Trays for prints

btgc

btgc

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Just wanted to ask if using dedicated trays is important. I can't find them locally, so for first try I adopted plastic boxes from icecream. They have flat bottom unlike darkroom trays, I wonder if it's important that developer flows under print (emulsion side up)?

For fixer it could be nice if it could flow by both surfaces, though. I have one tray so I used it for fixer.

Another concern is if chemicals react with plastic boxes. For chem bottles they use plastic not reacting with chemicals, probably getting trays isn't bad idea?
 
I don't think it makes much differene in terms of the plastic, but having bottom ridges or channels makes handling easier. You could glue plastic strips to the bottom of flat trays.
 
I just picked up some new trays from my local photography shop. They were using them to catch rainwater from a leak. Needless to say I got a good price. I think they are the AP trays... I cannot overstate how much better these are than the garbage trays I were using before. The deep channels in the bottom of the tray makes life so much easier.

So in short, get some decent trays :)
 
So bottom channels are for increased rigidness, mostly? I'm rather reserved towards gluing as this makes another potential to pollute chemicals.
 
Most all of the trays I've seen made in the past ten to twenty years are vacuum formed out of flat sheets of plastic. Some have channels, others don't, but they all have a rolled edge. before they took over the market trays were molded, the edges weren't rolled. The oldes ones I have are black Ace hard rubber. The newer molded trays are Yankee Agitrays. These came in sets of white, blue and red trays. They're the same shape and size as the Ace trays.Vacuum forming involves heating a flat sheet of plastic and then sucking the softened sheet down into a mold. If you want dimples or bumps in the bottom it should be easy enough to do by pressing into the plastic with a hot piece iof metal, although it might not be very neat looking.

I always used the white one for Dektol, red for stop, black for fixer, although for many years now I've used a much bigger cheap plastic kitchen wash tub for fixer so I can mix a gallon at a time. For a "lid" I float another washtub on the fixer.

I also float my stop bath tray on my developer if I'm leaving the darkroom for a few hours. It does a great job of keeping the air off the surface! Then I "replenish" or freshen up the soup with a bit of fresh undiluted developer. The exact quantity isn't critical.

Considering that some of these trays are well over forty years old, maybe over fifty because they were mostly used at the time that I purchased them, they're in great shape. They're also badly stained grey inside from the silver. The rims are grooved from years of pushing down with the print tongs to rock the trays.
 
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1) Buy the next largest size;) (8x10" paper 11x14" trays)
2) Code your trays (with Sharpie, by Color) and don't mix them:bang:
3) Ridges =Prints won't stick to Tray Bottom:eek:.
4) When done, rinse trays in hot water:cool:.
5) Clean Dev tray, every now and then, with silver cleaner:).
6) Metal, Paterson Developing Trays:D.

Have a blast!!!

btgc said:
Just wanted to ask if using dedicated trays is important. I can't find them locally, so for first try I adopted plastic boxes from icecream. They have flat bottom unlike darkroom trays, I wonder if it's important that developer flows under print (emulsion side up)?

For fixer it could be nice if it could flow by both surfaces, though. I have one tray so I used it for fixer.

Another concern is if chemicals react with plastic boxes. For chem bottles they use plastic not reacting with chemicals, probably getting trays isn't bad idea?
Click to expand...
 
Yes, wash time with Fiber-based papers is a pain - even with Permawash.

Reards,
RLouzan

JSU said:
Only in the wash is it imperative to have fluid flow on both top & bottom. I use stainless trays that are flat bottomed and they work the same as any that have ridges. The ridges aid in picking up the print off of the bottom of the tray.
Click to expand...
 
I agree with rlouzan:

Dedicate your trays for each chemical that you are using.

In general, for fiber base, I place my photo emulsion side for the first minute in the developer and the fixer. The Stop bath, I place it in there emulsion side up.

I hope that helps.

:s:
 
First, thanks to Al for story. And for advices, too. I'll try to press-in channels in bottoms of boxes with hot <something> and mark them to not mix between chemicals. Probably I'm too worried.

I have got my first prints, very basic, very nothing, though I like feeling when picture appears from nowhere.
 
Go to a restaurant supply for plastic trays. They are reasonable and durable

Yep, thats where i got new ones from last week, range of sizes, good depth, ridges on base and three different colours. Made from a hard durable plastic, not any cheaper but easier to source
 
If you wash a lot of fibre prints, a tray is not a good choice a vertical print washer, even if homemade, works better.
 
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quote

If you wash a lot of fibre prints, a tray is not a good choice a vertical print washer, even if homemade, works better

Do you have a link fof ideas on making one?, i have some ideas and have made `prototype 1' , it works well but does not hold enough prints . cheers
 
BTW, whoever recommended to use the next bigger print size up I would recommend not doing that. Bigger trays mean:

- More chemistry
- Bigger surface area of liquid which means more odor.
 
I'm not in the US - uh oh, shipping for $5 tray from BHPV were calculated as $50 at cheapest! Holy fixer, I'll pass - thanks for helping, though.

I see many here use anything that keeps liquids in and can accomodate paper at least partly - so I'll be creative as photographers should be and go with set of icecream boxes.
 
In a few days I´ll post a DIY holdin tank and circular FB paper washer.

1) Avoid overfixing (in trays and holding tank)
2) If needed straight Physiologic Serum;) can be substituted for Permawash
3) FB prints should be washed in baches
4) Wash time should never be less than 1 hour:eek::bang:
 
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