Photography - sheet film developing is hard

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sheet film developing is hard

Step by step instructions on tray developing are on our web site

www.viewcamera.com

in the Free Articles section

steve simmons

Have you tried to use JOBO 4x5 tank? I used other tank as you mentioned
before. It was very difficult. But the JOBO one is really good and easy to
use. I bought mine via eBay.

"PGG" ???
news:pan.2004.09.29.04.39.14.715000@NO_SP_A_Myahoo .com ???...
I've gone through my first 25-sheet pack of film. I've figured out how to
operate my view camera just fine. I can take a decent picture-- exposing
and focusing properly. But I had no idea how difficult developing it
is...I thought that would be the easy part

first 5 sheets I fumbled around with a color processing tube that didn't
work out due to the film not staying flat against the tube

next 3-5 sheets I tried using my own PVC tubes. They leaked all over the
place and I got uneven development

next 10 sheets I tray developed. At least these were evenly developed but
all scratched up. Plus I fumbled around in the dark spilling crap all
over the floor.

My most recent attempts have been with 2 BZTS tubes bought on eBay. The
best so far. But I realized that 3 of my favorite shots are messed up
because, for about 10-20 seconds, the tubes were not moving. Yep...uneven
development even though total time was 8 minutes.

Sigh.... Frustrated but I haven't quite given up yet.

PGG wrote:
I've gone through my first 25-sheet pack of film. I've figured out how to
operate my view camera just fine. I can take a decent picture-- exposing
and focusing properly. But I had no idea how difficult developing it
is...I thought that would be the easy part

first 5 sheets I fumbled around with a color processing tube that didn't
work out due to the film not staying flat against the tube

next 3-5 sheets I tried using my own PVC tubes. They leaked all over the
place and I got uneven development

next 10 sheets I tray developed. At least these were evenly developed but
all scratched up. Plus I fumbled around in the dark spilling crap all
over the floor.

My most recent attempts have been with 2 BZTS tubes bought on eBay. The
best so far. But I realized that 3 of my favorite shots are messed up
because, for about 10-20 seconds, the tubes were not moving. Yep...uneven
development even though total time was 8 minutes.

Sigh.... Frustrated but I haven't quite given up yet.

Tray developing is IMHO the easiest and best way to develop sheet film.
You may have occasional failures--I've scratched the film on very rare
occasions, but generally, it's dead easy. Here's my method; I'm sure
there are others:

I have three 5X7 trays with water in them--labeled respectively N, N+1,
N+2. Next to them, I have four 8X10 trays, Developer, Water stop,
Fix,Water rinse.

When all these are set up in a row in my sink, I arrange my holders with
all N's in one stack, all N+1's in another, and any N+2's in another.
(I rarely have any N+2's.) Then, IN THE DARK, I unload all the holders
and place the films in their respective water baths. This is one spot
to exercise care--put each film in the water bath and fully submerge it
for a few seconds before putting the next one in on top of it. I've
worked out a method of using only the tip of my little finger to push
the film down into the water, since then my other fingers remain dry to
unload the rest of the film. This is an important step because wetting
each film separately like this prevents them from sticking together.

Then, setting my Gralab for the longest time I need (N+2 or N+1 if I
have any designated for those times), I pick up the whole stack of,
e.g., N+2 films, from the water bath and place them in the developer,
emulsion side down. I then begin shuffling them top to bottom at a slow
and steady rate. As the timer clicks down to N+1 time, I bring those
sheets in the developer, add them to the N+2's and keep shuffling.
Likewise, when the timer gets to the N time, I bring the N's in.
(CAVEAT: I have occasionally attempted to develop as many as 8 sheets
at once, but I don't recommend it. Six is probably the maximum you
should develop in one stack. So if you have 1 N+2 and 4 N+1's and 5
N's, then do the N+'s in one run and the N's in another.)

While shuffling, take care not to let the corners of the film you're
shuffling gouge the films underneath.

When end of development time comes, move the whole stack to the water
bath and shuffle through once or twice. Then to the fixer, where the
shuffling continues. At some point about two minutes into the fixer
shuffle, though Fred Picker would not have approved, you can turn on the
lights and see if your film is fully cleared. If not, keep shuffling
until it is and go a little longer to be sure of complete fixing. Then,
in the light, you can move it to the water rinse for another shuffle or two.

Dump the water off and replace with your Perma-wash or whatever other
hypo-clearing agent you're using (which you've mixed in a beaker ahead
of time so you can just pour it into the tray.) Shuffle the films for
the recommended time. Then dump, and do whatever you do for washing.

When wash is complete, add a drop or two of Photo-Flo to your final wash
water, and then hang each of the sheets up with a clothes pin by a
corner on a line over your sink to dry.

This method has worked successfully for many years for me, and saved me
a lot of money on tanks, etc.

Hope you like it.

Larry

But I had no idea how difficult developing it
is.

The Nikor adjustable stainless steel daylight developing tank is the ticket.
Holds 12 sheets of 4x5 film and about 40 ounces of chemicals.
You load your film in the dark onto a special cage, stick it in the tank, cap
it and turn on the lights!
Proceed to develop as you would 35mm film in a SS tank, inverting the tank for
agitation, etcetera.
Hard to get but it does come up on eBay every now and then. Will set you back
over $100 but you'll never regret it.

Bob G

"PGG" wrote

Sigh.... Frustrated but I haven't quite given up yet.

That's the way to do it: keep at it until you give up
completely. It's sort of the whole point of life.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
Remove spaces etc. to reply: n o lindan at net com dot com
psst.. want to buy an f-stop timer? nolindan.com/da/fstop/

(Largformat) wrote in message ...
Step by step instructions on tray developing are on our web site

www.viewcamera.com

in the Free Articles section

steve simmons

I've got a Yankee tank for 4x5.
For the first few uses my results were problematic,
until I figured out that a circular motion would move
the chemicals appropriately and produce a good result.
And they're cheap.

My suspicion is that any good system can be mis-used, especially when
one is just starting. That might be what happened here.
Rather than switching systems, look @ the design and see how it's
best used. A few sheets of film is cheaper than a new system.

Collin

"Bob G" wrote in message
...
But I had no idea how difficult developing it
is.

The Nikor adjustable stainless steel daylight developing tank is the
ticket.
Holds 12 sheets of 4x5 film and about 40 ounces of chemicals.
You load your film in the dark onto a special cage, stick it in the tank,
cap
it and turn on the lights!

You forgot the clip.