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Thread: What are your favorite trays or developong film?

  1. #1

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    What are your favorite trays or developong film?

    I've been thinking of treating myself to new Cesco Lites with dimpled bottoms for my printing.
    Until I can find a cure for my processor ills (or a wealthy dead person wills me their Jobo) I'll be developing in trays as I've been having just too many problems with the ol' Unicolor lately, so I was wondering how the Cesco Lites would handle multi-tasking? I've never used dimpled bottom trays before but it seems like an improvement that might reduce the issue of air bells.
    Your thoughts?
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

  2. #2
    cjbecker's Avatar
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    Re: What are your favorite trays or developong film?

    I really like the Paterson's trays,

    http://www.freestylephoto.biz/3241-P...ed?cat_id=1603

    I just ordered more in 8x10 and also have 4 in the 16x20 size. I find then great for developing paper and film.

  3. #3
    Jac@stafford.net's Avatar
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    Re: What are your favorite trays or developong film?

    No experience with Cesco, but for 8x10 B&W, look at the big auction site for item # 271159551226. I doubt the seller will succeed with his BIN. Others have sold for $15. I paid $5 each, unused.

    The are used emulsion-up. The film is retained by a ridge on the bottom of each end. The original virtue of these rocking trays was for color prints using little chemistry, and ease of maintaining temperature (it can float in a tray of water). I use more than enough developer than they were designed for.

    It might be worth keeping an eye out for one or more.

  4. #4
    cjbecker's Avatar
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    Re: What are your favorite trays or developong film?

    Do you get any uneven development in the rocking trays?

    When I started in the darkroom, I used the rocking method to agitate my prints and had very uneven development. Very very bad skies and such.

  5. #5
    Scott Walker's Avatar
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    Re: What are your favorite trays or developong film?

    +1 for the Paterson trays

  6. #6
    Jac@stafford.net's Avatar
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    Re: What are your favorite trays or developong film?

    Quote Originally Posted by cjbecker View Post
    Do you get any uneven development in the rocking trays?

    When I started in the darkroom, I used the rocking method to agitate my prints and had very uneven development. Very very bad skies and such.
    No uneven development, and no bromide-drag probably because I used long-enough development times and I swirled it a bit, too. What kind of agitation would one use with a print other than rocking a tray? Flipping the print risks abrading the emulsion unless you have a deep tray and lots of chemistry.

  7. #7

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    Re: What are your favorite trays or developong film?

    I have Pattersons, as well as a set of vintage Kodak Duraflex and a set of cheap but seemingly indestructible Kindermanns (I think they are Kindermanns anyway---thin plastic, dysentary green color with a circle "k" embossed on the bottoms) which I bought new in the 1970s (as well as Aristas, Omegas and some mystery trays that arrived at various times) I'm a sucker for trays.
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

  8. #8
    cjbecker's Avatar
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    Re: What are your favorite trays or developong film?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jac@stafford.net View Post
    No uneven development, and no bromide-drag probably because I used long-enough development times and I swirled it a bit, too. What kind of agitation would one use with a print other than rocking a tray? Flipping the print risks abrading the emulsion unless you have a deep tray and lots of chemistry.
    Thats actually what I do. I normally run 1L of developer in a 8x10 tray to develop a print. I do like to make sure the prints have enough water to play and dance in the water.

    I pick the print up from the top and lift it up and flip it over towards myself and lay it back down then slightly tap it back into the water from the bottom to the top and do it again.

    It's the only way that i could get consistent prints.

  9. #9

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    Re: What are your favorite trays or developong film?

    I can't speak for 8x10 but for 4x5 or 5x7 I would skip trays and use deep multipurpose containers as shown on Ken Lee's site. Less surface area, so less oxidation.

  10. #10
    8x10, 5x7, 4x5, et al Leigh's Avatar
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    Re: What are your favorite trays or developong film?

    Quote Originally Posted by John Kasaian View Post
    I've been thinking of treating myself to new Cesco Lites with dimpled bottoms for my printing.
    I've used the Cescolite (one word) dimple-bottom trays for sheet film developing (4x5 and 8x10) for probably 30 years and they're great.
    I develop sheet film face down, and have never had an issue with air bells.

    I use regular (Yankee?) trays for paper, since I never use the same tray for multiple purposes.
    My film developer is Diafine, and I'm scrupulously careful about not contaminating the 2 trays with anything.

    - Leigh
    If you believe you can, or you believe you can't... you're right.

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