I have been dabbling at tray processing lately for 8x10 film (TMY2). So far it is like ripping up $5 bills but I am just getting started. I figure I have 100 sheets to ruin before it costs more than a Jobo drum.
My goal is to process up to 6 sheets at a time, but so far I have used just 2-3. I discovered the importance of a pre-soak in the mottled areas of what should have been uniform, light density. I have not had a chance to scrutinize the negatives yet, but to the naked eye they had no scratches from mishandling.
The most noticeable defect in the negative was from a combination of two problems. First, I used an 8x10 tray so I never rotated the stack. That meant that my hands were always in the same position relative to the film. It looked like the temperature of my fingers through the latex gloves was significantly warmer than the 68 degree developer so I found an area of increased density where my fingers were placed to lift the bottom sheet of the stack. I would not have noticed this except I was doing BTZS tests and the density was visible in the faintest negative.
Is this a common problem? I wonder if it would be mitigated by rotating the stack in a larger tray so that the local temp change from my hands would be divided by the 4 sides of the negative. Also, with a stack of 6 instead of 2 the problem would be reduced by an additional 67%.
I really like the simplicity of tray processing and hope I can be ready for prime time soon so any tips are appreciated. I have searched a lot of posts already.
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