Which way do you prefer to develop your 4x5 sheet films

[mike rosenlof]

I use David Kachel's method of open-ended tubes in trays of chemical.

http://www.davidkachel.com/assets/trayproc.htm

I can do 5 sheets in an 8x10 tray. I do fix #2 and wash the sheets individually in sandwich size plastic containers. I have found with TMax films I needed to soak a few minutes in a alkalai solution after fix to remove the last of the antihalation backing. Since I use developers one shot, I use the about-to-toss developer for that purpose.

[analoguey]

Did you get the 'watermark' he refers to? The one that doesn't go away with fixing?

[Jim Noel]

Also with tray processing what do people use to time the developing etc.? No led timers etc allowed in "complete darkness". Gralab timer in a far away corner I guess.

A Gralab timer 4' or more away will not cause you a problem. I have one above the sink which has been there for over 30 years and never had a problem. Of course, it is facing me, not the film in the tray.

[Mark Stahlke]

I develop 4x5 sheets in a Combiplan tank and 8x10 sheets in trays in the bathroom. If I had a daylight tank for 8x10 I'd probably shoot a lot more of it.

[jnantz]

used hangers for years
( was taught originally to develop with hangers )
but i had trouble with a few hangers that marked my film
( or so i thought ) couldn't figure out which one it might have been
and had to reshoot a whole job because of it .. went to trays and never turned back ...
ive done as few as 1 sheet and as many as 40 ...

[mike rosenlof]

Did you get the 'watermark' he refers to? The one that doesn't go away with fixing?

The only issue I ever had was the antihalation dye not being removed, and that was only TMX and/or TMY which I removed by a few minutes in the just-used developer after fixing when the films were in their little sandwich trays.

[sepstein17]

I've had great results using a slosher which I had a local plastics mfg co make for me - handles four 5x7's at one time....Photog's Formulary has one for approx. $60 which will compartmentalize 6 sheets of 4x5 at one time -- all you'll need are trays and darkness and a timer and some chems. Good luck,

[DrTang]

I have a jobo deal that can hold 6

and after years and years and years of shakin and bangin and shoshing developer all over the kitchen table,

I discovered the fill it up, sit it down, and drink and watch tv for an hour method

how sweet that is!

[Kirk Gittings]

A Gralab timer 4' or more away will not cause you a problem. I have one above the sink which has been there for over 30 years and never had a problem. Of course, it is facing me, not the film in the tray.

Yes I have had Graylabs fog Tri-x in trays at even greater distance. Also Graylabs lose accuracy so test them. After 20 years with one I discovered mine was 1.5 MINUTES slow at a 10 minute setting.

[Maris Rusis]

Processing: 4 place slosher that fits an 8x10 tray.
Timing: VoiceCraft talking timer $20.