emulsion up or emulsion down? (4x5 in trays)

[BetterSense]

I used to develop in trays, but switched to hangers because of scratching. The only way I never got scratches was to develop one sheet at a time, so hangers was faster. I'm going back to one-shot development, though, so 2 liters of developer needed for deep tanks is expensive, plus I have intermittent problems with evenness, which ruins probably about as many negatives as scratching did in trays.

My last batch of negatives I developed in an 8x10 tray, 6 at a time. One of the negatives came out scratched, again. I'm not sure if I scratched it during the shuffle or during the rinse/fix. I don't want to stand in the dark shuffling negatives in fixer so I kind of leave them loose in the tray and they kind of float amongst themselves.

Between trays and hangers, I'd prefer trays because I think development is more even and it uses slightly less developer. I think I will try with the emulsion down, slow down slightly, and put the film in hangars for the fix and rinse.

[John Bowen]

Emulsion side up

[MIke Sherck]

Emulsion side down works for me, 8-12 negatives at a time in 32 oz (1 liter) of solution in an 8x10 tray.

Mike

[Peter De Smidt]

I like emulsion down, as I shuffle the stack, pulling the bottom negative out and up, turning it, and plopping it down on the top of the solution. I put the emulsion down so that when I pull the bottom film out, the corner of another sheet doesn't come into contact with the soft emulsion.

[BetterSense]

I like emulsion down, as I shuffle the stack, pulling the bottom negative out and up, turning it, and plopping it down on the top of the solution. I put the emulsion down so that when I pull the bottom film out, the corner of another sheet doesn't come into contact with the soft emulsion.

Yeah that's how I do it, but I do it with the emulsion up. I wonder if people that go with the emulsion up also shuffle the other way around (top to bottom)?

[kev curry]

Or just start using BTZS tubes and be done with it...

[DanK]

Another for emulsion up....was always worried about scratches from the tray....I run short times, with pretty constant agitation....

But, I've really only seen scratches with large trays, and also switched to trays without ribs, in case I flip one...cescolite?....I use 5x7 trays for both 4x5 and 5x7 and 'used' trays for 8x10....although normally hangers with 4x5....

Thanks,
Dan

[Heroique]

My personal solution is emulsion side up in a slosher tray.

Below are slosher trays for 4x5 & 8x10.

Scratches, be gone!

[BetterSense]

Or just start using BTZS tubes and be done with it...

I've thought about it, but I develop by inspection, so BTZS tubse are right out. I develop xray film sometimes too.

I suppose a slosher would work, but I couldn't develop a whole grafmatic at once unless I got big trays and then my solution volume is going back up....

[Bob McCarthy]

I'd suggest a smaller tray so the negatives can never fully separate.

5x7 trays work well with 4x5

Bob