Beginner's guide to developing 4x5" sheets

[Brian Ellis]

So far I have done trays and combiplan. I get kinda bored with trays as it is very simple tedious and you have to stay in the dark most of the time (until it's been in the fixer 2 minutes by my estimation). I still use trays for 8x10 as there aren't so many options for that. A jobo could do it, but it would probably be more work to setup and clean it afterwards than the time wasted standing in the dark tending to 8x10 in a tray. . . .

A minor point - you don't need to wait two minutes after film has been in the fix to turn the lights on. The stop bath neutralizes the alkaline developer in the film emulsion and that immediately stops further development. The fix is just removing the unreduced silver halide that is in the film's emulsion. So you can turn the lights on as soon as the film hits the fix tray. Actually you can go a step further and turn them on once the film is in the stop bath which is what I did because I never liked standing around in the dark.

[JRFrench]

I do the same as Brian, its quite cool to watch the image clear in the fixer. You can also see the effects of turning on the lights at different stages when using paper especially, when in dev, and stop etc.

[Oren Grad]

First, normal chemicals for developing black & white film are quite safe. Just don't drink them! The reason that some of us may wear gloves and masks is because alternative methods use chemicals which are not safe. Any normal film developer from Kodak or Ilford is safe to handle without protection.

It's worth noting that some people are allergic to metol, a very common developing agent that is an ingredient in many commercial and home-brew film and paper developers. If you are in any way unsure about what you are doing or about your risk, it's always reasonable to use gloves.

[Peter De Smidt]

It's a good idea to practice with some film with the lights on. It can be trash negatives that you've already developed.

For 4x5 film, I use four 8x10 trays. If fill them at least half full with solution.

Step 1: Ttake the stack of film, all of which is all emulsion down, in your right hand. Take one sheet in your left hand with your thumb and middle finger. Hold the film parallel to the surface of the liquid. You can use your pinkie to feel for the edge of the tray.

Step 2: drop the negative from about an inch up flat on the surface of the liquid such that it makes a plopping sound. You don't want to angle the film, as a corner could then go down and scratch other sheets. At least it wouldn't be on the emulsion side.

Step 3: Push sheet down with pinky of left hand.

Step 4: Repeat steps 1-3 for each sheet. Start with only 4 or so sheets.

Step 5: use your hands to move all of the sheets into a stack in the lower left corner of the tray.

Step 6: With your right hand, take the lowest sheet out from the bottom by pulling it away and then up from the stack, and drop it on the surface of the liquid.

Step 7: Repeat step 6 as many times as there are negatives, plus 1. So if there are 6 negatives. Do step 6 seven times.

Step 8: Turn the whole stack 90 degrees clockwise.

Step 9: Go back to step 6 and repeat until about 15 seconds before the time for that solution is up.

Step 10: Drain stack and transfer into next solution.

For the developer, I like to shuffle continuously for the first minute. I then go through the stack +1 and turn stack every 30 seconds.

Consistency is key. A fairly long development time, say 10 minutes, helps with consistency. You can vary dilution and or temp to get the time into that range.

[sully75]

One cheap method that hasn't been mentioned is the "taco" method. This page describes it. This picture more or less sums it up:


I'm not necessarily recommending it (and it doesn't matter if I did because I'm pretty new to this) but I've used it once for 5x7 (two sheets in a 2 reel stainless tank) and it worked pretty well.

The advantages: you can do it in daylight, it's quite cheap on equipment, possibly less risk of scratching than in trays (though not necessarily).

Disadvantages: uses a fair amount of chemical (if you are flushing your spent developer), has it's own set of scratch potentials, not sanctified by the LF gods.

[Bill Burk]

Hi Lucian,
I've tried a Nikor 4x5 tank and had uneven skies and marks in the middle where the spiral rested. I read up on many other types of developing and decided to give tray processing a try. I use 3 11x14 trays dev/stop (I think it prevents pinholes which are devils to retouch)/fix and gloves (more for fingerprint and scratch prevention than fear of metol). I hang the finished negs with wooden clothespins hanging at an angle. The skies are pristine, which I wouldn't trade for anything - even though I occasionally get scratches that are my fault.
Take it as my vote for open trays.
Bill
Bill

[John Kasaian]

Hi all.
I am interested in doing my own b/w processing, however would need your advice before buying some stuff and doing my first tests.

