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#1
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Developing 4x5 B&W Film: Tray or Tank
Hi. I've been developing my 4x5 film in a HP Combi Plus tank. It's hit
or miss in that (1) I can develop only 2 sheets at a time (they say 6), but the problem is that from time to time there are scratches where the film passes through the plastic guiderail. My questions are these: 1) Is there a tank that is better than the HP Combi? 2) If not, do I have to use trays for the best development? (The tank is sooooo convenient; I can keep the lights on, etc. I do this in my bathroom, so the whole thing is rather jimmyrigged.) Any other recommendations are gratefully accepted! Thanks. RON |
#2
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Tubes! And the old Unicolor for one 8x10 or four 4x5 prints can be used
without modifications for developing 4x5 negatives. Only 150mm developing solution needed for 4 film sheets simultaneously. Tough to beat. "Ron " wrote in message ups.com... Hi. I've been developing my 4x5 film in a HP Combi Plus tank. It's hit or miss in that (1) I can develop only 2 sheets at a time (they say 6), but the problem is that from time to time there are scratches where the film passes through the plastic guiderail. My questions are these: 1) Is there a tank that is better than the HP Combi? 2) If not, do I have to use trays for the best development? (The tank is sooooo convenient; I can keep the lights on, etc. I do this in my bathroom, so the whole thing is rather jimmyrigged.) Any other recommendations are gratefully accepted! |
#3
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While more complete and expensive then the Combi Plan tank I like my
Jobo!! "Ron " wrote: : Hi. I've been developing my 4x5 film in a HP Combi Plus tank. It's hit : or miss in that (1) I can develop only 2 sheets at a time (they say 6), : but the problem is that from time to time there are scratches where the : film passes through the plastic guiderail. My questions are these: : 1) Is there a tank that is better than the HP Combi? : 2) If not, do I have to use trays for the best development? (The tank : is sooooo convenient; I can keep the lights on, etc. I do this in my : bathroom, so the whole thing is rather jimmyrigged.) : Any other recommendations are gratefully accepted! : Thanks. : RON -- Keep working millions on welfare depend on you ------------------- |
#4
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On 2/8/2005 10:26 PM Lawrence Akutagawa spake thus:
Tubes! And the old Unicolor for one 8x10 or four 4x5 prints can be used without modifications for developing 4x5 negatives. Only 150mm developing solution needed for 4 film sheets simultaneously. Tough to beat. I second that emotion. Easy to load, difficult to scratch, uses little chemistry, easy to agitate. "Ron " wrote in message ups.com... Hi. I've been developing my 4x5 film in a HP Combi Plus tank. It's hit or miss in that (1) I can develop only 2 sheets at a time (they say 6), but the problem is that from time to time there are scratches where the film passes through the plastic guiderail. My questions are these: 1) Is there a tank that is better than the HP Combi? 2) If not, do I have to use trays for the best development? (The tank is sooooo convenient; I can keep the lights on, etc. I do this in my bathroom, so the whole thing is rather jimmyrigged.) Any other recommendations are gratefully accepted! -- Today's bull**** job description: • Collaborate to produce operational procedures for the systems management of the production Information Technology infrastructure. - from an actual job listing on Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org) |
#5
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In article . com,
"Ron " wrote: Hi. I've been developing my 4x5 film in a HP Combi Plus tank. It's hit or miss in that (1) I can develop only 2 sheets at a time (they say 6), but the problem is that from time to time there are scratches where the film passes through the plastic guiderail. My questions are these: 1) Is there a tank that is better than the HP Combi? 2) If not, do I have to use trays for the best development? (The tank is sooooo convenient; I can keep the lights on, etc. I do this in my bathroom, so the whole thing is rather jimmyrigged.) Any other recommendations are gratefully accepted! Thanks. RON There should be no scratches- PERIOD. Please call us so we can eliminate yhis problem. 800 735 4373, -- To reply no_ HPMarketing Corp. |
#6
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"Ron " wrote in
ups.com: Hi. I've been developing my 4x5 film in a HP Combi Plus tank. It's hit or miss in that (1) I can develop only 2 sheets at a time (they say 6), but the problem is that from time to time there are scratches where the film passes through the plastic guiderail. My questions are these: 1) Is there a tank that is better than the HP Combi? 