tray developing: which timer?
Hi everybody,
I do much of my film developing in trays, in complete darkness. I have to check the time for proper agitation, so a simple acoustic timer won't do. Is there a timer which shows the passing of minutes (remember: I'm in complete darkness)?
Luigi
4 Attachment(s)
Re: tray developing: which timer?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
quigon
Hi everybody,
I do much of my film developing in trays, in complete darkness. I have to check the time for proper agitation, so a simple acoustic timer won't do. Is there a timer which shows the passing of minutes (remember: I'm in complete darkness)?
Luigi
You may place the tray inside a light tight box, like a paper safe or similar, so you develop with lights open, after development you close lights to open the paper safe and to move the sheets to the stop bath, and after some 40 second you may open lights to do the reset lights open, light won't harm once development is stopped.
You may purchase this tank
Attachment 192461
You may place the sheets in surgical baskets not have to put hands inside developer to move the sheets out
Attachment 192462
You may place your tray inside a light tight box, cheap
Attachment 192463
You may place dividers in a 8x10 tray to develop 4 sheets, but baskets (Jim Noel technique) are better.
Attachment 192464
Re: tray developing: which timer?
Extremely interesting, thanks very much
Luigi
Re: tray developing: which timer?
“...light won't harm once development is stopped.”
Yes it will, once it is in the fix you can safely turn the lights on.
Re: tray developing: which timer?
I have a Gralab timer (forgot which model as I've owned it for 40 years) mounted to the wall behind the sink. It's about 3 feet from my eyes to the timer. Since the numbers and hands have "glow in the dark" stuff on 'em, I can just make out the time as it passes.
Re: tray developing: which timer?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bob Salomon
“...light won't harm once development is stopped.”
Yes it will, once it is in the fix you can safely turn the lights on.
Bob, with film I've never had a problem by opening lights after 40s in the plain water stop bath, I do it always. I checked it well in side by side tests with samples stopped and fixed in the darkness, no fog difference, measured with a precision densitometer.
With paper it's different, (if necessary) I open lights only if paper has been in the fixer for about one minute.
Re: tray developing: which timer?
I've been using a Gralab 300 timer for this. It glows in the dark. I am careful to keep it about four feet away from the tray and angled towards me and not so much the tray. Haven't had a problem.
Kent in SD
Re: tray developing: which timer?
For many years, I've been using a Gralab 900 digital timer with the LEDs set to dim. It is on the counter behind me, about a metre away. Never had an issue with fogging...
Re: tray developing: which timer?
Sometimes I just count the seconds, 1000...1...if I am not in my Darkroom.
I practice with the microwave boiling water for coffee.
Re: tray developing: which timer?
I have an audible timer set to indicate agitation intervals with one sound and then completion with another. It is not the only 'app' to do this of course, but the one I have is running on an Android tablet and imaginatively called 'Darkroom Timer'. It is possible to save preset agitation and completion intervals with a suitable name to recall them, rather than entering the data each time. It is quite convenient actually.