Howdy! I learned the hard way recently why the square daylight tanks are so frowned upon. I have a nasty sensitivity to some chemistry though, so shuffling is still out. Has anyone tried the Photographer's Formulary slosher trays for 4x5? I'm leaning towards that right now since it's cheaper than a mod54 or combiplan. Anyone gotten good results? Or bad for that matter.
Pro I met in Nashville cut the extremities off Kodak 4 x 5 hangers and could do four at a time in a 11 x 14 tray. Works well.
I have them but have really not used them much. For low budget, I prefer BTZS tubes. The slosher gave me some increased edge density, but I did not give it much chance. The slosher development was not foolproof but i would say worth trying for your purposes.
By the way, you could still try shuffling using nitrile gloves but I assume you are trying to avoid any potential for problems. I would still use gloves with the slosher.
Little burns aren't a big deal, just don't know if my hands could deal with a soak. Isn't the BTZS more than 60 for the kit? I already have 11x14 trays. I also have a yankee tank I could try. I'm inclined to think that it'd be a waste to try agitating it in the light, but I've heard of people having luck dipping and dunking in the dark. Could probably pop the lid on to pour out/in chemistry.
I use a slosher tray that I made myself and it works quite well. I wear Nitrile gloves when using it.
I use 4X5 hangers in a 5X7 tray. I bend the upper part up at about 45 degrees so I can agitate in the tray without getting my hands wet. Perfect for special one at a time development jobs. Have even done single E6 color this way.
Nate Potter, Austin TX., Holliston MA.
Well, does anyone know the dangers of over-stop-bathing? I'm wondering if I can just tray develop one by one, then slide them into the FR tank with SB in it. Then I could finish processing them all together. The first negatives would be stuck in there for like an hour though and I'm not sure what effect that would have. After 35 and 120 came to me instantly, I'm really starting to see the learning curve with LF. A good thing!
I can't see why an extended stop bath should hurt the negs with the exception of the extended wet time... That said, I've never tried it. However, you could easily add a water tray as a holding tray between stop and fix and avoid the problem altogether. I'd probably try keep the holding time down to under 30 minutes or so; an hour plus fix and then wash seems like a lot of wet time.Originally Posted by Trenchleton
Back to the trays, though. Is your allergy so bad that wearing nitrile gloves is still too risky? I use pyro developers and wear nitrile gloves from unloading the filmholders through to putting the negatives into the washer. I often do several batches and simply wash and dry my gloved hands as normal (making sure to get the gloves really dry before unloading the next films from the holders). Never a problem and zero chemical exposure.
Also, there are many developers that contain less allergenic ingredients. Metol is usually the main culprit when it comes to contact dermatitis. Have your tried one of the ascorbic acid/phenidone developers?
Best,
Doremus
I agree totally with Richard's position. I started using a slosher tray after seeing an add for one in a camera magazine in 1977. I have since made some myself and still have the original. Once you have a design you can go to a plastic store and have it cut and bent and you then would just need to drill the holes and place the "fence" to separate the negatives. I cut and folded a piece of heavy paper to the size and design and took it to a plastic store on canal street (NYC) where it was then made in acrylic. I purchased acrylic dowels and cemented a number of them between where the negative go to separate them. I unload the film holders and place the negatives on the slosher bare handed and then in the dark put on a pair of nitrile gloves which I keep in my pocket. I think it was John Sexton who called it a slosher, and uses one for minus developments.
You might look at Graham Peterson's data on using black abs plastic pipe and fittings to make low cost daylight developing tubes. On your Sloan or tray hold.. I would use a water bath hold after the stop bath. Long term hold in the acidic stop might be detrimental on a long hold.
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