[pure-silver] Petersen's Photo Equipment You Can Make
- From: Peter De Smidt <pdesmidt@xxxxxxx>
- To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005 18:44:29 -0600
_Petersen's Photo Equipment You Can Make_, 1973, ISBN 0-8227-0020-04,
edited by Parry Yob has 80 pages of DIY photo gear. Here are the projects:
1. How to build a camera dolly.
This project is for a sturdy counter-balanced studio stand suitable for
4x5 and smaller cameras. It looks pretty good. If I had space to store
it, I'd build this one. It's fairly complex. You'd probably want a jig
saw, circular saw and drill for this project, although it would best be
made with lumber that's been through a jointer, planer, and table saw.
2. How to build a light boom.
This project is for a wooden, counter-balanced light boom. It looks
pretty good, although it doesn't break down as small as professional units.
3. How to build a soft box.
This ones for making a 2ft x 4ft rigid soft box and stand with tungsten
light bulbs. It's fairly complex and quite bulky. I prefer professional
fabric boxes with strobes.
4. How to build reflectors.
There are a bunch of reflector here. One involves making a bunch of
triangles of rigid white mat board with roughly 7" sides. These are
taped and glued into a hemispherical reflector. These are bulky and
seem like to much effort for what you get. Foam core, white rigid foam,
and collapsible reflectors seem like betters solutions.
5. How to build a background stand.
This project is for a sturdy background stand made out of construction
lumber and plywood. It would do the job, but it's pretty bulky. It
would work well in a permanent location.
6. How to build a posing stand.
With a few minutes consideration you could probably come up with a
better bench.
7. How to build a 10 minute film dryer.
This is a tall wooden box with forced hot air. I prefer air drying my
film at ambient temperature.
8. How to build a darkroom timer.
This is for a 12" square timer, much like the old Graylab. I can't
believe that this would be a worthwhile project. Get a StopClock and be
done with it. F-stop printing really is the way to go.
9. How to build a solution warming cabinet.
This is a lot of work. A simple heated water bath with an aquarium pump
and heater works just as well, and it doesn't take up as much space.
10. How to build a vacuum easel.
This is a simple, straight-forward project.
11. How to build a print-washer.
This involves fiberglassing a box and putting in various PVC fittings.
I built a better washer out of acrylic with a scoring knife, aquarium
caulk, and strong packing tape 10 years ago. It's held up fine, although
I now use it as the water bath element of a DIY slot processor for RA4.
For my money, a Versalab washer is hard to beat.
12. How to build a matte print dryer.
Moderately complex. This involves cone heater elements that screw into
light bulb sockets. I don't know where one would get these. It looks
like a fire hazard.
13. How to build a mat board cutter.
My Alto easy mat is more versatile, and it didn't cost very much.
14. How to build a dry mount press.
This is an advanced project. You have to have a rectangular pan made of
20 gauge galvanized metal. It involves stringing nichrome wire in the
pan, and then pouring plaster of Paris into it. While presses are
expensive, finding a used one would seem to be a better option.
-Peter De Smidt
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