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esearing
23-Feb-2015, 08:36
I have a really hard time watching the clock when developing film and paper. I have the attention span of a gnat apparently.
So I started using the stopwatch on my watch. I have gotten way more consistent.

Does anyone else use a stop watch or are we all staring at graylab timers? Other alternatives?

Now all I need to do is find a larger stopwatch that has red led numbers. My watch has to be shielded since it is back lit.

Eric Biggerstaff
23-Feb-2015, 08:41
Use a metronome, just count the clicks. Works great for developing as well as printing.

Tim Meisburger
23-Feb-2015, 08:48
I second the metronome. I used to use a little electric one, but these days you can just download a free app for your smartphone.

Luis-F-S
23-Feb-2015, 08:55
Zone VI Compensating Developing Timer. I won't develop without one. L

Bruce Barlow
23-Feb-2015, 09:04
Zone VI Compensating Developing Timer. I won't develop without one. L

+1

Jac@stafford.net
23-Feb-2015, 09:24
One handy app is Massive Dev (http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php?doc=mobile) which has an adjustable multi-step timer that times each step (with optional metronome sound) and beeps when each step completes. You can set your own and save them for later recall.

Oh, the display on the smart phone can be set to a green or red safelight display which is very cool when tray developing film.

Before that I used three small inexpensive battery powered kitchen timers.

Best of luck!

jp
23-Feb-2015, 09:42
I use cheap kitchen timers like these ebay items for most developing (daylight tank).
321596791824
111591524404
My safelights are actually bright enough for me to read them when processing paper as well.
Still use the old weakly glowing gralab for tray developing film.

Tony Lakin
23-Feb-2015, 11:09
+1

+2
Except I use RH Designs process master II of which I have 2, one in my print darkroom and another in my film processing room I also use a MK1 as a thermometer which is not possible with the MK2.:)

Drew Wiley
23-Feb-2015, 11:15
I have one of the Zone VI gadgets where the probe sits in the water bath. You can set it to compensate time variations between either typical films or papers, or set on actual time in seconds. There is a red LED display, but I keep this below the sink to prevent any possibility of fog, but have it set to audibly beep every 30 sec. I never cared much for Fred Picker's snake oil marketing persona, but will admit that some of his snake oil turned out to be pretty damn good!

beemermark
23-Feb-2015, 11:17
I have a digital kitchen timer that I bought at Goodwill 15 or 20 years ago. Has three timers and beeps at the end. So one for developing, one for fix and one for wash.

Having said that, I start my watch's stop watch the same time as the Kitchen timer. I watch the stop watch for the one minute mark since it allows me to leave the dark room (bathroom) while agitating the daylight tank in my other hand.

Pawlowski6132
23-Feb-2015, 11:20
Why would anyone stare at a Gralab timer? Isn't that what the buzzer is for???

jp
23-Feb-2015, 11:47
The buzzer is for waking the dead or scaring the S*** out of you while you're relaxing in the darkroom, or ending a high school basketball quarter.

Michael Cienfuegos
23-Feb-2015, 11:57
The buzzer is for waking the dead or scaring the S*** out of you while you're relaxing in the darkroom, or ending a high school basketball quarter.

+1 That thing upsets both the dog and cat, as well as annoy anyone else in the house.


m

esearing
23-Feb-2015, 12:42
The buzzer is for waking the dead or scaring the S*** out of you while you're relaxing in the darkroom, or ending a high school basketball quarter.

I never realized it had a buzzer. In the gang darkroom we just keep setting it way above zero so it never runs out.
I could really annoy the old-timers/seasoned veterans by resetting the timer to my needs every few minutes so it buzzes when my stuff is done. Its bad enough we all have the same ring tone.

Ari
23-Feb-2015, 14:10
Stopwatch.
Or, more precisely, the chronometer on my wristwatch.

Drew Wiley
23-Feb-2015, 14:15
I like little kitchen timers for the drymounting station and my drum processor operations, but not for film or tray development. And that old Gralab with the big
Mickey Mouse watch hands is in storage for emergency backup use; but I'd never use it anywhere except on the shelf below the sink - those luminous hands will
fog film in an open tray.

Michael Cienfuegos
23-Feb-2015, 15:09
My Gra-Lab timer is so old the hands don't glow any more.

mike rosenlof
23-Feb-2015, 16:00
I'm watching the Gra-Lab for developing paper and all type of film 35mm to 8x10. I time the enlarger with an electronic timer of some sort. Before I got the Gra-Lab with glowy hands, I used a shortwave radio tuned to WWV for sheet films in total darkness.

I've tried a metronome for timing printing exposures and have been thinking about trying it again. I moved one into the darkroom last week, but haven't printed yet.

