CitroJim's AX, C3 Picasso, Cycling and Running Tales

[mickthemaverick]

Following Steve's comments there, maybe you could utilise your existing Longcase Clock Jim?

Or maybe a suitable addition to blend in with your collection

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/236882173606

[CitroJim]

Or gut a grandfather clock

That's fighting talk

Do you have a pair of tongs to wipe the surface water off, makes a big difference in the drying time. Most just use two fingers of course, not always the best method.

I did until the one time they scratched a negative - a trick they seem to be very prone to Nowadays I use my nitrile gloved fingers. To help drying in this very hard water area I always use a drop of wetting agent in demin. water for the final rinse with black and white and proper C41 stabiliser in demin. water for colour.

For now my shower cubicle is doing a good job as a drying cabinet

was unable to find one but they used a 'paddle wheel' system, rotating back and forth in the various chemical baths, the 'bath' part would rotate through 90° and tip the chemical out, return to place and be filled with water or the next chemical in sequence, up to 60 10x8" sheet films at a time.
All appear to accept film at one end and spit it out finished at the other now.

Is that what is called 'Dip and Dunk' Steve? I've seen reference to it in the Ilford developer data sheets...

Following Steve's comments there, maybe you could utilise your existing Longcase Clock Jim?

Or maybe a suitable addition to blend in with your collection

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/236882173606

I'd fill that with a clock Mick

Yesterday I took a trip to the Citroen Car Club D Section rally at Little Horwood. A lovely day for it

As expected, there were lots of Ds there but unusually and disappointingly, very few of any other model. Mine the only AX along with just one BX, one CX and one XM along with lots of modern tat.

Here's Strawberry with a car whose numbers at the rally were double that of the AX...

Photos to follow when I've processed the films The above was the only photo I took on my phone...

[myglaren]

The 'dip and dunk' is in static tanks in series, with a water bath around them to regulate the temperature. Hold about 15L and the film wound into spirals, like your developing tank but stainless steel, that then go in a stainless basket. Sheet film clipped into frames and a rack. As the name implies, the film is lifted out at regular intervals, constant the first minute then usually every 15~30".

Or a machine on a similar principle but much larger tanks. about 10' high, tanks about 5' deep, individually temperature regulated and each with a pump and filter to circulate the chemical in it.

Films hung on clips in frames as in your drying cabinet with weights on the bottom of each and sheet film in frames. the films lifted, advanced a few inches and lowered into the bath, or the next bath, on a timer. The size of the bath dependent on the time needed to have the film in it. Then into the dryer where the frames were just advanced, no lift and drop as not necessary. I did try and find a photo.
We toured Germany looking for a suitable one for us, visited Hostert, the most well known manufacturer, and another in Bremen who's name escapes me but a very impressive modern machine, lots of electronics and very expensive.

A Hostert B&W machine.



Settled on one from Wainco in St. Neots.
I brought a lorry over, left it at their factory and their joiners built the machine into the lorry overnight. The MD dropped me at a hotel and picked me up the following morning in his Triumph Stag, which he seemed to be very proud of.

Drove it back to Sweden and an engineer flew over a couple of days later to construct and commission it in a lab we built for it. It was huge, needed about 12' height clearance and was around 30' long, half in a darkroom and the drying section in the light.

[CitroJim]

Thanks for that Steve Very interesting

Yesterday I had a play with Gemini AI to see how well it could colourise this black and white image of Strawberry and one of her friends.

First attempt.. I simply asked Gemini to colourise and nothing more...

I guess she must be cold Spot all the other mistakes too...

Then I tried again with this directive:

Please colourise the image. The car (Citroen AX) in the foreground should be red with black bumpers and amber front indicator lenses. The other car (Citroen Xantia) should be silver. Do not alter any background details in any way. Thank you.

That's better!

[xantia_v6]

Interesting that on the second attempt it got the plate colour correct on the Xantia.

[MattBLancs]

Err, did you clock the "quadruple chevrons" !?

Spoiler: show

picture zoomed in:

Double vision

[CitroJim]

Interesting that on the second attempt it got the plate colour correct on the Xantia.

Yes, I noticed that Mike... Shocked it got it wrong first time

Err, did you clock the "quadruple chevrons" !?

That and also, Series 2 clear indicator lenses...

I do wonder if AI was 'aware' I also have a blue AX with the chevrons in the middle of the bonnet and used that knowledge... If it's that clever I've have though it would have read the number plate to get the colour right first time...

Worst of all perhaps is the appearance of a big building that does not actually exist in the car park

Yesterday, I tried colourising another black and white picture of the girls and when asked to colourise with a directive 'do not alter anything in the background' Gemini did and made a terrible job of the whole thing. All my girls were changed beyond recognition and things appeared in the background. Horrible

When I simply asked Gemini to colourise with no directives at all it did a prefect job

[MattBLancs]

Ha ha, I completely missed the photo bombing building!

I guessed the double badges was "show AI ten million AX pictures" and it learns (MK1?) offset and (MK2?) central grille badge locations so gives you both at the same time!

[CitroJim]

Ha ha, I completely missed the photo bombing building!

Amazing how things can hide in plain sight...

I guessed the double badges was "show AI ten million AX pictures" and it learns (MK1?) offset and (MK2?) central grille badge locations so gives you both at the same time!

AI does like to give you the best of both

As my workshop/garage was about the coolest place yesterday, I got stuck into Bluebell's alternator..

It's so annoying when what's normally a 10 minute job to remove the alternator is extended by several more minutes because the engine needs to be jacked up by slightly less than a gnat's cock to free the top bolt

And you find a slightly burred nut and stud on the engine mount needing the attention of a tap and die...

And it's observed that the timing side crank oil seal is leaking a little

Once the alternator was off, I removed the regulator assembly after a short battle with two very tight slotted head screws...

The slip rings are in excellent condition

Not bad for what I'm certain is Bluebell's original alternator. I found it's covered in 1990 date codes.

As expected, the brushes are worn out...

A new oil seal and a set of brushes are on order. The regulator has been prepared for their replacement and later today I'll start work on preparing the engine for the new oil seal. Happily, the cambelt is not contaminated so although it has to be removed to replace the seal, it can be reused...

I'll also do a coolant change whilst I'm at it...

[bobins]

As my workshop/garage was about the coolest place yesterday, I got stuck into Bluebell's alternator..

A bit different to down here - there weren't any coolest places.... it was just different intensities of unbearable.
A bit like sex in a campsite.....
..... f**king intense

[John Pankhurst]

Twas a tad warm in my garage too

I was in there for ten minutes and could wring me shirt out afterwards