5x7 developing

[pdeeee]

hi.... I am having trouble finding a way to develop my 5x7 negs.... I have looked into finding a tank with a light tight valve system as you can buy for a 5x4 system.... I cannot find one, and I dont think they exist... I can develop in trays in a dark room but it involves a lot of time and messing about in the dark. I was wondering if anyone knows if you can buy light tight developing trays which will enable me to at least work once the neg is in place and change to stop and fix in the dark replacing the lid each time... I would need three of course,,,,,any suggestions?

[Ron Marshall]

The Jobo 3006 Expert drum will do six 5x7 or six 4x5. I think the best price new is at Badger Graphics. Used they go for about $175. Pricey, but worth it.

It drains and fills quickly, so you only need one.

[Kevin Crisp]

I don't know about a tank, but I went to a restaurant supply store and got a plastic tray that had a good 4" around the edges of the negatives. 40 ounces of developer fills it nicely. I took two of the little plastic tripods that come with home delivery pizzas, clipped off one of the legs on each one, sanded the clipped stump smooth, and glued them upside down in middle of the tray to keep two sheets from touching each other when sloshed around. The film goes in emulsion up, I never touch them after pushing them under initially. I follow the lift-three-sides tray agitation technique covered in the Kodak publication for TMAX. I have no problems with even development since the sheets can move around quite a bit and the pattern changes every few seconds per the Kodak recommendation. Best of all, I have never scratched one.

Yes, it is just two at a time, but once you get the work flow going smoothly they are ready to fix at about the time the two ahead are ready to come out of the fixer. If I really am energetic this works out to about 16 sheets per hour.

I don't know if this is "too much messing around in the dark" for you, but it seems pretty simple and straightforward to me.

[caleb]

I use a jobo drum as well, the 8x10 one works for my 5x7 but only does 5 at a time. I just can't justify buying another one right now. I did discover that the little jobo 1500 series 35mm tank with a single extension on it will let me do one sheet at a time. Slide the film in emulsion side to the center of the tank, insert the "tube" that holds the reels in place and acts as a light trap, then put the lid on and roll away. So far it has given very even development and is much easier than loading up the big tank with one sheet just to check the set-up of a shot. I have never seen anything like what you are looking for, I think it could work if you are only doing one sheet at a time in a tray but if you are doing the "deck of cards" thing with multiple sheets in a tray then you would need to be in the soup shuffling the film all the time anyway. If you can't find or afford a jobo tank then I would go the route of the old style Kodak rubber tanks and steel hangers, they have become pretty affordable but would still require being in the dark for 15 minutes or so. Let us know if you find what you are looking for...

[timbo10ca]

I've been tray developing 5x7 since I started LF a year and a half ago. I've rarely had a scratch even when I first started- it's actually pretty easy (FYI, I so emulsion side up). I find problems only if I try doing more than 6 negs at a time, but that's usually the maximum film you can use in a liter of developer anyway. It doesn't involve much futzing around in the dark at all actually, as long as you have some room and plan out your motions. No steep learning curve at all. I'd recommend giving it a go if you haven't already, before making up your mind. It's very cheap too- no new equipment to buy. Steve Simmons describes a very easy workflow in his book and on the View Camera website. If you still don't think it's for you, you can try BTZS tubes- this is described in a number of places too. If you make your own it's cheap as well, but does involve some "dark" shuffling. I considered it, but it seems a bit more of a pain than trays and I don't have a big enough sink.

Tim

[Lenny Eiger]

For larger negs, I use Pyrex glas baking tray for the developer and have developed (like everyone else) hand techniques for keeping negs apart and doing proper and consistent agitation... On occasion I get a scratch and Photoshop clones it out with no problem....

Lenny

[pdeeee]

thanks everyone, I have tried badger graphics for a used jobo 3006 but cant see one there, but thanks ron for that info, I was beginning to believe I was the only person using a 5x7 format...also, timbo, when you use the trays do you put more than one neg in at a time, cos if you can without scratching, that would be great.... I may do that for a while, until a used one comes up... if anyone has a used jobo 3006 please let me know.............thanks
paul

[cjbroadbent]

I do two at a time in the Patterson Orbital tray. Hands free, kitchen sink, no sweat. Precautions: remove fins, engrave bottom, tap to loosen film, use enough chemichals to beat exhaustion.

[Ole Tjugen]

I either use trays - or a JOBO 2830 print drum. The drum works great, even for E6.

[Eric Woodbury]

I've been using a Jobo 3006, but I've made some tubes and used them a few times. I may be a convert. Nice to be able to give every sheet of film a different time.

Mine are very simple. Made from 2" ABS pipe. A bottom piece of pipe that is capped that is long enough to hold the sheet film. Then the top is long enough to hold the developer. It is capped on one end and a coupling on the other. In the dark, put the film in the long tube. The other ends set upright on the counter full of developer. Plug in the tube with the film, then you can turn the lights on. To start developing, invert the tube so that the developer flows over the film and then you can roll them on the counter or in a tray of water. You may want to presoak your film, or not, before loading the film. When the development time is up, turn off the lights, separate the pieces and put the film in open tubes in stop and then fix. Somewhere in there, depending on whom you believe, you can turn the lights back on.