Sources for Stainless Trays?

[cowanw]

medical trays work well.
https://www.quickmedical.com/polar-w...nd-covers.html
enamelled trays are also terrific, but one must avoid chipping the enamel
https://www.currys.com/catalogpc.htm...RS_TRAY_ENAMEL
I am sure there are many other sources of both

[Pere Casals]

15.75×11.8×1.3inch th4 40cm model 15€, free shipping

search ebay : Stainless Steel Serving Tray Food Platter Salver 9'' 10'' 12'' 16''

[Tin Can]

Also Amazon Team Far


TeamFar Baking Sheet Cookie Sheet Set of 2,

[Alan9940]

Like Vaughn, I've had the same set of stainless trays for 40 years and today they look nearly as good as new. I love 'em! Plus, when I need temp control vis-a-vis water bath they maintain solution temp very well. I've tested temp drift in plastic trays, but in my darkroom (in the desert) this becomes an issue for much of the year. Yes, they are expensive but, if you take good care of 'em you'll never need to buy another set.

[Michael Kadillak]

I would suggest starting a new thread on the yellowing problem you are having as I doubt that it is caused by plastic trays. Sounds more like maybe insufficient fixing, or an agitation issue. Photos if possible would help

Having used SS trays, I prefer the Cesco plastic trays with the dimpled bottoms particularly with developers where the temp sink with these is far greater than with plastics as a previous post mentioned. In pyro and other chemistry they can stain but I get some Comet bleach and a scrub pad and a bit of water and some elbow grease, the stain comes off the trays to about 98% conditions which is fine with me.

[Doremus Scudder]

... I’ve got a set of Cesco plastic trays that are just about ideal. Great size, smooth coved edges inside and out and easy to handle. The problem with plastic however is they always retain some of the chemistry, especially the developer. The developer tray just gets darker and darker and no amount of cleaning takes all that oxidized residue out...

If your plastic trays are the ideal size, why not just go ahead and use them? The discoloration from the developer won't hurt anything as long as you rinse the tray thoroughly after use; the staining is benign. Wasn't there a photo-essay on the developer trays of famous photographers somewhere? They were all stained to high heaven. Mine are pristine by comparison

And, you could try cleaning. I've found that dilute chlorine bleach (e.g. Chlorox) does a good job making the stains disappear. Then follow that with a good rinse and finally fill the tray with fixer (this well dissolve any rehalogenated silver deposits). Dump, rinse and you're good to go.

Really, if you just get over the fact that the trays are stained a bit, they'll work just fine.

Best,

Doremus

[Drew Wiley]

I've actually have a set of dimple-bottomed stainless trays which are wonderful for sheet film development. The type of stainless is important. It should be something 302, 316, 316L etc industrial grade, not just food grade or 18-8. Stainless is preferable in a tempering bath because it conducts temp better. Plastic is better for the water jacket itself, or self-contained trays. For film dev, you always want the trays somewhat oversized.

[Bob Salomon]

While this product o longer exists you may be able to find an equivalent, or its formula:

https://www.largeformatphotography.i...3-Tray-Cleaner

[konakoa]

A big thank you to everyone who replied! I'll be exploring all these suggestions.

[Jeroen]

In photo academy our chemistry professor -an Agfa chemist- always warned that iron was a killer in photographic processes. Have you considered glass trays? Glass is chemically almost inert, probably more than SS.