Re: [Largeformat] homemade version of the BTZS

[<donsplace2000@yahoo.com>]

Ignore my earlier letter - I hadn't read this one yet. I'll study it
a bit, and ask any questions still lingering.
Thanks again,
Don


--- Joshua Wein <jayelwin@yahoo.com> wrote:
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> 
> There, posted.
> 
> This is what I did:
> 
> I bought a long length of PVC electrical conduit 1.5
> in wide. For each setup I cut a piece 7 inches long
> and 4 pieces 3.5 inches long. On one end of each piece
> I glued a black cap with PVC pipe glue. I needed to
> paint the caps black as the white caps were not light
> tight. All the electrical conduit and grey connectors
> were light tight. 
> 
> The long piece got a male connector and each of the
> short pieces got a female connector. I used steel wool
> to smooth out the inside joints. Look at the photos.
> 
> To use I would unload the film holders in a dark bag
> and slip the film emulsion side inward into the long
> piece and cap it with one of the short pieces. Now it
> is light tight. Standing in the laundry room with a
> large basin of 68 degree water on the dryer I place 50
> cc XTOL with 50 cc water in one cap, 100 CC stop in
> another, and 100 cc rapid fix in the third. 
> 
> I shut out the lights and screw off the dry cap and
> screw the long pipe onto the cap with the XTOL. I turn
> on the lights and then shake the tube, and lie it on
> its side in the water bath and roll it around. Of
> course I've pre-tempered the developer. When time is
> up I hold the tube with the cap down and turn off the
> lights, then I switch to the stop cap, shake a while
> and then switch to the fix cap. Then I turn on the
> lights and roll the fix around. I usually open the
> tube and let it fix more in a small tray, it is Tmax
> and it takes a while to fix. 
> 
> The beauty is that for about $20 you can make dozens
> of these tubes, I unload all my film into tubes and
> keep them around until I get enough to have a little
> session. And I can do a whole session with only one
> cap full of stop, so you don't actually have to make 4
> caps for every tube. Fix goes fast.
> 
> Hope this helps.
> 
> -Josh
> 
> Oh, the web site with the tube photos is photos.yahoo.com/jayelwin
>