Developing 8x10 b&w film - best way?

[Dave Ogle]

tried tray developement got fair results. Used 8x10 tray

tried a 8x10 Unicolor drum & motor base. Got some good negs but others had a dark line or a dark area down the center of the neg where it touched the drum.

Any suggestions? how do you - personaly - develope your film?

I have been using HC110 and Freestyle film. Thank you, Dave O.

[John Bartley]

t

Any suggestions? how do you - personaly - develope your film?

Thank you, Dave O.

I use a home made ABS tube and develop my PlusXAero in divided D23 with a 60 second presoak.

cheers

[Rory_5244]

I use a Jobo 2830 paper drum recommended to me by a forum member. I don't have the little, er, things that hold the film in place so I have to be careful with agitation: if I bump the tube, or I use a film that curls too much, the film pops out of the groove. A Very Bad Thing. Other than 1 mishap, the drum works well.

[Walter Calahan]

I send it to a professional lab that uses dip and dunk.

[Dave Ogle]

I use a home made ABS tube and develop my PlusXAero in divided D23 with a 60 second presoak.

cheers

The abs tubes would be about the same as a color drum, but smooth inside. Similar to BTZS tubes. The Unicolor has three ridges inside about a 1/4 high. But I am getting the dark spot where the back of the film touches the drum. I am using an 8x10 drum. What is the length of the abs tube?
I have hangers, so maybe I'll try dip & dunk or try trays again.

Yes, I could send film to a lab, but that wasn't the question.

Thanks, Dave

[Gary Smith]

I tried trays and the unicolor method, and finally bought a Joob 3005 expert drum, and perfect negatives everything.......except when I have mad a mistake.

Hope it helps.

Gary

[John Kasaian]

tried a 8x10 Unicolor drum & motor base. Got some good negs but others had a dark line or a dark area down the center of the neg where it touched the drum.

I've been using a Unicolor for years now without problems. Was it the internal ribs that caused the line or something else? This is a bit confusing.

[Brian Ellis]

I used trays for a while, that worked o.k. but I didn't like standing over the trays in the dark inhaling chemicals for 15 minutes and trying to keep track of my shuffles. So I switched to the BTZS tubes (after first trying unsuccessfully to make my own) and they were very good. Unfortunately BTZS no longer makes the 8x10 tubes so you can't buy them new, you'll have to either make your own or buy used. They do appear on ebay and other places from time to time.

[Ole Tjugen]

I use the 2830 - or a 2840 - paper drum in a JOBO CPE2. Since I happen to have all those little thingies which keep the film in place (including the "winged ones"), I do all sizes from 5x7" to 12x16" this way.

I've done 13x18cm E6, and BW up to 12x16". No problems so far.

[Rory_5244]

Oh yes, I got the 2830 on Ole's advice. Thanks Ole.

[Brian C. Miller]

So far, tray. Maybe I'll spring for a Jobo drum, but I also plan to try the PVC pipe.

What I plan to do with the PVC pipe is put down small dots of epoxy glue. That will hold the back off of the surface a little bit and allow chemicals to get to the back.

[jmcd]

I use trays, 8x10 trays for 4x5 films, and either 11x14 or 8x10 trays for 8x10 film. Quick to set up, and shuffling gets easier with practice.

[John O'Connell]

Alan Brubaker still offers his tubes, which I believe are pneumatic delivery tubes. They have ridges inside but make even negs for me--I use a presoak. When I bought them they were less expensive than the old BTZS tubes (~$45). They're not of an even diameter, so I roll them by hand in an 11x14 tray.

[Dave Ogle]

I've been using a Unicolor for years now without problems. Was it the internal ribs that caused the line or something else? This is a bit confusing.

Yes, dark areas coincide with internal ribs or if the back side of the film touches the drum.

The jobo is sounding like the way to go.

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Dave

[John Bartley]

Yes, dark areas coincide with internal ribs or if the back side of the film touches the drum.

This sounds as if you're not getting a proper final wash and the antihalation layer is not being cleared. Maybe try the tube again, but then rinse the negative in a tray (or a sink) as a final rinse. I do this as a last step with my homemade tubes. Maybe the dark lines will clear and you won't have to change anything.

cheers

[Tony Karnezis]

tried tray developement got fair results. Used 8x10 tray

What do you mean by fair results? There are many advantages of tray processing that I like--namely cost, number of films that can be processed, and development by inspection. I develop 8x10 and 4x5 in trays and really enjoy it. I used to have problems with scratches, mostly when I started doing it and and occasionally after long periods (months) of photographic inactivity, usually due to carelessness. I can now develop between 8-10 sheets with only very rare scratches. I develop by inspection using infrared goggles, which I think is the best thing since sliced bread. So Dave, what kind of problems did you have?

