastic darkroom trays 12x16 inches and under are pretty inexpensive so I would not bother fixing a crack. Huge 30x40 trays would be worth salvaging because they are costly.Originally Posted by genotypewriter
Jerold: That's very interesting to hear. By prints I guess you mean paper, not print film?
Thanks again...
For processing film, you want to be careful there are no plastic burrs or other oddities that could scratch if you use cheap plastic storage bins or other non-photographic trays.
Ilford Warmtone developer is not a toner. My comment about toners is that some of them stain the plastic.
Proper trays are not expensive, and are even available used. Repairing one temporarily might be necessary, but not for the long term. It's just not worth it. Likewise, finding a substitute from another source generally doesn't save much, if any, money and involves other compromises with regards to size and shape. One good set of trays will last a lifetime. Just my opinion, of course, but this has always struck me as one of the false economies of photography. All of the money we spend on gear, film, paper and chemicals, and we want to save a couple of bucks on a print tray.
Cesco makes trays with smooth bottoms. I use them routinely. Of course, I use print tongs, and not fingers ...
http://www.adorama.com/DKTRC1114.html
I use flat-bottomed trays for conserving fluid volume with expensive toners or dyes. I use
grooved bottom ones for ordinary black and white paper developing, and dimple-bottomed
ones for all film use. I also use dimples on the septum dividers on my archival print washers. For really big trays (over 30X40 nominal), I simply make them myself out of acrylic sheet. But I've been lucky to find big real 326 stainless trays cheap from old DT
labs going out of business. The dimpled little stainless ones were sold under the Cherry
brand of Japan, and I got them from a local importer. Haven't been able to locate any
others, but they are simply the best.
I have one thin white plastic tray with cracks in one corner. I sealed it on the outside with metal duct tape (the kind that has non-stick paper to peel off)--and it has worked well without leaking for several years. I put the tape on when the tray was dry, and rubbed it thoroughly to ensure good adhesion. I already had the tape, and realized it was at least worth a try. The only thing I've been careful about has been to make sure this particular tray is on the bottom when I nest the set of trays together.
Keith
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