2) If not, do I have to use trays for the best development? (The tank is sooooo convenient; I can keep the lights on, etc. I do this in my bathroom, so the whole thing is rather jimmyrigged.) Any other recommendations are gratefully accepted! Thanks. RON Ron - I tried to use a Unicolor print drum - and I agree with the general consensus that a drum SHOULD be an ideal solution. But in my case I had problems keeping the sheets separated, and ended up ruining all four sheets. Trays work, but the risk of scratching is pretty high, especially as the number of sheets done at a time increases. Last summer I was in a workshop where the instructor let us use his "slosher". This is basically a plexiglass insert that fits into 11x14 trays and that holds six sheets of film. Each sheet is in its own compartment, and is developed emulsion up. As a result, there is no scratching at all. After the workshop, I decided to make my own slosher. There are also commercial versions available. With trays, you do have to do the processing in total darkness. I have the advantage of a dedicated darkroom, but I think it could be done in a temporary setup just as well. The only issue might be that when using trays you pretty much have to have four trays set up - presoak, developer, stop and fix. If you are using a six sheet slosher, four 11x14 trays take up quite a bit of space, more than might be found in the typical bathroom (unless you work over the tub). It should be possible to build a four-sheet slosher for use in smaller trays. I've worked out the slosher dimensions, and the size is larger than the 8x10 trays that I already have so I have'nt tried to make one yet. I am thinking about a two-tray version, though. |
#7
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Ron
Hi. I've been developing my 4x5 film in a HP Combi Plus tank. It's hit or miss in that (1) I can develop only 2 sheets at a time (they say 6), but the problem is that from time to time there are scratches where the film passes through the plastic guiderail. My questions are these: 1) Is there a tank that is better than the HP Combi? 2) If not, do I have to use trays for the best development? (The tank is sooooo convenient; I can keep the lights on, etc. I do this in my bathroom, so the whole thing is rather jimmyrigged.) Any other recommendations are gratefully accepted! I never dared tray development or normal negatives. I do develop Kodak 2556 Type 3 OrthoLith film in trays, one at a time, using a red safelight where I can see what I am doing. One at a time, face up, when I can see what I am doing, results in scratches only when I am careless. For normal negatives, I started out with three Calumet stainless steel 1/2 gallon tanks and two Kodak hard rubber tanks. Dev, stop, and Fix in the ss tanks, wash and PhotoFlo in the hard rubber tanks. I used Kodak sheet film hangers and later added a rack that held the hangers to keep them separated better. I had no problem with uniformity doing that, and almost never any scratches. But I did not much care for the amount of time I spent in the dark. No lights until the film had been in the fix a while. I got the Jobo 2500 tanks and 2501N (I think the number is) reels when I wanted to do some E-6 processing. I now use them for almost everything except when I want to do a single roll of 35mm, where I use Nikor ss tank and reel. The Jobo is uniform in development, too. -- .~. Jean-David Beyer Registered Linux User 85642. /V\ PGP-Key: 9A2FC99A Registered Machine 241939. /( )\ Shrewsbury, New Jersey http://counter.li.org ^^-^^ 07:50:00 up 20 days, 16:05, 3 users, load average: 4.66, 4.34, 4.24 |
#8
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"Ron " wrote:
Hi. I've been developing my 4x5 film in a HP Combi Plus tank. It's hit or miss in that (1) I can develop only 2 sheets at a time (they say 6), but the problem is that from time to time there are scratches where the film passes through the plastic guiderail. My questions are these: 1) Is there a tank that is better than the HP Combi? 2) If not, do I have to use trays for the best development? (The tank is sooooo convenient; I can keep the lights on, etc. I do this in my bathroom, so the whole thing is rather jimmyrigged.) Any other recommendations are gratefully accepted! Jobo 2500 type tanks. The full setup new is more money then the Combi tank but used is often less. If you do multiple formats then the Jobo will handle everything from 35mm to 4x5. With the right tank and a Unicolor or Beseler motorbase you can even automate the process. The bigger tank can even handle 18 sheets with three reels. Nick |
#9
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"Ron " wrote in
message ups.com... Hi. I've been developing my 4x5 film in a HP Combi Plus tank. It's hit or miss in that (1) I can develop only 2 sheets at a time (they say 6), but the problem is that from time to time there are scratches where the film passes through the plastic guiderail. My questions are these: Something is wrong, Ron. You certainly can develop 6 at a time. If you are getting scratches, then I strongly doubt it is from the Combi guiderail. Let's talk this out and find out what's going on. 1) Is there a tank that is better than the HP Combi? Unfortunately, no. For daylight work it's the best. Just work over a sink, don't be alarmed by leaking, and never, ever 'rap' the tank (to dislodge bubbles) near the bottom spigot lest you snap it off. |
#10
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"Louie Powell" wrote in message
7... Trays work, but the risk of scratching is pretty high, especially as the number of sheets done at a time increases. Last summer I was in a workshop where the instructor let us use his "slosher". This is basically a plexiglass insert that fits into 11x14 trays and that holds six sheets of film. Each sheet is in its own compartment, and is developed emulsion up. As a result, there is no scratching at all. After the workshop, I decided to make my own slosher. There are also commercial versions available. The OP apparently has no real darkroom, so that would be a problem. I'd be interested in seeing a picture of your slosher. It is a very clean method of developing. I have one for four negatives. |
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