Developing 4x5 B&W Film: Tray or Tank

What's a blivet? Blotting paper? What supports the whole lot? How many
can you do at a time?

Ron wrote:

One question I have concerns drying: I use these small clips which have
a circular loop on the top (for hanging from a line). But even then,
they need to be attached to the neg. The border is very small, so
scratches do appear. Do you (or anyone) think it is possible to let the
negs dry in the Combi holder? There is a hole in the top of the holder
(the assembly where the negs slide in) and that can be attached to a
line. I was wondering about that; the big issue would be when the negs
bow from the action of water drying faster on one side (but they unbow
after a while). What do people here suggest for successful 4x5 neg
drying?

I would not leave the negatives in the Combi holder. IIRC, Kodak
discourage leaving negatives in their s.s. sheet film hangers. Water
gathers in the edges and the ensuing different drying rates may cause
problems. Furthermore, if you rinse the negatives in PhotoFlo or other
wetting agent as the last step, they might stick to the holders.

I used to use the heavy duty paperclips from a stationery sto the ones
with a black semi-circular spring and silvery steel for the rest that you
squeeze to open. They work fine, and negatives do not slop. They do mark
the film, though, but they grip so firmly that I just clip them to a top
corner.

I switched to using spring action wooden clothespins. The do not mark the
film as much, but are a little fussy to control.

--
.~. Jean-David Beyer Registered Linux User 85642.
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/( )\ Shrewsbury, New Jersey http://counter.li.org
^^-^^ 11:55:00 up 21 days, 20:10, 3 users, load average: 4.36, 4.17, 4.11

Ron wrote:
Thanks for your help (we spoke on the phone yesterday). All works
perfectly now.
...

Ron,

What was the cause of the problem with the scratches? I am thinking of
getting one of these tanks, and want to avoid any mishaps.

Steve

On 2/10/2005 8:49 AM Ron spake thus:

What's a blivet? Blotting paper? What supports the whole lot? How many
can you do at a time?

I think a blivet is a distant cousin to a widget.


--
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)

The cause was me. I should have RTFM better, I guess. There are orange
plastic guides that are used when inserting the film into the holder. I
didn't realize that these guides are only there while inserting the
film. After that, remove them.

Note that the unit comes disassembled. It's not a big deal to assemble
it, but you have to. When you insert the railings (there are two), they
should be inserted so that the screws are on opposite sides. This will
all be obvious once you get one of the units.

I didn't have many or seldom had problems until recently with
scratches.

One poster here uses three of the them and lifts the film in the
holders and moves them from developer, to stop, to fix. I don't. I do
it all in the same tank. Both ways I'm sure are pretty easy. I do not
have a lot of space.

The tanks are not hardy; they can break, so be kind to them. I like
them and the guy at HP Compi was extremely helpful and nice.

RON

Thanks for the warning about leaving them in the holders. I do use
Photo Flo, so I guess that is out. One person here suggested blotter
paper, which I will try.

In article . com,
says...
Thanks for your help (we spoke on the phone yesterday). All works
perfectly now.

One question I have concerns drying: I use these small clips which have
a circular loop on the top (for hanging from a line). But even then,
they need to be attached to the neg. The border is very small, so
scratches do appear. Do you (or anyone) think it is possible to let the
negs dry in the Combi holder? There is a hole in the top of the holder
(the assembly where the negs slide in) and that can be attached to a
line. I was wondering about that; the big issue would be when the negs
bow from the action of water drying faster on one side (but they unbow
after a while). What do people here suggest for successful 4x5 neg
drying?


I always leave the negs in the combi holder to dry. I take off the
top clip and push each sheet up a bit so it is no longer sitting in the
bottom teeth. I then hang the holder from a line at a slight angle so
the film drains towards one side.
Since the film is only touching on two edges it drains and dries quite
quickly. This is, of course, after the photoflo treatment.

--
Robert D Feinman
Landscapes, Cityscapes and Panoramic Photographs
http://robertdfeinman.com
mail:

I was thinking of trying that; if I want to print full frame, I don't
want indentations from the clips. Still, with thanks to all, I produced
four great (in my humble opinion) negs last night.

I don't blivet!


"David Nebenzahl" wrote in message
...
On 2/10/2005 8:49 AM Ron spake thus:

What's a blivet? Blotting paper? What supports the whole lot? How many
can you do at a time?

I think a blivet is a distant cousin to a widget.


--
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)

"David Nebenzahl" wrote in message
On 2/10/2005 8:49 AM Ron spake thus:
What's a blivet?
I think a blivet is a distant cousin to a widget.

Only more so: A blivet must be made from AOS.

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