[Greg Dejanovic]

Hi Dave
I have been using Ilford paper developing drum with motor base( I converted this one to DC motor so I can have 1 rot. per min. also reverse) Very economical uses 280 ml of liquid. You can develop film with the lights on and DR door open. I use Pyro-HD or M for developing my film. Because drum is smooth inside I have glued dimples made out of Model airplane plastic rivets glued vertically abut six in five rows all around the drum. It spaces film away from the drum wall. Works like a dream.

Just my 2c Greg

[John Powers]

Dave,

T Max 400 8x10 film. Jobo CPP-2 with 3005 Expert drum, developed in Rollo Pyro from Bostick & Sullivan. Rollo Pyro is specially formulated for the extra agitation created by the Jobo.

Thinking down the road, if you have an interest in panoramic formats, I use a combined Jobo 2830 and 2560 to develop two 7x17 sheets of T Max 400, Ilford FP4+ or HP5+ in Rollo Pyro. The 3063 Jobo drum will do three sheets at a time, but is reported to leave the rib lines you mention unless you can find or replicate a plastic liner that Jobo US used to offer.

I enlarge the 8x10 using a Durst 138S converted to 8x10 with a 12x12 cold light and contact print the 7x17 on Kentmere VC FB using filtered cold light from the Durst.

Hope this helps.

John

[MIke Sherck]

I think that one of the secrets to developing in trays is to use a tray which is larger than the film. As others here have noted, using an 8x10 tray for 4x5 film and an 11x14 tray for 8x10 film works fine. And that's what I do.

Mike

[Rory_5244]

Any drum users figure out how to prevent the film from shifting out of their respective grooves/ridges while developing? I tried clamping metal "bulldog" paper clamps to the ridges, but that didn't work. I wrote Jobo about those winged thingies mentioned by Ole, but no response has been forthcoming so far.

[John Berry]

I'm with most here as to the joys of tray development. I use hangers myself. If your going to use trays use at least 11x14 trays. The wave action of the developer will cause more action at the edges and cause uneven development.

[steve simmons]

I am a lontime fan of trays. For 45 and 5x7 I use 8x10 trays, for x10 film I use 11x14 trays. My procedure is described in detail in a free article on the View Camera web site. The keys, for me, are emulsion down, a presoak, and putting the negs in the developer at different times so I do not have to count negs as I shuffle.

steve simmons
www.viewcamera.com
o to the Free Articles section

[Merg Ross]

I can not say that it is the best way but, it is the only way that I have developed 8x10 film. Tray development, and it has been my method for fifty years. The pre-soak is essential and I would suggest adding balanced alkali (Kodalk) to the pre-soak.

[j.e.simmons]

For the soft-emulsion Efke films, I use a brush with tray development one at a time.

For minimal agitation development, I use a couple of methods. I use PVC tubes in a container of developer - PVC will sink while ABS floats - and put a piece of fiberglass screen behind the negative to lift it slightly away from the tube. I normally use this method for 4x5 or 2x3 sheet film. For 8x10, I use a tube made to hold welding rods. It has a screw on top with a rubber gasket that keeps the developer inside.
juan

[Dave Ogle]

Did some 8x10 film. Went back to trays for the time being. Did a pre soak of about 5min. Used a 11x14 tray. Agitation evry 30 sec. Negatives look very good. Also going to look into a Jobo. Thak you to evryone that replied. Dave Ogle

[jenluc]

For the Unicolor drum, cut a piece of fiberglass screen material the same size as the film. Insert the film and screen together into the drum with the screen next to the side of the drum. The screen is thick enough to keep the film from touching the side of the drum.

[George Losse]

I started processing in a bessler drum on their roller base. Then I moved onto a Jobo 3005 on the bessler roller base. Finally when I found a good Jobo processer at a good price on the auction site I broke down and bought that. It does make it easier then working with the roller base. In between I did try trays, by inspectionand also brush development.... nothing was as simple and consistant as the Jobo.

[jonsmith]

I use a stainless steel tank, the longest size, with the standard 3/5" diameter. A sheet of 8x10 rolls up inside with very little extra room. If there is extra room, it will be horseshoe shaped from a profile view and the edges will be overdeveloped. If it stays nearly circular inside, the edges will be ok.

I use a piece of mesh as backing for the film so it doesn't scratch and fixer gets behind there well enough. So far no anti-halation backing has remained. Can't claim that with tray development, or the assortment of drums and tanks I have tried.

I roll this on a roller base, with about 6 oz of solution. Uniformity is perfect and no accidents or scratches, either. I get to use fresh developer for each sheet.

The mesh is the plastic stuff sold at discount stores in rolls, as non-skid drawer liner and shelf liner. I cut it to the size of the film, with maybe 1mm extra all around. This fits inside almost perfectly and makes the film easy to handle - no fingerprints.

It took me quite a while to hit on this method and I'm sold on it. I tried trays, rolling tubes, pitchers used as tanks, airburst agitation, brush agitation, print drums, everything. This works for me.