While searching the forum i get the most popular methods are either by using the Combiplan, or straight tray developing which seems to be the simplest and cheapest method.

Now, what's not very clear:
1. how many trays will i need? im thinking about this 3 pieces set (for developer, fixer and water). is that enough for basic development?
2. what other accesories should i be looking for? (clips?)
3. should i do agitation by hand or using a film clip of some sort?
4. any cheap and practical ways of drying the sheets?
5. are the chemicals dangerous? some people seem to use hand gloves and face masks while developing. is that what you do?

Or, should i think again about the Combiplan?

Hopefully there will be people pacient enough to share their experience.

Thanks!

Trays are the cheapest & simplest. You'll need them anyway if you want to print traditionally. You'll want larger trays than the size film you're developing. Four trays are an inexpensive luxury so you might want to take advantage of it(if you have space for four trays on your counter) If you are working in a bathroom you can fill a sink with water and that will take the place of a tray dedicated to being a water bath. Water trays do not need to be chemically resistant plastic---an ordinary food storage container "liberated" from the kitchen wil do the job.

You will need a graduate cylinder (or something like it) for mixing your chemicals and diluting stock solutions into working solutions, a stirring stick of some sort (tongue depressors work nicely, or a really big swizzle stick )and storage containers for your chemical stock solutions.

Mine are old brown glass jugs which were given to me by a pharmacist. I don't know if many medicinal syrups come in glass jugs any more. The plastic bottles that hydrogen peroxide come should work as well (you've just got to find a use for all that hydrogen peroxide!) Green glass wine jugs will work too if you can replace the metal caps with plastic (do label them as chemicals so guests won't be tempted to pour themselves a drink!)

You will also want a thermometer dedicate for chemical use. Most photograohy stores sell them,
Wooden clothes pins, as others have mentioned work fine for hanging up film to dry and a drop of photo-flo (or home made equivalent) really helps to prevent water spots.
I believe somebody already mentioned a timer, so let's see....a radio or other music machine is a pleasant companion in the dark room.

[lmlmlm]

As Brian suggested i improvised a talking timer by recording my own voice on the phone. That's a good trick!

Here's another question: how i am supposed to read the thermometer in the dark? is there a special kind of darkroom thermometer, or..?

[Vlad Soare]

When I started shooting 4x5" I didn't even want to hear about tray development. I read a lot about various development methods and finally went for a Jobo 2523 tank with a 2509n reel.
However, after taking a workshop with Michael and Paula, where they demonstrated developing by inspection, I realized that tray development is very easy and convenient, and the inspection thing is really awesome.

In fact, I'm surprised that the inspection method isn't more popular, given how many people develop film in trays. If you already develop in trays anyway, why would you not want to inspect?

For tray development I use a radio alarm clock with luminous, dark green digits. The light level is extremely low and doesn't fog the film (as a precaution, I placed the clock as far away as I could, and it's facing away from the trays).
There are analog darkroom timers with glow-in-the-dark hands, but I don't like them. They get dimmer and dimmer with every passing minute, and unless you "load them up" by keeping them in a strong light beforehand they can become almost invisible by the time the development ends.
I don't read the thermometer in the dark. I just start with the developer at 20 degrees Centigrade. I'm not worried about the developer warming up, because I inspect the film and stop the development when the desired density is reached.

Those 18x24 cm trays seem a little too big for 4x5" film to me. I find 13x18 cm trays to be perfect.

Vinegar stinks. Go to any supermarket and get "sare de lămîie" (for non-Romanian speaking members, the direct translation would be "lemon salt", though I don't know if this is its actual name in English). That's citric acid. It's very cheap, dissolves instantly even in cold water, and doesn't smell at all. Half a teaspoon in half a liter of water gives you a pH of about 2.5.

[Brian Ellis]

As Brian suggested i improvised a talking timer by recording my own voice on the phone. That's a good trick!

Here's another question: how i am supposed to read the thermometer in the dark? is there a special kind of darkroom thermometer, or..?

I haven't read this entire thread so I may be missing something but why would you need to read a thermometer, in the dark or otherwise, once you start the development process? And of course before that point you aren't in the dark.