The built-in turntable

The built-in turntable

Everyone who works with the Lomo tanks probably knows the problem of film jamming and improper winding, often leading to double layers, which then do not get developed properly.

Using a turntable has been mentioned many times as a valuable help against these problems, since its much more uniform rotation makes it possible to easily load the Lomo reel within a few seconds.

Unfortunately, a record player is big and bulky, and the preferred ones with a heavy turntable are also very heavy. After my arms fell off in my very small darkroom, I grabbed the router and found a solution that could be implemented within a few minutes.

A hole made with the forstner drill into the countertop, the router cut space for the flange…
…the easily removable turntable bearing (here from a Lenco L75) can already be placed flush and firmly in the table top. Using screws to fix the bearing is possible, but not necessary — the turntable is balanced and heavy enough.
Even the large, particularly narrow reels of the Lomo Pro tank can be loaded easily within a few seconds due to the flywheel mass of the turntable. An adapter for 7″ records centers the large center axis.

If I need the space for development trays or other equipment, turntable and bearing are easily stored in a drawer.

The turntable bearing has another very practical use, as you can hold it perfectly comfortably with one hand:

Teller bearing of an old Lenco L75
Just loaded with a record or two but without the heavy turntable, you get a great handling aid for Lomo reels. This makes loading the dryer rack particularly easy.
Friedemann Wachsmuth

Schmalfilmer, Dunkelkammerad, Selbermacher, Zerleger, Reparierer und guter Freund des Assistenten Zufalls. Nimmt sich immer viel zu viele Projekte vor.

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