Chemical temperature

[Marino]

Once again i summon the film gurus in an effort to solve an issue that’s been a pain when printing in the darkroom.

How to keep the dev temp steady in the tray??

I’ve used a aquarium heater but it was big, then bought a smaller one but it took over one and a half hour to heat up to temp and the temperature was not steady…

The tray I’m using is for 8x10 prints.

It’s a pain because it’s a race against time to keep the temp up. Once the dev temp decreases then the exposure on the paper is not the same even with the same time.
Any suggestions??
Thx

 

[Fixer]

A bigger 'buffer' tray of hot water to sit the smaller trays in?

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

The least bad method of temperature control for print processing is something like a Nova deep tank...

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/nova-16x12-penta-slot-processor-4571

They're not cheap but they make print production much simpler and if you use them properly, with the floating lids, your developer will last up to a week, instead of just a single session. They come up second hand at a good discount, if you hunt around,

 

[Kevin Allan]

I use something similar to this -

Tray Warmer – 10×12″ – Darkroom Dish photo print processing

Available at Real Camera Manchester

realcamera.co.uk

 

[Marino]

A bigger 'buffer' tray of hot water to sit the smaller trays in?

Thx, that might be something to do if There’s no other alternatives.

The least bad method of temperature control for print processing is something like a Nova deep tank...

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/nova-16x12-penta-slot-processor-4571

They're not cheap but they make print production much simpler and if you use them properly, with the floating lids, your developer will last up to a week, instead of just a single session. They come up second hand at a good discount, if you hunt around,

That would be the best solution to my problem. Thx very much Andrew.
Yes expensive but it looks really convenient. I’ll keep an eye on the internet.

I use something similar to this -

Tray Warmer – 10×12″ – Darkroom Dish photo print processing

Available at Real Camera Manchester

realcamera.co.uk

Thx for the suggestion Kevin.
If I can’t get what Andrew suggested I’ll go for a tray warmer.

 

[Dave Canon]

Temperature was critical when I started colour printing in 1979 but solved the problem. I used a Patterson drum which rotated in a bath of water. I also used a fish tank heater and thermostat which had been modified to operate at 40 C. I pre -heated the water before putting in the tank so no starting delay. The temperature remained constant within 1C. This was so successful, when a few years later colour chemicals could operate at room temperature, I continued to operate at 40 C because of the time saving and consistency. It was still hard work and uncomfortable so I am very glad I gave up my darkroom in the 90's.

Dave