Processing cut film.

Don't forget floating lids for the deep tanks. They keep the surface of the solutions covered and air free so they last longer. You can accomplish the same thing when tray developing by simply floating your stop bath tray in the developer tray.
 
Don't forget floating lids for the deep tanks. They keep the surface of the solutions covered and air free so they last longer. You can accomplish the same thing when tray developing by simply floating your stop bath tray in the developer tray between darkroom sessions.
 
I recall I may have scratched one sheet with the corner of another, but was then more careful to keep them separated, and I used larger trays. Some of the older films seemed to have thick emulsions. I would think a rinse in distilled water would be sufficient before hanging.

Early days we kept the Dk60a probably a bit longer than one might today.

I am a fan of hardener in film processing as well, and I think you may have to add it if using liquid fixes which are usually "quick" fixes.

If I have no more film to go in the soup, I turn on the light before the film has cleared and note how fast the film clears, just as a check to see how effective the hypo is working.

You develop a lot of your own techniques. The best wooden hangers were the Kodak ones, long discontinued, but one of the best items Kodak every made.

Regards, John
 
The Paterson Orbital must have been classified Top Secret, U.K. Only! They are very scarce in the Colonies.

If the price is right, it's hard to go wrong with either of the twin Jobo 2551/2553 tanks and 2509 reels spinning on a Uniroller motor base. Pick up some 135-120-220 reels and you can process all of your film in one tank. At the same time even.
 
venchka said:
The Paterson Orbital must have been classified Top Secret, U.K. Only! They are very scarce in the Colonies.

If the price is right, it's hard to go wrong with either of the twin Jobo 2551/2553 tanks and 2509 reels spinning on a Uniroller motor base. Pick up some 135-120-220 reels and you can process all of your film in one tank. At the same time even.
Click to expand...


Actually I want to go cheap on a 4x5 tank.

I have a Phototherm that does 120 and 35 but I don't have the 4x5 holder. I can buy one for $90 and it holds 4 sheets, so that is my best long term option.

For now it's tray processing.
 
My 2551 and reels for every format and a Uniroller base was $37. A friend got his 2551 tank for $8. He already had the reels and motor base. Deals are out there.
 
Tray processed my first two 4x5 shots. Talk about boring. 13-14 minutes in the dark waiting for the GraLab buzzer to go off and wondering of I remembered to switch the thing on. Endlessly rocking the tray. They came out fine, I'll make contact prints in the morning.
 
Large format lives in the largest state! We acquired another convert today. He traded a computer for a 4x5 monorail camera and 3 lenses. How cool is that?

Do it with the lights on! Way less boring.
 
When starting out with LF I used the Taco method described above in my Paterson tank for a semi stand development of Rodinal 1:100. Really really great results with that, very little agitation led to fantastic tones, and I was using the tank I already had. I got some little scratches from time to time, but that was mostly sloppy handling of the delicate emulsion of the Fomapan 100 (which I can recomend for 4x5 esp. in Rodinal - cheap and beautifull in Rodinal).
My itch for perfection led me to getting a Jobo CPE2, consistant results, very fast and easy, load the drums and drink a good wine contemplating about this ancient technology... but Rodinal didn't work well with continous agitation, so for the portraits and such i do the occasional Taco - Rodinal method.

I converted a Jobo Drum 4531 by gluing three rails into it, it can hold 6 sheets and the loading is fairly easy. If you want ease and consistency (and do all that film-testing insanity the LF people like to rant about) I can recomend that. But for the fun part, and the surprise, Taco method just works fine.

Isn't doing sheet film photography like writing a novel on a typewriter? complicated, slow, and really not very convenient? The shere amount of time from loading the holders to developing them... my apartment looks like a museum of ancient technology now, with the 4/5 enlarger set up, the ugly Jobo besides it...

Have fun, Michael
 
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