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Steven Nelson
15-Jul-2014, 18:53
My focusing cloth was falling apart and needing to be replaced. Today while walking through Target I found a blackout curtain with black outer and white liner. Dimension are 42" x 84". Bulkier than my previous coated nylon focusing cloth but folds up small enough to fit in my backpack.

Target Link (http://www.target.com/p/eclipse-braxton-thermaback-window-panel/-/A-11145685#prodSlot=medium_1_1)

Kirk Gittings
15-Jul-2014, 19:01
Are you shooting Ultra Large Format? That is Huuuugggge.

Steven Nelson
15-Jul-2014, 19:04
4"x5". My old focusing cloth was 36" x 60". I will try my Target special as is but cut it down if too unwieldy.

Brassai
15-Jul-2014, 19:20
On a hot & humid day, you'll be taking a shower under there. :D

John Kasaian
15-Jul-2014, 20:20
On a hot & humid day, you'll be taking a shower under there. :D
He's in California. We have dry heat:)

jnantz
17-Jul-2014, 05:34
i get my focusing clothes at a fabric store by the yard,
it costs only a dollar or 3 ...

Steven Nelson
17-Jul-2014, 16:57
Today's field report: major fail. Despite the claim it blocks out 99% of the light, it was quite leaky even on an overcast day. If anybody knows where I can buy a simple focusing cloth, let me know.

Alan Gales
17-Jul-2014, 17:24
He's in California. We have dry heat:)

I experienced dry heat in Los Vegas. It was weird.

I used to work construction and when I would get off work in the summer I would be drenched in sweat. I would occasionally pick up a lemonade for the drive home. When I would take my wallet out to pay for it my money would be soaked. You should have seen the faces on the young female cashiers taking that wet currency. Some things in life are precious. ;)

Alan Gales
17-Jul-2014, 17:31
https://www.badgergraphic.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=675

These are nice but not exactly cheap.

domaz
19-Jul-2014, 10:30
Today's field report: major fail. Despite the claim it blocks out 99% of the light, it was quite leaky even on an overcast day. If anybody knows where I can buy a simple focusing cloth, let me know.

I got nice fabric for my focusing cloth at an estate sale. Their are usually lots of estate/garage sales where people are selling grandma's huge collection of fabrics for cheap..

Drew Bedo
24-Jul-2014, 06:00
Cheap?
There are posts on this forum from members who swear by their black sweat shirt. It must be workable as there are designs sold that look like a shirt or jacket. I am currently using a BTZS hood. Works for me , but others don't like them . . ."YMMV" and to each his own.

For years I used a dark cloth my wife sewed up from black velveteen and a section of white table cloth. She sewed in a fender washer in each corner for stability. Still use it with 8x10.

Michael Cienfuegos
26-Jul-2014, 16:26
He's in California. We have dry heat:)

The monsoons have made it a very wet heat these past two weeks. :(

m

fecaleagle
28-Jul-2014, 17:04
Cheap?
There are posts on this forum from members who swear by their black sweat shirt. It must be workable as there are designs sold that look like a shirt or jacket. I am currently using a BTZS hood. Works for me , but others don't like them . . ."YMMV" and to each his own.

For years I used a dark cloth my wife sewed up from black velveteen and a section of white table cloth. She sewed in a fender washer in each corner for stability. Still use it with 8x10.

I'm quite content with my inverted black t-shirt. Significant light leakage doesn't seem to affect my focusing (that I'm aware of).

Jim Fitzgerald
28-Jul-2014, 17:20
I use a light weight fabric from Outdoor Research that is silver on one side and black on the other and weights a few ounces. Great when you have a 14x17 on your back.

AtlantaTerry
31-Jul-2014, 23:58
I use a light weight fabric from Outdoor Research that is silver on one side and black on the other and weighs a few ounces. Great when you have a 14x17 on your back.

Jim, I looked all over the Outdoor Research website to no avail.

http://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/

Geez, I wish you had supplied a URL or product SKU or something!

Jim Fitzgerald
1-Aug-2014, 06:32
Jim, I looked all over the Outdoor Research website to no avail.

http://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/

Geez, I wish you had supplied a URL or product SKU or something!

Hell, I'm not getting any younger and I can't find the bookmark. I'll try again. I remember that I found it from a post that Joe Smigeil made about a wet plate dark tent that he made out of it. So let me look and if I find it I'll post the link or get more info. The stuff works great.... Really!

Winger
1-Aug-2014, 06:54
My mom helped me make one that has a fairly thick black cloth on the inside and the stuff for ironing boards on the outside. It's been working well for at least 5 years now. I'll try to remember to take a picture of it later. Overall, it wasn't dirt cheap but mostly because we bought more fabric than got used. And added some velcro to hold it together as well as a cord to tighten one end.

