Stacking 2x Mod45 in Paterson Tank?

[Kerosene Hat]

Has anyone stacked 2 Mod45 sheet film holders in one of the big Paterson tanks? It seems to me this would be physically possible, but is there some concern I should be aware of before attempting on my own? Overall, Mod45 does okay for me (though one of the notches on one of mine has a tendency to "slip" on one of the sheets, so that the one edge on 2 sheets come in contact with each other during agitation).

Is this ill-advised for any reason, and if so, what might that be? Let's assume 2L of chemistry, D-76 1:1, and a tank with enough capacity, and sufficient agitation (painful experience tells me that "semi-stand" or ulta-low agitation results in bromide drag or something similar in large, uniform highlight areas).

Thanks in advance!

[joelio]

I have stacked two Mod 54 holders with no issues. Just be mindful of normal Mod 54 issues (sheet loading, gentle but complete agitation, etc.) and you will hopefully be fine.

I have also stacked two 20th Century Camera inserts with no issues. I’ve felt much more confident in the 20th Century Camera inserts’ ability to “hold onto” sheet film.

I have used the daylight tanks as intended - loaded fully with film, light trap and funnel inserted, and liquids poured through funnel top. No fully darkened room dropping inserts into developer or anything so exciting.

Caveat - I run D76 1 + 1 with a pre wash. That may help with some developer pouring / filling concerns when using one of these big daylight tanks.

I would be very careful with stand development in this fashion. Perhaps test on something expendable and share your results?

[Kerosene Hat]

Thanks! I am not into stand dev, but was interested in others’ anecdotal experience-this is very encouraging…!

[joelio]

Thanks! I am not into stand dev, but was interested in others’ anecdotal experience-this is very encouraging…!

Good luck! Please report back with your results - I refer back to old posts regularly and think that the topic is worth sharing with the group now and for future explorers to consider.

[Kerosene Hat]

Good luck! Please report back with your results - I refer back to old posts regularly and think that the topic is worth sharing with the group now and for future explorers to consider.

Roger that! I just have to shoot a couple Grafmatics of TMY 400 and will report back…

[Kerosene Hat]

Okay, so here's the report back:

Stacking 2x Mod54 sheetholders in the same ginormous Paterson tank doesn't appear to be a good idea - I'm not sure why (could have been poor technique, thin emulsions, or just a poor idea - I've tried w/ TMY2-400 and Rollei IR400). HOWEVER...the better move is a single Mod54 in a Paterson tank, and double up on that. Easily manually agitated, and 12 sheets of 4x5 capacity per developing run.

While I had a couple of sheets get messed up, and could have just shot tests rather than vacation pictures, I have enough images, backup shots and backlog to have made this a rather low-cost experiment.

To Reiterate: The winning play is 2x Paterson tanks, each with a Mod54 sheet holder, yielding 12 sheets of 4x5 field processed in each run.
One can also do 12x 4x5 sheets in a tray with 1.5 liters of D-76 1:1, but this allows for daylight processing.

The Mod54 reels aren't perfect, but daylight processing ability makes the work easier, with less chance to stub one's toe in the dark...

[Vaughan]

I've been using Poilot (Chinese company) 4x5 reels and their tank which is a copy of the JOBO 2500 series. They are available in AliExpress (I have no affiliation etc). The 2550 tanks takes two 4x5 reels, each holding 6 sheets for a total of 12 sheets. I've found the reels to be reasonably easy to load, and have been getting very good results with continuous processing using their manual base. Links below.

Poilot's reel system is modular and they make cores for 5x7 and 8x10. I cut an 8x10 core down to fit Whole Plate 6½x8½ and it works well. Note that loading 8x10 film into the reel is somewhat difficult due to the uncooperative nature of the film to curve into and remain in the slot rather than a fault with the reel itself.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003562346548.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003603879652.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004649961960.html

Note that I had difficulty getting even results with development. After trying many things (including pre-wash, which didn't help) I now put a funnel into the tank core from the top to assist with rapid pouring and to ensure all the liquid travels down through the core to the bottom of the tank: without the funnel the solution overflows and travels over and through the light trap, dribbling over the film in random ways leaving marks. Pouring through the funnel I can get 600ml into the tank and have it sideways on the roller in about 6 seconds.

[ethics_gradient]

For what it's worth, I didn't have a problem stacking two MOD54 reels (the older, acyrlic ones) in a big Paterson tank, I think the 8-reel?. Nice workflow for my two Grafmatics, used to do street/candid stuff with a Speed Graphic.

[Kerosene Hat]

Thanks, Vaughan - didn't hear about Poilot yet!

ethics_gradient, interesting - one of my Mod54's is a bit "loose" in the cut/print on one notch side and I get intermittent slippage. Like I said, could be bad technique on my end, or a slippery part. My results w/ 2x tanks still get me 12 sheets at a clip. Question: What is your agitation regimen with the big 8 reel Paterson in such a setup?

[esearing]

With tall tanks you need to invert more often to avoid gradient development but not necessarily vigorous agitation. Roller bases are good for tall tanks too because your chemistry is horizontal if your tank lid works this way but you have to factor in the continuous rolling as extra agitation. I use 1800ML in a 5 reel tank to process 2 5x12 sheets with a slow single inversion every minute with extra agitation on the 3 minute points and get consistent results with Pyro-Metol. I also think that a 2 minute initial agitation increases the likelihood of even development but have no proof.

[ethics_gradient]

It's been over ten years since I sold it all, but I remember just keeping my usual routine: two inversions at the top of every minute in HC-110 Dilution H.