Film processing in a bucket?

[Christopher Perez]

Gentlefolk,

I have talked with local photographers who suggest that 3inch PVC pipes work well for extreme minimal agitation 8x10 film development. This got me to thinking... hence the following question:

Anyone have an idea of what kind of buckets I can process film in? I'm looking for ideas for cheap and light tight when lidded. I would like the option of exiting the darkroom while the film stands around and develops it's little heart out. Anything that might be useful from the construction industry? Or something I might find at Home Depot?

Thanks.

[David Karp]

I think that I recall Sandy King and some others recommending paint buckets for processing. This might have been on this forum, with a pointer to a thread on the Azo Forum. That will get you to Home Depot.

[Nick_3536]

Large ice cream drums? Not the gallon ones but the ones used by ice cream shops. You just need to cozy up to a cute ice cream sales girl -)

[David A. Goldfarb]

And if you don't find a decent lightproof bucket for this, another option may be to put the bucket into some larger container, like a plastic storage bin, which may be easier to lightproof, or may be sufficiently lightproof in combination with the bucket.

[David Karp]

Chris,

Take a look at these:

http://www.michaelandpaula.com/mp/Az...GID=4623&CID=2

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...hlight=slosher

This might get you going.

[Christopher Perez]

Excellent. My thanks to all who responded!

Chris,

Take a look at these:

http://www.michaelandpaula.com/mp/Az...GID=4623&CID=2

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...hlight=slosher

This might get you going.

[Andre Noble]

Chris, you just love the esoteric.

[Christopher Perez]

I didn't realize it showed.

Chris, you just love the esoteric.

[Donald Qualls]

Why not just buy caps for the pipes? If the pipe and cap are both black, the cap will be light tight as well as liquid tight when it's pushed on (though a 3" cap, well pushed on, can be a bit of a struggle to get *off* the pipe, especially with wet hands and in the dark). With a little sanding, at most, to remove the molded-in lettering and mold marks, the pipe will stand upright on the cap, also, and a 3" pipe, 10 inches long, will hold *lots* of liquid (about half a gallon, IIRC), no need for the extra you'd have in a bucket...

[jshanesy]

Steve Sherman does his semi-stand negatives in open paint cans. He spends the whole time in the dark. To agitate he just moves his little stirring paddle up and down a couple of times and then waits for the next time.

Like so many fine photographers, he uses the simplest of methods and materials. It's his knowledge and experience which make his results so outstanding.