There is a nice article about how to make a sink out of PVC, but I'm not sure where to get sheets of PVC. I am thinking of a mini sink like 14x48 inches for my small darkroom so the sheets don't need to be big.
There is a nice article about how to make a sink out of PVC, but I'm not sure where to get sheets of PVC. I am thinking of a mini sink like 14x48 inches for my small darkroom so the sheets don't need to be big.
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Has anyone clicked a finger on a mouse to google "flood tables for hydroponics" yet!?!!! They are fantastic, cheap, different sizes, ready made, less than the cost of materials to make one from scratch, and strong...
What are you waiting for!?!!!! (I understand if someone has a custom build requirement, but!?!!!)
Steve K
Home depot. When I made one, I glued the pvc to plywood with linoleum adhesive.
That was really thin stuff. Any major plastics supplier will have it.
Otherwise price out abs which will likely be more expensive.
McMaster sells PVC sheets in different sizes.
Yes
Originally Posted by LabRat
Just look up any actual plastics dealer. There should be several in any significant metropolitan area. More likely found by searching under Plexiglas or ABS sheet, which is actually easier to fabricate, better insulating, and stiffer. You want it at least 1/4 inch thick. Forget the silly home centers. But for something that small
just an acrylic remnant would work. Plastics shops often have bargain scrap bins. But acrylic (plexiglas) has to be edged much more carefully. Vinyl (PVC) will be floppy and tend to melt during cutting if you don't have an ideal blade. Completely straight square cuts are mandatory on any of these materials meant for solvent
welding.
Is PVC safe for photographic processes and materials? PVC outgasses chlorine as I understand. Does anyone know how atmospheric chlorine affects the chemical photographic processes we use, or films and papers? Just asking because I don't like the strong smell from PVC in an enclosed space. Would acrylic or ABS be better chemically, though they cost more? My developing tanks from JOBO and Unicolor are styrene or ABS it seems, not PVC which would be a less expensive alternative.
Yes, vinyls use plasticizers, but sheet goods intended for fabrication are not all loaded up with phalates etc like cheap consumer goods. Styrene and ABS, on the
other hand, often have sulfur impurities or mold release residues. You simply scrub all this kind of stuff off prior to actual darkroom use. No big deal. A lot of vinyl in an enclosed space might smudge an enlarger lens just like a vinyl dashboard does to the inside of your windshield. And as I already mentioned, its floppy and a pain to cut with ordinary gear, so really a poor substitute for ABS. Put it this way, nearly every cheap commercial darkroom sink is made from ABS, not vinyl. Styrene is brittle and fragile, so reserved for really cheap stuff. I use a certain amount of PVC pipe and CPVC in the darkroom without any issues. And no, chlorine is just an issue in the manufacturing process. Of course, if it burns it produces toxic substances, but so does you upholstery stuffing, your carpet mats, your patent leather shoes, etc. Plasticizers are more the enemy of photographic materials. For example, thin PVC is the ingredient of most NON-archival
photo albums, namely, the ones with all the faded prints in them!
Many sign shops use PVC sheets. My friend who is going to build my sink is a former pro photographer turned signmaker & he will be using PVC. There are special adhesives designed for assembling PVC. I suggest you make friends with a signmaker & piggyback on one of their orders. They can help you with the adhesive as well.
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