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  #1  
Old 23rd June 2021, 08:37 PM
Nat Polton Nat Polton is offline
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Default Magnetic Stirrer. DIY.

I have been making more and more homemade developers, fixers etc. of late and purchasing less ready made chemistry.

I dug out my old DIY magnetic stirrer that I used for home brewing yeasts.
This is now my darkroom stirrer.

It is made from scrap parts and the only thing I had to purchase was the magnetic stirring bar, sometimes called a flea, and a couple of neodinium button magnets.
The circuit is very simple. A 12v transformer once used to charge an electric screwdriver, a fan recovered from a computer, and a bunch of resistors and rotary switch recovered from an old valve radio.

Basically the resistors are wired in series on the rotary switch body with the motor and the two magnets are glued onto the revolving fan. Important.....Position the magnets to align with the length of your stirring bar. Also make sure you have a North and South pole facing up so it can get a magnetic hold on the stirrer bar.

Thats about it.

I will not put a diagram or electrical values down as it all depends on the scrap items you have around you.

If you are not familiar with electrics get a decent electrician to help and advise you.
Also fluids and electricity do not go together.

Sorry for being a misery when it comes to safety , but it needs care in use and making.

Cheers.

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Last edited by Nat Polton; 23rd June 2021 at 08:42 PM.
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  #2  
Old 24th June 2021, 11:59 AM
Terry S Terry S is offline
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Well done on doing that project Nat, but it's way beyond my skill set.

It's of interest to me, as I too have been making up a lot more formulas from scratch for a while now, and I too looked into a magnetic stirrer. Surprisingly they are a lot cheaper than I imagined and may buy one in the not so distant future.

Out of curiosity, which formulas are you making up?

I've made D76 / ID11, both with metol and phenidone, as two separate mixes to compare.

D72 print developer, which I really like and use in my Nova slot processor. This has replaced buying Ilford Multigrade print developer.

Various bleaches and toners.

Residual hypo tester.

And currently I'm working my way through various lith developers... currently with no success. I'll try one more home mix before trying out the trial kit of Moersch's Easy Lith and then will return to mixing and testing again, as the kit is not that cheap.

Terry S
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Old 24th June 2021, 12:30 PM
mpirie mpirie is offline
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I did the same Terry, i bought a heated magnetic stirrer off of the auction site so that i could try a number of concoctions.

I wanted a heated version since many developers suggest you start with water at around 50deg C.

All credit to Nat though for "upcycling" to create a stirrer!

Mike
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  #4  
Old 24th June 2021, 02:20 PM
ianbarber ianbarber is offline
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Looks like Home Brew developers seem to be getting popular. I have also started to make some. I have started with D23 and just mixed some DK25-R to go with it.
I had a hard time getting some Metaborate so had to make some from Borax and Hydroxide which seemed to work out well in the end.

Its more enjoyable than I thought it would be
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Old 24th June 2021, 05:06 PM
big paul big paul is offline
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well done Nat I am always amazed at some peoples ingenuity ,what a brilliant idea ,give yourself a pat on the back ..
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  #6  
Old 24th June 2021, 06:43 PM
MikeHeller MikeHeller is offline
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I have a magnetic stirrer and followers that I liberated when the labs that I used to work at were being wound up and much equipment was being dumped. It is not a heated one. I mainly use it to make up the film developer and use hot water from the tap where required (our water supply is very soft - >40mg CaCO3/l equivalent, if my memory serves me right).

Mike

Last edited by MikeHeller; 24th June 2021 at 06:47 PM.
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  #7  
Old 27th June 2021, 08:41 AM
Nat Polton Nat Polton is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry S View Post
Well done on doing that project Nat, but it's way beyond my skill set.

It's of interest to me, as I too have been making up a lot more formulas from scratch for a while now, and I too looked into a magnetic stirrer. Surprisingly they are a lot cheaper than I imagined and may buy one in the not so distant future.

Out of curiosity, which formulas are you making up?

I've made D76 / ID11, both with metol and phenidone, as two separate mixes to compare.

D72 print developer, which I really like and use in my Nova slot processor. This has replaced buying Ilford Multigrade print developer.

Various bleaches and toners.

Residual hypo tester.

And currently I'm working my way through various lith developers... currently with no success. I'll try one more home mix before trying out the trial kit of Moersch's Easy Lith and then will return to mixing and testing again, as the kit is not that cheap.

Terry S



Hello Terry. Thanks for the praise.
A heated stirrer would be more useful but I get by with this, and it all wraps up into the box.
I have been making ID11 and 510 Pyro of late.

For fixer I have tried Ilford F-5 Acid Hardener Fixer.
I want slower working fixers like I used to buy off the shelf years ago.
A bit more relaxed way of processing. Similar to stand developing, but for fixers.

When the first covid lockdown came I stockpiled developers and fixer.
I am gradually getting to the end of them.
My idea is to keep a packet of Perceptol and one of ID11 on the shelf for emergencies and make what else I need.

Cheers.
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