So, sponges...they should be wetted and wrung out before using.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
Fortunately the sponges are not essential to the operation of the drums! But we are also warned about hitting the bottom of the tubes with the sponge and break the seal in the drum.
"Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China
Watch for water trapped in the lid too.
The lid is both a light trap and a water trap in equal measures.
For what its worth, I load my tanks in the evening, process in the morning and leave them to dry all afternoon.
Martin
May I inquire why people don't load the drums full of water? No sticking and even application of the developer since they are prewet.
I don't load the tanks while they are filled with water for a number of reasons. First, I don't shoot that much film, and I have a number of tanks. It's rare that I would immediately reuse a drum. Second, I don't pre-wet my film. It's an unnecessary step for BW film, and Ilford, for example, recommends against it. If you do pre-wet film, time consistency is important. 3rd, it's a pain, and it would make me load the tanks in a sink, which I'd prefer not to do. 4th: bumping the tank in the dark could be very unfortunate. That's me. If it works for you, then you should continue doing so!
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
I tired once got the first sheet out on the dry side,and in the water on the wet side, then got water on my hand back on the dry side of the room on the holder and got the sheet out but sticky wet fingers bothered me, had to feel the drum to find the empty chamber and got the other hand wet and things went downhill after that dripping water back and forth.
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