tray developing: which timer?

[Jim Noel]

I have two timers always running. One is analog and glows inthe dark. I set it for the development time - 10 seconds. Te other is digital with red numerals. it signals each 30 seconds for agitation, and counts downthe final 10 secondsof development. It is an enlarger table below the sink and about 3 feet from my tray. I have never had fogging of any film, B&&W or color when done in trays.

[Doremus Scudder]

There are many timers that will do the job. A timer with glow-in-the-dark hands, like the Gralab will do just fine. The small bit of light won't affect development. Likewise, a timer with a dim red LED readout will work. My timer of choice is the Zone VI compensating timer, with red LEDs. I have it mounted on a wall at the back of the sink and shielded from direct view of the developing tray with a piece of cardboard. There are a lot of other darkroom timers with similar readouts, like the digital Gralab timers. They would be great as well.

Another approach is to count seconds, like Randy suggests. At my apartment in Vienna, I developed film in total darkness using a digital cooking timer and a metronome. I started the metronome, set to 60 beats per minutes (i.e., one per second) before turning out the lights. The oven timer I preset for the developing time and started it when developing began. The oven timer beeped at the end of developing time only. I used the tick-tok of the metronome to agitate by. Usually I shuffled a sheet from the bottom of the stack to the top every five seconds. It's pretty easy to just count to five over and over. When the oven timer went off, I transferred the film to the stop bath. Maybe something similar will work for you.

Best,

Doremus

[freecitizen]

I have an ancient device called a tape recorder. I made a recording of myself as a speaking stopwatch ........

I just play that. Works a treat.

[Jeroen]

I wrote an Applescript (Mac only) that speaks out how much time is left for preparation, development, stop bath, and fixing. The script also dims the screen so I can bring the Mac into the darkroom.

[quigon]

Wow, lots of suggestions and ideas. Thanks everybody. I think I 'd like to get one of those light tight trays. I have to find a suitable one in Italy (that's where I live). Alternately I may stick to total darkness and buy a gralab with glow-in-the-dark hands. If I fail in getting one, I shall have to ... count 1001-1002 etc, but the idea to record my voice and play it is very cool. Thanks again.
Luigi

[Peter Lewin]

I use the same model ZoneVI compensating development timer as Doremus, and taped a small piece of neutral density filter over the read-out, to dim it even more. It is mounted on the wall behind my sink, and I have never had a fogging issue from the dim LED numerals. But my one suggestion, not mentioned in other posts, is that you get a foot switch to operate whatever timer you choose. I tray develop in open trays, and one hand is used to "corral" the negatives (keep them in one place) while the other hand shuffles the negatives in the developer. Being able to operate the timer with my foot is very convenient when moving the negatives from tray to tray.

[Willie]

Find some music you enjoy and duplicate, putting voice reminders of the time in the track so you can listen to it while you develop in the dark.

[neil poulsen]

I use a timer at eye level with an LED readout. It has a dimmer, so that it can be used while developing film. But in addition, I've placed two or three green filters in front of the LED's to further reduce the intensity. (Still easy to read.)

Not trusting only to dimming, I have a black card that extends out horizontally several inches from just under the LED readout that prevents any direct LED light from reaching the film.

[Bill Burk]

I use CompNtemp which chimes on thirty seconds and I set it to chime 5 times at the end.

[Drew Wiley]

I don't trust ANY kind of timer, no matter how dim, if film in the tray can "see" it from that position. I learned that the hard way, even with the timer clear at the opposite end of the sink. I set such things on a shelf fully below the sink where no light reaches the film at all. I normally use the Zone VI compensating dev timer, which can be set for real time in seconds as well.