Andrew O'Neill
1-Aug-2014, 07:28
Go to a fabric store.

Mike in NY
2-Aug-2014, 20:03
Jim, are you sure you didn't get it from Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics? Joe has mentioned them in his posts.

Jim Fitzgerald
2-Aug-2014, 20:12
Jim, are you sure you didn't get it from Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics? Joe has mentioned them in his posts.

That's it!It is a bitch to get old. What can you do.

AtlantaTerry
3-Aug-2014, 00:31
Jim, are you sure you didn't get it from Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics? Joe has mentioned them in his posts.

OK, now that we have that clear, where on their website is this fabulous fabric?

http://www.owfinc.com/fabrics.html

Jim Fitzgerald
3-Aug-2014, 07:11
I believe it is the WPB Generic. Mine is silver and black. Very light weight. I got mine many years ago and do not remember what it is called but the Black fabric that is two layers looks about right. The great thing is that it is water resistant. Cost looks right at about 10.70 a yard. I bought enough for my four camera systems.

Mike in NY
3-Aug-2014, 14:33
Hhmmm... could be that one, but Joe described his cloth as "aluminized fabric". The only fabric I saw on the site that was black on one side and reflective on the other is the black Taffeta with Silver Metallic coating. I've requested a sample of the tafeta; if it's large enough, I'll try to determine if it's light tight.

The 2-layer WPG generic appears to be black on one side and white (as opposed to silvery metallic) on the other. Also, I noticed the cautionary note at the top of the listing for WPG, which states that it "needs to be lined to protect the waterproof, breathable barrier layer. Fabrics with just the barrier layer applied are called 2-ply fabrics. Some fabrics already have a protective layer applied and are known as 3-ply fabrics."

Jim Fitzgerald
3-Aug-2014, 15:32
Mike, you da man!!! That is the one for sure! I remember the price of $9.89 yd. I'm telling you great stuff. Light weight and water resistant! I remember shooting in Yosemite during a wet snowstorm and after 6 hours in the wet snow it did get a little wet. Like I said I got several yards and made four dark cloths. Great way to cut down on pack weight especially when I'm packing the 14x17. Thanks again Joe!

Mike in NY
8-Aug-2014, 16:28
Wow! I just got the sample, and I'm ordering a few yards of this stuff. Good-bye heavy, bulky, double-sided dark cloth. Hello light-weight, breathable, waterproof cloth. Thanks for the lead, Jim! (Actually, I'll keep my heavy cloth, with corner weights, for windy, wintery situations.)

Jim Fitzgerald
8-Aug-2014, 17:23
Mike, you're welcome. I use my heavy weight cloth in the darkroom to block the light. Its weight is 5 lbs. Now with the new dark cloth I'm carrying ounces. Big difference when I'm packing my 14x17. I have this cloth for all four of my systems. A great investment.

AtlantaTerry
8-Aug-2014, 20:36
Could y'all be specific?

What is the product SKU?

Thanks.

Mike in NY
9-Aug-2014, 05:27
It's their Nylon Taffeta: PU Coated, Black/ Silver Metallic.

The order code is Tafcmet

AtlantaTerry
9-Aug-2014, 08:08
Thanks, Mike.

mdarnton
9-Aug-2014, 08:11
Yes, thank you! I just ordered a couple of yards. Old t-shirts have not been working as well as I've needed. :-)

Jim Fitzgerald
9-Aug-2014, 08:36
It is so nice to have a dark cloth that is just a few ounces! Thanks again Joe!!!

AtlantaTerry
10-Aug-2014, 00:19
http://www.owfinc.com/images/t-v/large/TAFC-MET.jpg

According to the above photo link, the product is "TAFC-MET".



Does anyone else here think they have an awful website? There is no way to actually place an order from their product images. There is not an actual product SKU listed for their products.

To order, you have to telephone or mail them a copy of a Word or PDF form.

??? This is the 21st Century, folks!

Orders

You can submit an order in a couple of different ways.

1.Download the Word order form, here, fill it out on your computer, and email it to order@owfinc.com

2. Download the .pdf order form (or the Word doc from above), here, print it out, fill it out by hand, and mail it in or fax it to us:

Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics
123 E. Simplot Blvd
Caldwell, Id 83605
Fax: 800.333.6930 or 208.402.0112

3.Call 800.OWF.SHOP (800.693.7467) to submit an order by phone.

Jim Fitzgerald
10-Aug-2014, 07:52
I think I called them. Yes, 21st century is right but maybe not when it comes to fabric!