taco method elastic re-use?

[rob cruickshank]

Silly question- I'm trying out the taco method, and was wondering, for those who use the fabric covered hair elastics, if there's any chance of contaminating developer with re-used elastics. I'm guessing it's unlikely, but can't remember anyone mentioning this. I've already told my girlfriend that if she uses any of mine for their intended purpose, the chemicals could cause her hair to fall out, so giving her the used ones might be tricky, if people are using them as one-shots.

[Erik Larsen]

Hi Rob, I've just used rubber bands with no ill effects that I could discern from re use.
Erik

[darr]

Rob,

Go to Walgreens, Walmart, Eckerts, etc. and purchase a bunch of inexpensive hair bands. I have been using them in my hair since a young girl, and I buy them in a pack of about 20-30 at a time. I know you can find some cheap throw-a-ways that will work and not scare the hell out of your girlfriend!

[rob cruickshank]

Thanks- yes, getting cheap ones is no problem, but I'd rather reuse them if I can, rather than going to the dollar store all the time. I'm going to try plain rubber bands, also.

[Alan Davenport]

I would never consider reusing those hair bands. Once you introduce leftover stop or fixer into your developer, you've lost control.

[Nigel Smith]

I reuse std rubber bands.

[Jim Galli]

explain to me why if the wash cycle was good enough for your film, it wasn't good enough for a rubber band?

[D. Bryant]

Silly question- I'm trying out the taco method, and was wondering, for those who use the fabric covered hair elastics, if there's any chance of contaminating developer with re-used elastics. I'm guessing it's unlikely, but can't remember anyone mentioning this. I've already told my girlfriend that if she uses any of mine for their intended purpose, the chemicals could cause her hair to fall out, so giving her the used ones might be tricky, if people are using them as one-shots.
Sorry to demonstrate my ignorance but what is the taco method?

Don Bryant

[Erik Larsen]

Sorry to demonstrate my ignorance but what is the taco method?

Don Bryant

Don, it is a way to develop sheet film in a roll film tank or similiar. You basically fold your negative into a taco shape and secure it with rubberbands and them you can fit five or four 4x5's I think into a standard 2 reel daylight tank. It uses a lot of chemicals however but works fine if daylight developing is your thing.
regards
erik

[rob cruickshank]

Sorry to demonstrate my ignorance but what is the taco method?

Don Bryant
It's a clever method for developing sheet film in a roll-film tank:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/largeformat/discuss/72157594305554218/?search=4x5+sheet+tank

@alan davenport- that's what I fear
@ Jim Galli: that's what I hope.
Right now, I'm just playing around, I'm not doing it with anything that can't be reshot.

[dagabel]

I've used this method successfully:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=30099

Duane

[rob cruickshank]

I've used this method successfully:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=30099

Duane

Interesting. Thanks! That's definitely worth a try. There are sleeves of loosely woven nylon material used for bundling cables together that might also work for this method, if i can find a large enough diameter. (it's fiendishly expensive stuff, but is sometimes available as surplus)

[timbo10ca]

I'm surprised nobody is having problems with marks from the elastic, or the screen in the "soft tube" method- the first time I tried my home-made tubes I was using the screen to get the film out easier- got screen pattern I couldn't remove on the back of one of the sheets. Could never figure out why.....

[77seriesiii]

my taco exploration was not that successful. First when I put the film down and then picked it up, I turned it around and the emulsion ended up on the wrong side of the taco. My mistake entirely and mostly with technique. When I sorted the self made mess out and processed normally, I still ended up with lines on the backside of the film. I am using Fomapan 100 4x5, so maybe that film doesnt like the hair bands I am using. All four sheets, processed correctly ended up with faint hair band lines on the back side, all bands were new and only used once...a poor attempt to control my experimentation. It should be noted I am very new at the LF area so am still very much in the learning/experimentation mode. Currently rethinking taco method and will pursue tray or inexpensive tank. Just didnt work so well for me and I am not sure how I can consistently create good negatives.

Good luck with the taco method, tried it didnt work so well for me.

Erick

[al olson]

If those marks are on the film base, it could be because the antihalation layer was not cleared properly because it was protected by the elastic or by the screen.

Have you tried putting them back into hypo clearing agent for a few minutes and then washing again to see if that will remove the marks?

It may be a useful procedure to remove the film from the tube after the fix cycle and place them in a tray of HCA to clear the base.

[timbo10ca]

If those marks are on the film base, it could be because the antihalation layer was not cleared properly because it was protected by the elastic or by the screen.

Have you tried putting them back into hypo clearing agent for a few minutes and then washing again to see if that will remove the marks?

It may be a useful procedure to remove the film from the tube after the fix cycle and place them in a tray of HCA to clear the base.

I'll keep this in mind if I ever try the taco method or find I'm getting too many scratches in my tubes requiring me to re-try the screen. You figure HCA would clear it? I thought the fix would be the one to do the job............