Devere 504 negative carrier

[Doc W]

I have an older brown and cream Devere 504. I have been doing workarounds with it for a few years because I didn't have the proper negative carrier. Well, I finally got the Master Negative Carrier and I am very disappointed. With the 4x5 and 6x7 inserts, it was not cheap (almost 600 bucks Canadian) and, in my opinion, it is a terrible design.

After putting the negative in the 4x5 insert in the carrier, I can't hold the carrier by the front because this causes it to bow and the neg falls out. Well, you pretty much have to hold it by the front to get it in the damn enlarger. Furthermore, holding the carrier on one side causes the other side to open up a little and if you are trying to blow some dust off, the negative falls out half the time. If I hold both sides of the carrier so the negative doesn't fall out, what am I supposed to use to get dust off the neg? I only have two hands (no rude suggestions ).

I have been an amateur in the darkroom, on and off, for 40 years and I have never had a negative carrier that did not hold the negative securely in place when handling it. Is it just me or is this Master Negative Carrier the Dribble Glass of the darkroom world?

[raizans]

i'd also be interested to hear if other people have these problems. my de vere 504 didn't come with a neg carrier, either. i'm not sure how much they cost, but i wouldn't want to spend 600CAD on one if it's a PITA.

[Mick Fagan]

DeVere stuff has always been over the top in price, but their product was always over the top in quality.

It sounds to me as though you may have the inserts inserted 180º out.

They have a chamfered edge which slots into a chamfered hole and is held by a spring loaded aluminium (I think) chamfered stop.

Mick.

[Ian Grant]

Mick, Doc W is right, the De Vere neg carriers don't hold the sheet film very tightly and the negatives can slide out of a corner, but once you get used to them they are fine.

Ian

[Sparky]

tape the edges of the negs down with a good quality masking tape that leaves no residue - it keeps everything nice and flat. I have a really old hack carrier too and it works a charm every time.

[Mick Fagan]

Ian, thanks for that, obviously a quite old model.

I would suggest that you hold your negatives in place using Scotch Removable Magic Tape.

This tape leaves no residue and is the same product used in Post It Notes, but in a tape form.

It leaves no residue, is brilliant at removing stubborn particles from the emulsion using a stick and pull method and most importantly will hold your negative firmly.

The part number 811 is the cheapest way to purchase this product for the larger (3") tape dispensers with a roll being 12.7mm wide by 65.8m long.

Mick.

[Doc W]

Here is my thinking. I have been using another neg holder which holds the negative in place quite firmly. The problem is that it doesn't fit the guides perfectly, so when I take the neg out to remove dust, for example, it doesn't go back in the same place. I think I can make some sort of guideout of heavy plastic for about 10 bucks rather than fussing and farting with tape and an over-priced and poorly designed "Master Negative Carrier."

Does anyone know of any other solutions to this rather goofy negative carrier? Are there others which fit the Devere?

[kevs]

You can buy them from Odyssey Sales, http://www.odysseysales.co.uk

[Ian David]

I have two DeVere neg carriers and neither causes me problems - maybe you got a dodgy one?
Second-hand ones come up on eBay every now and then - $600 for a DeVere neg carrier is an unnecessary expense.

Ian

[Doc W]

I have two DeVere neg carriers and neither causes me problems - maybe you got a dodgy one?
Second-hand ones come up on eBay every now and then - $600 for a DeVere neg carrier is an unnecessary expense.

Ian

Ian, to be fair, the carrier came with both 4x5 and 6x7 inserts. The first two were used but in good condition, while the 6x7 insert was brand new.

Do you have a picture of your neg carrier that I could see? Does yours not loosen its grip on the negative when you hold it by the front?