5x7" Wet Plate Holder

thingiverse

** Update November 1st, 2020** - This design has now been replaced by a [new version](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4139618)\r\n\r\n**Update August 15, 2019** - I made some changes to the bottom and lid designs to make the lid fit better on the back.\r\n\r\n**Update August 12, 2019** - The original design published was slightly too narrow and couldn't fit the width of a full 5x7" plate. I've just replaced those files with new ones that should fix that problem, but I still need to print them to be 100% sure\r\n\r\nThis is a wet plate holder for 5x7 plates. It will accommodate anywhere from a full 5x7 inches down to 4 7/8 x 6 7/8. You can print every part of it except for the dark slide, which I attempted printing once and found it to be simultaneously too thick and insufficiently opaque, and the light traps which you'll need some foam for (more on that later). You can use anything opaque and up to about a millimeter thick for the dark slide. I've personally been using the same trophy aluminum that I use for tintypes, and an 8x10" plate cut down to just under 5.5" wide with its corners filed down works very well. Make sure you don't use anything with sharp corners for a dark slide, as it will tear the light traps.\r\n\r\nFor light traps, you'll need some 1/4" foam backer rod. This stuff is dirt cheap, I bought a hundred feet of it for $9, and you'll only need about a foot. To build the holder, first print all of the following parts:\r\n\r\n| File | Quantity|\r\n| ------|-------|\r\n| bottom.stl | 1 |\r\n| top.stl | 1 |\r\n| ridge.stl | 1 |\r\n| lid.stl | 1 |\r\n| latch.stl | 4 |\r\n| latch_cover.stl | 4 |\r\n| latch_slide_lock.stl | 8 |\r\n| foam_cover.stl | 4 |\r\n\r\n\r\nOnce you have all the parts printed, start by assembling the top and bottom parts. Glue the locking ridge (ridge.stl) into the trough in the front of the top piece (top.stl). This should be a nice tight fit. To assemble the bottom, take the four latch covers (latch_cover.stl) and glue them into the indentations of matching size on the back of the bottom piece (bottom.stl). Try to center them perfectly so that the arches in the cover piece form a continuous space with the gap below for the latches.\r\n\r\nAfter that, the holder is ready to use. You'll need to supply some kind of spring (a piece cut from a plastic soda bottle should work well) or a piece of sponge or foam to keep pressure on the back of the plate, which you just lay face down on the bottom ledge when you're looking down into the holder from the back. Put the lid in place, the slide the latches into the holes on the edges of the frame to keep it in place while you shoot.