Sheet Film Development Options

[Bruce E. Rathbun]

I am looking to purchase a Jobo system next year for processing 4"x5" b&w sheet film. At the current time I am looking for a reliable system that will work for a reasonable price. I have seen the HP Combi Sheet film tanks that will process 6 sheets of 4"x5" film. This would be an option if it works. I am also looking at the BTZS film tubes. Can anyone tell me if any of these work and to what degree? I have seen a few comments on the BTZS tubes but not anything on the HP Combi tanks. Thanks in advance.

[Walter Glover]

Hi Bruce,

I have a work-around thata is a little unique but works amaingly well.

I have been down the Jobo road and didn't like the results I was achieving ? technically fine but aesthetically not what I was after.

So, I ended up with some 2500 series tanks and some 2509n reels. What I wanted to do was increase acutance by using intermittant agitation (hard to do in a tray unless you use John Sexton's slosher design) and achieve some compensating effect by using dilute chemistry.

(Note: Because the Jobo machine system requires so little solution to process it is difficult to get sufficient stock solution for the surface area of film without overloading the mechanism.)

My solution was to buy a Jobo centre shaft extension to act as a handle. I place 12 sheets into 2 reels on the shaft and use 3 litre measuring jugs (cost $10.00 each Australian) in a line for the solutions - Pre-wash, Dev, Stop, Fix, Ridfix. The jugs have more volume above the 3.0 litre mark and so I use 3.5 litres to cover the reels. Shop around and you'll find the right size.

The reels are kept in the light-tight 2500 series drums until I'm ready to go. Once the fixing time is over I use the now empty Jobo tank with a cascade washer to rinse and wash the film. The first time the film is touched by hand is when I remove each sheet for the ritual Photo-Flo.

I attain very even processing over the entire sheet, each sheet is held in its own slot to prevent abrasion and I get ample throughput at 12 sheets a time.

It might be a suitable solution to your problem.

Good luck ... Walter

[Wayne Crider]

FYI, B&H has Jobo single and dual reel sheet film developing kits which includes the loader, tank and reel. The single kit (#4341) goes for $125 last I checked. The dual reel kit is #4342, and would allow diluting the developer if only loading one reel. Both are daylight for hand agitation and from what I suspect can be used later with the machine. Next best alternative for little money is cheap plastic containers and sheet film holders.

[Doug Paramore]

Bruce: You might try the Beselar or Uniroller motor base and drums. Much cheaper and they work great. I don't think either is being made now (I may be wrong on this) but they are still to be found in camera stores and are fairly plentiful used. I got mine from a forum member and they work fine. I use them constantly.

Regards,

[Brett Thomas]

Bruce, I have used the BTZS tubes in 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10. Mostly 4x5, and I love the system. Easy to use, nice even developement, easy to control temperture, and the lights are on while you roll the tubes like logs in the water bath. I've never used anything else so I can't comment on other methods, but I don't ever plan on using anything else. Watch E-Bay, the tubes come up every so often. In fact there are some on right now.

[mike rosenlof]

Here's what I use:

1.5 inch ABS tubes, about 6 inches long, but I have some that are longer and some that are shorter.

a few 8x10 print trays, a few rubbermaid looking, but made by somebody else containers that hold a 4x5 neg easily.

Curl the film, the long way, emulsion side in, and slide into the tubes.

Drop the tubes into a tray with developer - about 1 liter, but a little less is enough. Spin the tubes by hand. The tubes are open at both ends, so solutions flow through the tubes. They're not floating in the soup, but sitting on the bottom of the tray. I kind of "pinch" a pair of tubes between thumb and forefinger to rotate the tube. 5 tubes fit in an 8x10 tray, and I shoot low enough volumes that I'm happy with processing only 5 sheets at a time. This is all in total darkness. I listen to WWV on a shortwave radio for my timer. Spin the tubes continuously because only the very bottom part of the tube is actually under water at any time.

When the developing time is up, move the tubes to the stop tray and spin for a bit, then to the first fix. I then take the sheets out of the tubes into the little rubbermaid containers for the second fix, and I wash in those same containers. If I put them on hangers, I could just run a hose into a tank, but instead I keep a hose filling and dumping those containers one at a time.

I have three different tube lengths, so if some sheet is going to get a shorter developing time, I put it in a shorter tube, and I can identify that by feel in the dark.

Developing is very reliable. With TMX, the antihalation backing is not normally removed in the developer (back of the sheet is pressed against the tube) and it usually takes a little sodium carbonate for a few minutes after the second fix in those little containers - solutions can get to the back of the film there.

Materials are really cheap. Sand the cut tube ends with fine sandpaper until they are very smooth.

Disadvantages are max of 5 sheets at one time. High solution volumes. I use relatively highly dilluted developer, so the volume hasn't really been a problem. If I'm only doing 2 sheets, I use a 5x7 tray and half the solution. I could do more sheets in a bigger tray, but I would want a long skinny tray, with my next size of tray 12x16, it would take a lot of developer to get the depth required.

I think I could get away with 1/2 liter if I'm doing 4 sheets in an 8x10 tray. I tried 2 sheets, 8x10 tray, 1/2 liter and the solution wasn't deep enough that the film was getting well immersed as I spun the tubes.

[Jeff Buckels]

Not merely to be annoying, but somebody needs to speak up for plain old tray development here. It's the simplest method of all. It was good enough for Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Eugene Atget, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen .... I can't think of a significant critic or art historian remarking that Weston, for instance, could have been REALLY good if he'd just had a Jobo drum processor or a nitrogen burst set-up. Or pixels. -jeff buckels

[Scott Walton]

I have tried the tubes and still go back to my 4x5 hangers. I can process up to 20 sheets at a time if needed and to me it is a personal preference... that's all. Cheers

[paul owen]

Bruce, IMHO the CombiPlan is a really convenient and reliable method of developing sheet film. The holder is a doddle to load and as long as you are careful there are no real problems. Make sure that the clip that holds the sheets on the frame is pushed far enough down to stop them moving, but not so far that it causes the sheet to buckle, and agitate slowly (sort of a slow motion version of the standard 35mm/120 tank method) and you'll be fine. Regards Paul

[David Willis]

I use a Jobo single reel tank and agitate by hand. It works great for me. Mine was designed to be used with a lift, but I put a rubber stopper into the hole so I can invert it and use more chemistry. I use one liter of each solution and agitate constantly by rolling forward 10 seconds, backward 10 seconds, then invert twice and slap to dislodge bubbles. Works great for me.

Dave