Stand developping sheet film

[giellaleafapmu]

I plan on trying this. It is long long time I don't use my view camera and I have too many boxes of film in the fridge. Now, usually I process...no, usually I no longer process, but I used to do this in trays and I plan on doing the same this time (mainly because I don't have a tank for sheet film!). However, since the times are huge I plan on putting a couple of sheets in a tray (a usual one should contain at least four sheet of 4x5") and live to soak in Rodinal 1+100 for one hour only with the first agitation of some 10 seconds. However, I have a few questions:

(1.) Do I need to particularly worry to separate the sheet from the bottom of the tray? I plan on putting the emulsion upward (notches on the top right corner). The trays are proper darkroom trays, so their bottom is not flat and the sheets should not stick to the bottom or something like this.

(2.) Should I try to have the sheets inclined so that if bromide drag happens the particles run down freely or is it rather better to have the tray dead flat? I would think that it is better to have bromide ions flowing down because I doubt I can really have a flat film and if there is any little depression in the surface that could became an overdeveloped patch but I have never done this and some of you might know better.

(3.) Is there anything else I should worry about?

Thank in advance for any suggestion.

GLF

 

[Nokton48]

Hmm You are the first I have heard of to stand sheet film develop in a tray.

I bought a JOBO tank recently to stand develop sheet film, although I have not tried it yet

Good Luck to you in your endeavor.

 

[V-12]

However, since the times are huge I plan on putting a couple of sheets in a tray (a usual one should contain at least four sheet of 4x5") and live to soak in Rodinal 1+100 for one hour only with the first agitation of some 10 seconds.

So why Rodinal, because you have it, or because you read people use it for stand development with 35mm? Neither are a good enough reason to use it.

If you use Rodinal for sheet film stand development you are going to encounter the same crap shoot people have with processing 35mm, and more so because exhausted developer can't even fall away from the emulsion. It is possible to process a film with stand development using Rodinal, but that doesn't mean you should.

Get a proper stand or semi stand compensating developer such as 510 Pyro or Obsidian Aqua (or any Pyro developer) and you have a better compensating effect, reliable processing with none of the problems, and in a normal development window of 12 minutes, so no emulsion drag, loss of temperature, etc.

Too many people on RFF think of Rodinal as a do-it-all developer that does everything, it doesn't, for many things it is at best very average in what it does, but owning a bottle of dev that lasts for years seems to blinker any criticism of it.

V

 

[Nokton48]

I would second Pyro development, although I would wear gloves with tray development.
I used to own a pair of brown stained rubber gloves I used when developing Pyro negs.

Rodinal was originally a large format developer although I have never seen any evidence of why it would work particularly well. Have never seen it used for LF stand development.

D76 in a tray might make more sense to use up boxes of film?

 

[goamules]

I do stand development with HC110 for 5x7 and larger negatives. It works great. I use solution B, with the film laying flat in a tray, in a darkbox.

 

[Larry H-L]

I shoot quite a bit of 5x7 and tried stand development for a time with Pyrocat, but gave up on it. I saw little difference over standard agitation with a dilute developer.

Lost a bunch of good shots to uneven development, with bromide-like drag especially in clean blue sky areas.

I'd do lots of testing before you process anything important.

 

[Corran]

I've developed hundreds of sheets of 4x5 in Rodinal 1:100 semi-stand for an hour (initial agitation + one agitation at 30 minutes). I use a 6-up tank/holder.

It's not hard. No issues with bromide drag or anything else, ever.

Just do it.

 

[giellaleafapmu]

So why Rodinal, because you have it, or because you read people use it for stand development with 35mm? Neither are a good enough reason to use it.

If you use Rodinal for sheet film stand development you are going to encounter the same crap shoot people have with processing 35mm, and more so because exhausted developer can't even fall away from the emulsion. It is possible to process a film with stand development using Rodinal, but that doesn't mean you should.

Get a proper stand or semi stand compensating developer such as 510 Pyro or Obsidian Aqua (or any Pyro developer) and you have a better compensating effect, reliable processing with none of the problems, and in a normal development window of 12 minutes, so no emulsion drag, loss of temperature, etc.

Too many people on RFF think of Rodinal as a do-it-all developer that does everything, it doesn't, for many things it is at best very average in what it does, but owning a bottle of dev that lasts for years seems to blinker any criticism of it.

V

Why the anger? Yes, I planned on using Rodinal because I have it: what's so strange? And what do you mean with "too many people"? Do they ask you money when a roll doesn't come out how they planned? Thank you for the answer and the suggestions but, come on!, take it easy, photography should involve some fun!

GLF

 

[giellaleafapmu]

Ah...and thank you to everybody else, I doubt I can get my hands on a pyro developer soon, I might try HC110 but probably the first try will be with Rodinal, vertical sheets and possibly one little agitation in the middle of the process. I won't loose any critical shoot, just experimenting, besides I use LF mostly in the studio, if I really need to I can alway repeat a shoot.

GLF

 

[goamules]

I've never had bromide drag either. My sheets are horizontal, from what I can guess about "drag", there can be none if your development is flat. So I'd try a tray first, before using vertical hangers.