I had trouble with mine in the beginning but 150 sheets later I love it so much I bought another one. I have not tried loading 6 sheets and only load 4 sheets at a time. I have not had a sheet jumping out and touching another one since gotten used to loading it. Foma is pretty thin and it doesn't happen if the loading is correct. Agitation must be very gentle to avoid scratches. This can affect contrast so need to adjust development.
I love mine.
Loading it did take some practice. But once you get used to the feel, it's easy to load the sheets securely.
Film, the consistent file format for over a century.
I used one for a very long time until I switch to rotary processing, and it works just fine, you just have to agitate very gently, very slowly rotating the tank, you can't go fast or you'll dislodge things, but as someone else said with testing for heavy agitation I was able to dislodge one of the sheets, but that was because I shook it like a soda can would if you want it to explode, this was a test, other than that I never had a single issue with development, if you have a very very very sensitive base material, you may notice a tiny bit of rubbing mark on the edge of the film where the foot touches the base material, but this does not enter the image area, just where the film holder lines are.
There are many threads about this, and as other said many opinions, if I had the money I would get a CPP3 and a 3010 tank, but the 2509n seems to work just fine for my film and it's a good second option if you have a rotary processor and want to get started with the rotary tank.
My opinion about dip dunk tanks is that they are a pain in the butt and a waste of chemical unless you own a lab and are processing all the time, they take too much developer and I've never exhausted my developer enough to want to use a system like that, however unfortunately that probably is the best way to get the best fine grain from your images, the most even development etc. but the rotary works just fine and so does the MOD54 and I would just go with that and start shooting already!
I agree that, in general, dip tanks don't work well for low volume use. I thought about building some small tanks out of acrylic. However, I picked up a clear plastic container at Ikea that holds 4 4x5 film hangers and requires 1 qt of chemistry (with a spacer at bottom to raise the level of liquid). It has a tight sealing top.Originally Posted by StoneNYC
I haven't tested it, but here's my "bright" idea. 1 qt of D-76 will process 8 4x5s at 1:1. So with 6-8 sheets per fill, little or no waste. Might need to add a bit of time to the second set (again, haven't tested). Comments welcome.
A guy on another forum suggested only loading 4 sheets into the mod54 As opposed to six, leaving the two inside slots empty. This removed all my issues with those pesky uneven development fingers. Slower, but I haven't had any issues since doing this.
With the Mod-54 I am about as coordinated as a three-legged giraffe with a trick knee. I just can't seem to get it right, so it sits in its box on the shelf. For four negatives I use a Unicolor print drum. I have been able to successfully process my 4x5 films with no problems, using a lot less chemistry.
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Michael Cienfuegos
Yea, I thought the MOD-54 seemed fiddly too, I bought one a couple of years ago but have never used it. I acquired an HP Combi Plan tank with a darkroom lot, and now I know why they are liked so much. Dead simple, well designed, easy to load, small, requires a minimum of chemistry. I see them on the 'Bay for about $80.
I struggled through the first dozen sheets or so, but over a hundred sheets down the line, I have gotten the hang of it and have no real issues with it. Occasionally, a sheet tends to dislodge a bit but it always happens during the final wash and it has never affected the image. I use the rotary type of agitation with the little spindle; I find that does away with virtually any of the dislocation issues. All considered, I think it's a wonderfully effective and efficient solution, albeit a tad pricy for what it is, which is just a plastic insert and nothing more. Then again, I admire the simplicity of this solution.
Hi - I use a mod54 with tri x , no problem with film touching, but I never load it with more than 4 sheets at a time.
Peter
What kind of agitation are you doing? Invertion or using the stick? I sold my Mod54 to buy the new version. Sometimes i get uneven developing when using it.. Hopefully the new version is better...
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