I wanted to drop a note to say that I did print the insert for the 2 reel tank and have had time to use it. I experienced several issues and will not use it anymore.
1. The film edges that are apposed to each other don't stay, and the outer edge usually moves outward between the insert and the sidewall of the tank. You can see this happening to all the sheets in this photo. This results in a lot of scratches as the film slides in and out:
(Nevermind that there are two films in the same slot in the photo. Apparently I double loaded the same slot in the darkroom. Operator error on that one.)
2. The side that touches the insert develops differently than the side that touches the tank wall. You can see large areas of difference that correspond to these to different sides of contact even though the emulsion side faces inward.
3. One of the frames had some sort of reaction with the insert plastic where it was touching it. I can only described the result as what looked like someone taking a Sharpie to the non-emulsion side and coloring on it permanently. Washing and fixing could not remove it.
4. The volume savings were the only thing that would have been nice. I went from using 750 mL for two 4x5 sheets to using 700 mL to process four. But in the end if only one frame or less turns out then I am actually wasting even more developer.
I cannot continue using the 2 reel insert as is. I am back to loading two sheets against the tank walls for now.
Bookmarks