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Ben Chase
14-Apr-2007, 14:52
Hi folks,

I've been shooting color and B/W for the last 6-7 years, always having the professional lab in town processing all of my film, and I'm beginning to come to the realization that to get the results I want with B/W, I'm going to need to process myself.

Here are some of the challenges that I need to overcome:

1 - Very little room for trays, etc in both of my bathrooms.
2 - Uncertainty about the hardness/softness of my tap water supply
3 - I'm a developing NOOB.

Essentially what I want is:

1 - The ability to precisely control the development process (temperature, time, etc)
2 - Preferably low-profile (doesn't take up a lot of space) equipment.
3 - Advice on how to dispose of used chemicals safely.

I've really only shot just T-Max, as I've been spoiled on the Readyload/Quickload habit since I started LF. So in addition, I'm not exactly sure where to begin with shooting some of the other Ilford films. I'm about a 80% Landscape, 10% Architecture, and 10% Portrait shooter.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Ben C

Nick_3536
14-Apr-2007, 15:45
What format[s]?

Jobo type setup doesn't take up a lot of room.

Ben Chase
14-Apr-2007, 15:48
Exclusively 4x5.

Ash
14-Apr-2007, 16:05
Try to find a PATERSON ORBITAL. You can develop up to 4 sheets at a time with minimal solution, and it is fairly space-saving. I'd recommend looking into a Jobo tank or a Yankee tank or something for larger quantities.

Paterson Orbital is fine for me as I shoot 4x5 few and far between compared to 35mm and 120.

sparq
14-Apr-2007, 16:10
Patterson Orbitals are hard to come by in the US (at least on the East Coast). I use the Unicolor print drum method that is described in great detail on this site. My results are very consistent; I get nice thick and even negatives. The only catch is to get the right drum and to stop its leaking. :)

Erich Hoeber
14-Apr-2007, 16:49
If you're just starting out and don't have much space, the HP Combi-Plan isn't a bad way to go. It has a few quirks, which are well described in other threads here, but I've had very good luck with it.

Erich

Brian Ellis
14-Apr-2007, 21:35
The BTZS tubes take up very little space and once loaded don't require that anything else be done in the dark. This gives you a lot of flexibility in terms of where you do the processing because you can load the film and developer in a closet or other dark space, then take the tubes out into daylight for processing. Six tubes in a water jacket tray take up about 18" x 12" as a guess (if the exact space is critical let me know and I'll measure mine). You'll need the tubes plus at a minimum one tray for the fix (it isn't a good idea to leave the film in the tubes when fixing). Then you'll need some space for washing, possibly the bath tub or shower could be used for that part. If you have a utility room with washer and dryer that's really ideal because the tubes in a water jacket, plus a tray of fix, can easily fit on top of a washer and dryer (mine have the stains to prove it, for many years my darkroom was the utility room or vice versa depending on whether you were talking to me or my wife).

I don't think disposal of chemicals by amateur darkroom users who process very little film (compared to a pro lab or professional who develops his or her own film, if there are any such people left) creates a major environmental hazard.

Jean Nightingale
15-Apr-2007, 00:15
Ash, I have a Paterson orbital but, when I tried loading 4 sheets in the tray ,the development was very uneven therefore now only do one at a time. I cut off the bars inside as you advised but its still bad. What kind of agitation method do you use?
Jean

Bob Salomon
15-Apr-2007, 02:09
HP Combi Plan T for 4x5. Up to 12 sheets at a time with B&W when used with the sheets back to back.

Ole Tjugen
15-Apr-2007, 04:28
I use a JOBO 2521 tank with 2509 reel. Six sheets at a time, either inversion or rotary. Rotary uses far less chemicals, so I've got a cheap second-hand JOBO CPE-2. And a couple more tanks and reel and stuff too.

I do BW and E6 in it, and sheet films from 6.5x9cm up to 30x40cm (12x16").

Toyon
15-Apr-2007, 06:19
I've used the Combi plan for years with good results. A couple of suggestions though. Don't ever use wetting agent in the unit, it will build up and mess up the swirl pattern, causing streaking. Secondly, don't try to develop 12 sheets at a time. Limit them to six. For paper processing, you might want to look into a slot processor - built like a print washer only with independent slots for developer, stop, etc.

