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Old January 26th 04, 04:43 AM
HypoBob
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Default Adjust B&W paper development time when using Uniroller?

The following will not apply to drum development, but it may be of
interest in this thread.

To be sure full development is reached, especially as the developer is
used and becomes weaker, Adams used a procedure he called 'proportional
development'. (I'm 99% sure that was the term he used, but I can't find
it in one of his books right away.)

Once he determined the development time needed for a given developer
when it was fresh, he noted the time it took the image to first come up
in the tray. As the time for first appearance of the image increased,
he would increase the total development time by the same percent. For
example if a developer requiring 150 seconds for total development
needed 20 seconds for first image appearance when fresh, then when it
weakened to the point that it needed 24 seconds, he would increase the
total development time by that same 20% to arrive at 180 seconds.

Bob
-----------------------
Phil Glaser wrote:

Hi,

For the first time this evening I developed a B&W print in my
Uniroller drum on a motorized Uniroller base. I am using Ilford
Multigrade IV RC "Deluxe" with Ilford Multigrade developer. Having
never used a Uniroller before (and being unable to find directions for
B&W print processing with it on the web), I just followed the paper's
instructions for dish developing, using a dilution of 1:9 for one
minute.

This first print was a series of test exposures starting with 2
seconds at f/11. Now I realize that agitation and development time do
not affect paper in the same way as they do film, and that saying 2
seconds at f/11 is completely relative to the density of the negative.
Nonetheless, I was rather shocked to find that the the print came out
absolutely completely black -- absolutely nothing came through, not
even a hint of that 2 second exposure. So I experimented with the
development time for the uniroller, and found that if I developed for
only 20 seconds with constant drum agitation, I got relatively more of
normal image (normal given that I was still over exposing the print by
two stops -- see below).

Now this is all very disorienting to me (I feel as dizzy as I myself
were spinning in that drum!). I mean, it seems like I eventually got
an ok print when developing it for 20 seconds (the final exposure time
for this particular print turned out to be two stops less than where I
started, half the time, and down from f/11 to f/16). But I'm working
with a questionable negative, and am unsure if what I don't like about
the final print is the negative, or whether something about the print
process is mudying the print. Given my set up, I don't have a way of
developing in trays and comparing the results with what I'm getting
from the Uniroller.

I AM SO CONFUSED!!!

Is there a rule of thumb for print development time with a Uniroller?

Should I try working with the multigrad developer in a more diluted
form (ilford suggests 1:14 as an alternative to 1:9)?

And does anywone know where I can find information about using a
Uniroller for B&W processing on the web?

Thanks!

--Phil