Basic question on minimal agitation, stand, & semi-stand development.

I just cover my developing tray with another tray and slip quickly out the darkroom door. Never had problems.

I am gonna be trying it soon. I like that one poster has done it with color neg and slide film as well. If you use a tube for semi-stand, does it not need to have enough chemical to cover the entire negative when it is in the upright position?

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Originally Posted by Steven Ruttenberg

If you use a tube for semi-stand, does it not need to have enough chemical to cover the entire negative when it is in the upright position?

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Sure! And for 8x10, it's quite a lot of developer. However, it's also very dilute, so the amount of developer expended (Rodinal, in my case) isn't that great.

I plan to try EMA soon...and would be using open trays (six 5x7 trays in one 20x24 tray for developing step only). So my question is: any issues doing EMA in open trays...negatives face-up...horizontal orientation?

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Originally Posted by John Layton

I plan to try EMA soon...and would be using open trays (six 5x7 trays in one 20x24 tray for developing step only). So my question is: any issues doing EMA in open trays...negatives face-up...horizontal orientation?

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Hi John, After I had success with this EMA form of development I tried one session in a tray, hopelessly uneven and underdeveloped. Naturally, I abandoned the tray in favor of single standing tube and have never looked back. Because the lights were obviously off I had no way of knowing if the film floated to the top surface and therefore not developed properly and evenly, that is my guess. I say that because I wash each piece of 5x7" film in a single 8x10 tray of slow running water. Can't explain it but about 30% of the time a particular piece of film simply will not stay submerged no matter what I do. So, for me, I simply would not risk a piece of film rising to the surface during the development stage. Hope that helps

When I employ stand developement I put my 4*5 film in translucent white tubes with stoppers (picked them up somewhere, I believe they were used to send blood samples to labs), fill it with diluted PyrocatHD (1:1:250) to the brim, put the tubes in the dark in a black plastic bag (from your photo paper), rubber band around it, switch on the light, rotate for 1 minutes, every 15 minutes another 1 minute until 1 hour has passed..

hope this helps..

best,

Cor

About 15-years ago someone found a welding rod tube that was a perfect size for 8x10. It was light proof black plastic. J&C bought a bunch and sold them while they were in business. Maybe the original company still makes them.
They were something like these.
http://rodguard.net/