Brian Ellis
15-Apr-2007, 07:21
Mention of Jobo chemical requirements reminded me of another nice thing about the BTZS tubes, 2 ounces of working solution per sheet of film. So if you do as I do and use D76 1-1 it only requires 6 ounces of stock solution to develop six sheets of film.

Stephen Willard
15-Apr-2007, 07:56
You might consider the JOBO ATL-1500. It is a portable film processor that can process E-6, C-41, and b&w film automatically in daylight. It is fully programmable and can maintain temperatures +/-0.1 deg C. It weighs 25 lbs, uses 115v, and has a footprint of 19x21.5x12" (LWH). All you need to do is load your film in tubes in the dark and then load it into the machine and turn it on. You could do it in the bathroom or in even in your kitchen.

Michael Graves
15-Apr-2007, 08:29
For 4x5 I found a King Concepts inversion tank. It uses about 2l of developer for 8 sheets of film. I have to admit, learning to load the sheets into the holder was interesting, but once I got the hang of it, I've never gotten an uneven sheet. It might be hard to find, though, since I don't think they make them any more. 5x7 and 8x10 get the treatment in my home-made tray liners. 4 5x7s at a time and 2 8x10s.

Bob Salomon
15-Apr-2007, 08:40
I've used the Combi plan for years with good results. A couple of suggestions though. Don't ever use wetting agent in the unit, it will build up and mess up the swirl pattern, causing streaking. Secondly, don't try to develop 12 sheets at a time. Limit them to six. For paper processing, you might want to look into a slot processor - built like a print washer only with independent slots for developer, stop, etc.

Processing 12 sheets of B&W at a time is no problem but some users prefer to pre-wet them before loading back to back. Some teachers advise students to cut a piece of fiber glass widow screening to the same size as the film and sandich with the film as a seperator. All three methods work depening on your practicing to see which works best for any one individual.

But back to back processing of color film will not work in the Combi-Plan.

If you can find Rudi Dietrich's instructions that he wrote for the old Calumet's newsletter you would find it helpful for using the Combi-Plan.

Ben Chase
15-Apr-2007, 10:43
You might consider the JOBO ATL-1500. It is a portable film processor that can process E-6, C-41, and b&w film automatically in daylight. It is fully programmable and can maintain temperatures +/-0.1 deg C. It weighs 25 lbs, uses 115v, and has a footprint of 19x21.5x12" (LWH). All you need to do is load your film in tubes in the dark and then load it into the machine and turn it on. You could do it in the bathroom or in even in your kitchen.

$4,000 to process my B/W film? Seems a little extreme for my needs. I use the pro lab in town to do my E-6/C-41 and have never had any issues. If was was processing large quantities of film and charging people for it, I might consider something like this, but I maybe come back with 5 sheets of film/day on my outings. I tend not to even pull the camera out unless I know exactly what I want.

I'll try some of the tank combo's here first to see if there is anything to be gained by doing it myself. I appreciate everyone's advice.

Thanks,

Ben

Chris Strobel
15-Apr-2007, 10:47
Are you going to print these inkjet or coventional?


Hi folks,

I've been shooting color and B/W for the last 6-7 years, always having the professional lab in town processing all of my film, and I'm beginning to come to the realization that to get the results I want with B/W, I'm going to need to process myself.

Here are some of the challenges that I need to overcome:

1 - Very little room for trays, etc in both of my bathrooms.
2 - Uncertainty about the hardness/softness of my tap water supply
3 - I'm a developing NOOB.

Essentially what I want is:

1 - The ability to precisely control the development process (temperature, time, etc)
2 - Preferably low-profile (doesn't take up a lot of space) equipment.
3 - Advice on how to dispose of used chemicals safely.

I've really only shot just T-Max, as I've been spoiled on the Readyload/Quickload habit since I started LF. So in addition, I'm not exactly sure where to begin with shooting some of the other Ilford films. I'm about a 80% Landscape, 10% Architecture, and 10% Portrait shooter.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Ben C

Ben Chase
15-Apr-2007, 10:57
Are you going to print these inkjet or coventional?

Typically, I have my B/W printed through one of WCI's two Piezography printers, typically the carbon black. I do plan on trying the Crane Museo Silver Rag printed with the Epson 9800 using K3 Photo Black, but I haven't seen how that compares to the Piezo prints yet.