print drum

I'm looking for a way to make 16x20 prints in my tiny, tiny darkroom. I think that a 16x20 print developing drum might be the answer. If anyone has one for sale please let me know.

Would wall paper troughs help you?

John,

I thought of it but it seems the least attractive. The paper is a bit

stiff until it gets wet and I'm not sure if I can get even

development. The Nova slot processor has mixed reviews and is

expensive. I tried using my BTZS 8x10 tubes to develop some 8x10

prints and it worked really well. I checked B&H last night and a Jobo

16x20 print drum is about $65. I am going to see if I can find one of

those to see if I can use it standalone.

Go to the local Home Depot, Lowes, whatever you have in your

neighborhood, and get a piece of 6 or 8 inch PVC pipe. Cut it to the

length you need. Get a tray or trough large enough to hold the piece

of pipe. A narrow but deep trough works better than a photo tray if

you can find something. It works reasonably well if you elevate the

tray from the bottom of the darkroom sink to facilitate pouring out

the chemicals after each step. You can cut a few sections of your

pipe 2 or 3 inches long to make these stand-offs. Put the paper

inside the pipe the same way you use the BTZS film tubes. Fill the

tray half way or less with developer and simply roll the pipe in the

tray. Dump the tray after each step into a waiting container and pour

in the next chemical. It works well for large prints where you simply

don't have room for several trays of that size. Since you develop a

print fully even development is much less an issue than with film, so

don't worry of you are not rolling very evenly.

You should also look at the NOVA slot processor systems. See

the JOBO website for detailed info.

Look around for Besseler drums, they're pretty cheap, I think I got

my setup (8x10 drum, motor base and 16x20 drum) for around $25.00.