Dear forum,
in my voyage through the unchartered territories of ULF I got stuck in a minor point :-) that prevents me from joining this fascinating community: how does one develop the bl***y negative????????
Those of you who develop ULF film regularly may not realize it but the information present in the forums and on the net is so confusing, so conflicting, so messy that a poor soul like me is almost giving up on the idea of going ULF. Alternatively, it is possible that I am simply dumb (which cannot be ruled out), but for some reason I prefer my first theory, i.e., that the info on the subject is really all over the places.
Brush development, dip 'n dunk, horizontal trays, drums (and where on earth do you buy a unicolor drum today? Try google: well, have fun. Jobo ULF equipment is no longer with us, well maybe on Ebay, etc etc) People told me that they use print drums for their ULF film, others told me that they tried, it just does not work, no way. Huh!? Are ultra dilutions a way to avoid streaks/bands in large homogeneous areas of the negative, e.g., in the sky? When does banding occur, really? With dip 'n dunk development? With horizontal tray development? With drums? All the time?
After several months of chatting and surfing I am completely lost. Seriously, before putting down much dough I have to make sure I understand what is required in the development process, because I need to check if I have the infrastructure necessary (read: space, a darkroom, and then space again). For instance, if the answer is "horizontal trays are the thing" I may have to give up on the idea of going ULF because I do not have the necessary space. (I said "I may", ok ?)
End of ranting. Now, can some kind ULF-er provide me with the practical description of *one* method ---I do not care which one --- to develop a ULF negative from start to end. I do not mean the specific soups, I mean the operational aspects of handling and developing the film. And I mean including where to find the equipment, but without going through "... and if you look on EBay, in the next 12 months equipment XYZ will show up ..." or "...and then you can use woodworking tools to manufacture the contraption so-and-so..."?
I am not after instant gratification, mind you, but I am very interested in photography and shooting ULF and much MUCH less in routers and table saws, checking ebay every week, building custom contraptions, and so on. Am I asking too much?
My apologies if this mail vents frustration but ... well, I am frustrated.
Thanks for your help, as usual.
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