Iodine/bromine box spring

[dragos]

Hello everyone.
Please, could anyone explain to me the sense of the spring in the Iodine/bromine box?
Yes, sure to push up the Iodine/bromine tray, so? This makes for a smoother sensitization? Is there a minimum distance (or rather a maximum allowed one) between the iodine and the plate? I never heard of that. Anyway, as the tray touches the box i can’t imagine we’re speaking about the perfect tray/box contact that totally seals the iodine/bromine inside. So, the purpose is not to seal the elements inside. You’ll feel the smell anyway. I saw there are people who keep their iodine/bromine directly in the tray all the time, but those are special made trays, with special leads. Stone for instance. So, knowing also my iodine container, I can’t imagine a glass tray pushed up by moderate a spring, in contact with a wooden surface, anywhere in the world, keeping iodine sealed.

I ask this because I plan to build my own boxes, so I have to understand how they work in detail before I begin.
I live in a world region (Europe-Romania) where there are no other daguerreotypists. No workshops, no masters to ask. All I have are the old books and the internet.

Moreover, getting to kinda logical conclusion that the spring is for a more even sensitization, where does the tray touches the upper part? I guess not on the frame with the plate, because that would push the frame outwards when you pull the slider.

Reinventing everything is nice, but at a point it starts to be a little bit annoying. 🙂

Thank you in advance for your answers.

[phuphuphnik]

I am not sure what you mean. There is no contact of the iodine crystals to the plate. They are 3-4 cm (or more) from the plate, and the fumes act upon the plate. The spring you ask about may be to hold the plate in place.

[dragos]

Maybe I didn’t explain well, I’ll try to be shorter.

As far as I understand this is a modern improvement for the sensitizing boxes:
(from the bottom upwards, interior of the box)

– bottom of the wooden sensitizing box;
– spring(s?) that pushes up the glass tray;
– glass tray;
– upper part of the box that holds the plate.

[dragos]

Actually since yesterday I started to read through all this forum.
And I got to this post https://cdags.org/forums/topic/another-dag-box-ques-from-ty/
…which kind of explains my question. At least the theory.
I still don’t understand what happents with the tray (dish) when you pull out the glass slider: it goes up? Pushing what? The frame of the box or the frame that holds the plate? Logical answer is the first, but then, how do you put the slider back, with the dish covering the sliding level?!

Thank you.

[phuphuphnik]

I see what you mean. I’ll start from the top. There is a lid, the spring blade holds it in place. below that, the sliding part is like a drawer, it has a hole in it that the plate sits in. below this is the top of the glass or plastic tray that holds the iodine.

[phuphuphnik]

The box I posted is for iodine and bromine, hence the two sides. not seen are the glass containers that hold the halides.

[dragos]

Thank you for your answers and images, phuphuphnik, I found another thread in this forum with the exact same question, here:

Fuming Box Questions.

Specifically is about limiting the extension of the spring that pushes the dish up. Another solution would be not to draw the slider all the way out, let it always sit on a side of the dish. Both solutions seem technically approximative, though Mike’s boxes are so beautiful, and sure functional.

I’ll dig some more and if/when I come with a better solution, I’ll post it here.

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