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> Mini lab paper cassettes. |
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Mini lab paper cassettes.
I remember reading that mini lab paper cassettes are good for storing rolls of colour paper.
Do people take the innards out of them, and just use them as light tight boxes, or do they apply power and have auto feed and cut? Having never seen one I am clueless. Also any recommendations please. Cheers.
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It will all be over by Christmas. |
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Mike |
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No need for power. You want Fuji MG 180 magazines for this because they have a handy knob for rolling the paper out/in and their pin locking paper from moving back in can be switched off. The inner roll holder can be adjusted for paper's width.
My setup is magazine --> Rotatrim --> raised length markers, all of which can be mounted on a plywood plate for precision. Left hand rolls the paper out (or back in) through the cutter, right hand alignes the end against the marker and operates the Rotarim. It takes some practice but then the cutting is quite fast and reliable. Easily 4-5 sheets/minute. I have some photos of the setup but apparently I can't upload them here so I'm not going to look for them now. There were automatic cutters available but they're bulky and difficult to find. --Andres |
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Can anyone help here? Thanks Mike |
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Paper Rolls.
I use Kodak RA4 paper from the roll and to be able to use it I have made a paper dispenser (There are pictures somewhere on this forum somewhere)
It was constructed from sheet aluminium riveted together with strips of angle aluminium then the edges and rivets sealed with black 'gaffa tape. The paper is fed from the roll via a slot at the base of the container, 1/8"th inch wide with the slot sealed when not in use to cut paper. I use a 18" Guillotine to cut the paper which I measure with a piece of white card placed against the edge of the cutter. This card is marked with black lines at the 9" and 16". Because I use a Duka safelight I can manage about 15 cuts per minute. The lid is removable and the roll of paper is suspended on a wooden roller resting in 'U' shaped bearers lubricated with candle wax.(Actually a cooks pastry rolling pin.) The price of the materials was less than £20. If I were to make another, the only change I would make is to widen the interior of the box by about 1/2" so that the paper can be fitted more easily without trapping my fingers. It was designed to take a 12" roll so I can cut 12 x 16 sheets and smaller. A later addition to this one was fitting handles at the sides of the container because a full roll of RA4 paper is heavy to lift Last edited by John King; 5th October 2020 at 08:50 PM. |
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This is one of the images of the paper dispenser looking at the front. The slot where the paper is fed from is at the bottom of the facing side. The actual size was 13" x 11 x 11. As I said the width would be better if I increase it by 1/2" so my fingers don't get trapped.
I made an earlier one out of 9mm plywood, Glued and screwed together but this was scrapped because I started to get mottling on the edges of the paper which I put down to odours from the glue and the wood itself. The aluminium Mk2 so far has proved free from problems. The bright green was only the protective plastic used by the manufacturer and supplier of the aluminium. There are several firms will supply sheets cut to size and the aluminium angle strip just google for the prices. This picture was taken just after I had finished the main construction and before I applied the tape to make the edges and side light tight The lid is a straight 'lift off' with foam sheet inside to make a light tight seal Last edited by John King; 5th October 2020 at 09:15 PM. |
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I'm always impressed when I see the end results of what people make.
Well done John! Terry S |
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Perfecting the light tight box.
What you cannot see is the multitude of rivets are themselves not light tight because the pin use to pull them into shape leaves a hole right through so they have to be covered over on the inside using Gaffa tape. The edges of the inside of the lid also has self adhesive foam draft excluder which make the lid a very close fit.
The inside if the feed slot on the lower front edge is also treated with the same foam strip and after cutting enough sheets I always leave a tongue of paper protruding and fasten it to the outside of the case again using Gaffa tape otherwise if it slips back into the inside of the box it can be difficult to get it out again. A full roll of 88M x 12" wide Kodak paper, will in theory give you 214 sheets of 12x16. but in practice a little short of that due to wastage. That is still one heck of a lot cheaper than 4 x 50 sheet boxes of 12x16 paper even if you use Kodak paper which is more expensive than Fuji. Currently 4 boxes of Fuji 12x16 RA4 paper will cost around £195.00 for a 12 wide 88m roll of Kodak is £106.00. Most paper rolls are set with the emulsion side out so if you set the paper to unroll towards the rear of the box and curl it round so that it feeds out through the front, this will have the paper emerge with the emulsion side down and give you more time to cut the sheet if you use a safelight such as a Duka. The one downside (a little one) is, as you use the paper and get close to the central core there will be a degree of 'curl' which is unavoidable. However once in the developer this disappears and does not return and always dries flat. Last edited by John King; 7th October 2020 at 08:41 AM. |
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