I develop my 4x5 film in open trays (typically Ilford FP4 in Rodinal or D-76), and I’ve noticed scratches on the emulsion that are caused, I think, by the agitation process (lifting sheets from bottom to top).
I enjoy developing film in trays – I’d like to stick with it. My plan for now is to alter my agitation process in hope of better results – but first, I’d like to ask the darkroom experts whether I’m overlooking anything.
I usually develop only 3 sheets at a time – so I don’t think I’m speeding through the process, putting sheets at unnecessary risk.
What’s more, when I develop one sheet at a time – or perhaps two – I rarely see these puzzling scratches.
As Ansel Adams suggests below, I develop my sheets w/ emulsion side up, and I wonder if I’m simply not being careful when, during agitation, I lift bottom-most sheet to the top – that is, I might be scratching the emulsion with the sharp corner of the sheet above it.
In “The Negative,” Ansel Adams instructs:
“Then take the films to be developed, emulsion side up, gently fan them so each can be individually handled (hold them only by the edges). You can then place them one by one in a water bath, pressing each down under the surface.” (I presume this holds for each step in the development process.)
It leaves me curious whether emulsion side down is actually the safer option. I remember such a recommendation from “Using the View Camera,” where author Steve Simmons says:
“Set your timer for the longest development time required, and move the first sheet of film into the developer tray putting the emulsion side down [emphasis by author]. This is to avoid scratching the emulsion side of the film during the agitation process.”
Yet doesn’t this method have its own risks? I don’t think Simmons mentions any. Seems to me that a sheet with emulsion side down might suffer damage from the bottom of the tray – or perhaps from one’s finger-nails or finger-tips, as one places them under the sheet to lift it. And does either method create additional risks I’m not aware of?
Thanks for your ideas, tips, and hints…
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