1: Plex trays I too have made my own tanks. Couple of things I've learned. -heat and bend the 1/8" plex for the tray bottoms. I usually clamp an aluminum straight edge about 1/2" to 1" back from where I want the bend. Then I heat it up with a heat gun (for removing paint) but lately I've been winging it with a propane torch with a flame spreader--much quicker but also quicker to catch fire, brown scortch or bubble. (do it outside where you can back off and put a hose on it JIC) I've found it easy to bend 90 degrees in nice parallel sides and then use 1/4" to cover the ends. I always glue with the thickened cement in a tube--it fills any gaps. After you heat and bend it just hold it in place for a minute while it cools.
This was for my processor tank which is 6" deep. For shallower tanks the 1/8" all around is probably just fine. For deep tanks if you make a tight bend for the top lip you gain a lot of strength. A one inch diameter bend also will never cut you. 2: Processing rollers on which the film is wound. If I had to make a processor like this I would make the rollups out of ABS plastic sewer line. Drill the end caps for the 1/2" hot water PVC and then insert and glue. This will seal off the interior of the ABS and allow you to insert a stainless steel threaded rod.A couple of plastic bushings between the pvc and the threaded rod and it will hold up for quite some time. I like to get teflon or delrin plastic and cut washers for the ends to allow the ABS something to slide against. In the wall of the plex tank I drill a hole the exact size of my threaded rod and then use rubber washers to seal the inside of the tank to keep it from leaking. If you want to crank the rollers to wind up the film than you'll make your configuration differently. 3. Against the film --say at the bottom of the tank between the two rollers I'd look for one or two stainless steel rollers. ABS or PVC could work but you'd really have to make sure it is smooth. Another option would be to run a belt between all the rollers so they turn at close to the same RPM. ---William Nettles [EMAIL PROTECTED] Nettles Photo / Imaging Site http://www.wgn.net/~nettles > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 12:07:07 -0700 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Cameramakers digest, Vol 1 #244 - 10 msgs > > > In the Morse tank system, the film runs over two guide rollers > between the feed and takeup spools. Only the backside contacts the > rollers, therefore no damage to the emulsion. Very simple. > I suspect that there are still Morse tanks around and if someone > were to find one, I'm certain that a functional copy could be > reverse-engineered and produced in plastic on a small but still somewhat > expensive scale, probably around $800-1000 for the first few to defray > the costs of purchasing equipment for hot-gas welding of PVC and > learning how to use it. I, frankly, have no desire to re-invent the > automatic reversing mechanism that worked quite well and I have not seen > a Morse since I finished my hitch in the USAF in 1961. If detailed > photos and/or drawings can be provided, I could make a stab at it before > I retire from building ophthalmological research equipment sometime in > the next 2 years. bye, sid. _______________________________________________ Cameramakers mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://rmp.opusis.com/mailman/listinfo/cameramakers