Pawlowski6132
23-Feb-2015, 16:50
The buzzer is for waking the dead or scaring the S*** out of you while you're relaxing in the darkroom, or ending a high school basketball quarter.

That's funny!!

Fortunately, my Gralab timers have volume control for the buzzers.

I had some that didn't - Yikes!

Jac@stafford.net
23-Feb-2015, 17:32
My Gra-Lab timer is so old the hands don't glow any more.

Ya know yer old when you outlive the half-life of radium dial paint.
.

Alan Curtis
23-Feb-2015, 18:08
I agree with Drew, Fred Picker convinced a lot of photographers (myself included)to buy stuff we really didn't need. The compensating development timer is wonderful. For those of us in warm locations where 68 degree water never occurs it saves a lot of guessing.

Doremus Scudder
24-Feb-2015, 03:37
If you have a clock with a display that counts up, like the Zone VI CDT, then you just watch the display and pull your film or paper at the right time. If you're really having a problem watching the clock, then you need an alarm, like one from an oven timer, stopwatch, app, etc.

GraLab timers count down like a stopwatch, don't they, and at the end of the time emit a disturbingly loud buzz IIRC. I haven't used one in years.

I have and use metronomes, especially for printing; not developing the print, but timing print exposure. For film developing, counting clicks can get monotonous; 10 minutes is 600 clicks... When I develop film with a metronome, I pair it up with a cheap kitchen timer set to countdown mode. I count clicks for agitation, but rely primarily on the alarm on the timer to let me know when to transfer the film to the stop. After that, it's counting clicks for stop and fix.

In my larger darkroom in the U.S., I have and use a Zone VI CDT. It beeps every 30 seconds and is pretty easy to keep an eye on. I make sure it is well baffled so my film doesn't "see" light from the display like Drew does. I use a foot switch to stop and restart it for the different steps. You do have to keep an eye on the time this way, no alarm at the end of developing.

Best,

Doremus

Luis-F-S
24-Feb-2015, 12:26
The compensating development timer is wonderful. For those of us in warm locations where 68 degree water never occurs it saves a lot of guessing.

Why some of us use chillers.......the compensating timer (& I have 3 of them) won't stop the emulsion from reticulating at 80 deg water.................L

esearing
25-Feb-2015, 13:48
I found an iphone app Darkroom Timer2 that has 3 timers. I tried it last night and it worked for me. Mainly used it for Paper Developer and Fixer times. Now if only it binged at 10 seconds to go mark. Only 99cents.

I nearly dropped my iphone into the developer a couple of times, which would have been more costly.

Tony R
25-Feb-2015, 15:07
Hi all
+1 for the old Gralab (mine's a 168 model). For printing I set minute hand at 1 minute, then click it back to 59 min. Let it run continuously and check time at the start of each process (ie Dev - Stop - Fix etc). Film processing - set, time and reset for each process. I develop 4x5 film by inspection using the Gralab at least 1 metre from the tray with no film fogging (dev times no longer than 15 minutes).
Cheers, Tony

Maris Rusis
25-Feb-2015, 15:14
My friend in the darkroom is a talking timer, battery operated, about $40. It counts down every minute, then every ten seconds in the last minute, then every second in the last ten seconds. She (the synthetic female(?) voice) never gets flustered no matter how hectic things get for me.

Vaughn
25-Feb-2015, 15:27
A Gralab user for film developing. If I am doing two (2-120 reels each) tanks at once, I set it for two minutes longer and start one tank the two minutes before the other. For processing silver prints I have always used a large clock with a second hand...but that was in a community darkroom (up to 18 people).

Michael Cienfuegos
25-Feb-2015, 17:18
Ya know yer old when you outlive the half-life of radium dial paint.
.

:rolleyes:

m

Luis-F-S
25-Feb-2015, 18:02
I agree with Drew, Fred Picker convinced a lot of photographers (myself included)to buy stuff we really didn't need. The compensating development timer is wonderful. For those of us in warm locations where 68 degree water never occurs it saves a lot of guessing.

Still own two Zone VI archival print washers (8x10 & 11x14), one of the roll film washers, a wash tray, 3 compensating darkroom developing times, his print flattener, two modified Pentax spot meters, several of his prints & in the old days a bunch of Hassy magazine holders. Hated his enlargers, cameras & tripods though........L

Leszek Vogt
26-Feb-2015, 02:28
Not sure if this will work for you, but McMaster offers a multi function timer....and at reasonable price. I think you can preset it for seconds too.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#digital-stopwatch-counters/=w2np0q


Les

munz6869
26-Feb-2015, 04:22
I use an old Apple iPod touch with an old version of Massive Dev Chart on it - the poor old iPod is an iOS 'orphan' now, so I can't install any newer apps on it - but the timer works well and I've customised all the times for the films I regularly process...

Marc