Does loading a MOD54 ever get any easier?

<p>I'm a newcomer to LF but have processed roll film for a very long time: long enough that I can't remember how hard I found it to load spirals when I started, or how long I took to become good at it – certainly I can now load 35mm & 120 spirals in my sleep.</p>

<p>I have a MOD54 (not quite the latest version) and I'm finding it hard to get film into it without scarring the edge of the film (in the image area), and additionally hard to load film without getting <em>extremely</em> frustrated by the whole thing. I have probably loaded ~25 sheets so far. I found loading darkslides hard at first, but I can now do that pretty well, unlike with the MOD54 which seems to be getting no easier at all.</p>

<p>So, well, 25 sheets is not a lot of course, so may be I am just expecting to get good at if too quickly. On the other hand, I seem to be getting no better at all, which is depressing and expensive in terms of damaged negs (I suppose I could make a feature of the scars, in the same way people do by printing the whole neg including characteristic border marks...), so perhaps I should bite the bulled and try and find some more dedicated system.</p>

<p>So, if you're a MOD54 user, how long did it take you to become good at it? If the answer is "you never do get good at it" (which seems unlikely) what else do you use now?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Hey Tim:<br>

I recently bought this system, and find it very easy to use. Although it can process (6) sheets (if we're talking about the same system), I only process (4) sheets at a time. Not because it's easier (although it is), it's because of the chemistry. To get even and consistant results, it's recommended to use 1000ml of diluted developer per 1 (8x10) sheet of film. That's four sheets of 4x5.....</p>

<p>I place the first sheet back towards the base, and the second in the first slot, which gives a good spacing that you should be able to feel with your fingers. They usually stay in place during inversion agitation. On ocassion, the one in back will move into the second slot, but this doesn't matter. You still get even development.... For years I used the hanger/tank method, which still works fine, but it's nice to process in the light....I hope this helps. Practice with the lights on, with some dummy film (if you have not already tried this). I think you'll learn to love it. If not, there are other methods that work also...Good luck</p>

 

<p>Charles H: thanks. I probably need to bite the bullet and sacrifice some sheets of film to practising (may be I should look for some long-expired stuff cheaply).</p>

<p>On the other hand I've just hung up the negs the loading of which caused me to post this question and they look fine, so perhaps I'm doing OK. (Also the first time I've used Rodinal rather than ID-11 so I was fully expecting them to be sacrificial.)</p>

Yesterday I used the latest version of the MOD54 for the first time with mixed result as I will describe below. First the positive. After having practiced loading two dummy sheet of 4x5 in daylight, I had no problem whatsoever loading two exposed sheets into the MOD54 in total darkness. Since this was a test, I used two sheets, one in each of the outermost sets of fingers. I was actually surprised that loading in complete darkness was as easy as it was. During developing I always use, even with 35mm and 120 reels, the key that comes with the Patterson tank and just spin the reels inside for the required time interval. I never rap the tank on a counter to remove air bubbles and have never had any issues with bubbles hindering development of the film. I used this same procedure with the MOD54. Once the film was fixed, I opened the tank and the film sheets were in the same place I had placed them. I have read in other forums from other users of the MOD54 that the sheets had dislodged from the fingers .uneven development, but that was not the case in my experience with the MOD54. I washed the film in the tank while still in the MOD54 and hung the two sheets up to dry. Now the negative (no pun intended). Once the two sheets dried I examined them and to my horror there were in both sheets, scratches in the side opposite the emulsion. These were not mild scratches but rather deep gouges in the the FP4+ sheets of film which uses a rather thick film base stock. It looked as if they had been made by some type of metal element in contact with the film. I traced back my steps from loading the film into the holders and then to the processor, but could not find anything that might have caused this. I loaded the two exposed sheets back into the MOD54 and noticed that the location of the scratches was in the vicinity of the first set of fingers from the bottom of the unit. With this finding and the fact that in other forums users of the MOD54 have also reported scratched film sheets I concluded that the MOD54 is the culprit. The MOD54 is made from a somewhat soft plastic, probably a polyethylene, so its surprising that it could cause so much damage. If it were made from a hard plastic like a polycarbonate, I could understand it. Next I examined the MOD54 unit to see what could cause the scratches. Each of the horizontal elements of the unit has a thin line running right around each element which is where the two halves of the mold used to make each of these elements meet. I figured that if this mold line could be sanded out in the area of the fingers, the scratches might dissapear. To that end I used a tiny file on the edge of the top flange, but it made the surface rougher still. Next I used 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper, which is used to remove small scratches from lacquer painted surfaces, but that did not work possibly because the plastic of the MOD54 is too soft. I would like to know if anyone has found a solution to this problem. The MOD54 is potentially helpful in developing 4x5 film. However, if it cannot be prevented from scratching film, it is all but useless.

<p>Luis, considering that the scratches you found are not on the emulsion side I would think it took some force to leave a visible trace on the film. I don't see how such force can be applied while developing the film in the MOD54. I would rather suggest you check if the sheet was properly loaded in your 4x5 holder - if not then it can be scratched by the darkslide movement at the time of exposure. I ruined couple of sheets like that. I use the MOD 54 and never had a problem.</p>

In loading a MOD 54 (i have one too, but must admit that i haven't used it - only practiced loading a bit - because i switched to roll film on the 4x5s), and processing film in it, exposes the film to quite a bit more force, i'd say, than sliding a dark slide out or in does. The latter should not even apply force to the film at all, with the slide not supposed to touch the film.<br>All you need is a sharp point or edge and then surprisingly little force to leave a scratch.

<p>For anyone still checking this thread, I can confirm that yes, it does get easier. I've not loaded that many more sheets (maybe 20 since my original message), but I've somehow got over the edge of it all and it's no longer something I approach with fear. One change I've made is that I now only ever load 4 sheets at a time, rather than 6, which makes it a lot less critical (I have 4 double darkslides, so actually 4 makes more sense as I can then do 4 + 4 if I've exposed a full set of them).</p>

<p>Relatedly, I've also got to the point where I can actually take pictures with the camera without it being this enormous palaver of fiddling, dropping things and forgetting to close the shutter before opening the darkslide. I was beginning to wonder about selling it and going back to MF as it was so painful, but it turns out that, again, you fall over some edge and it all becomes, well, not easy, but possible and not unpleasant to do.</p>

<p>And printing from 4x5 is a joy!</p>

So far I have found the I obtain the best results with the MOD 54 when loading six sheets. This also maximizes the use of the chemistry. I am still getting small scratches on the film edges in the vicinity of the fingers but this does not happen in all of the sheets. In addition, the scratches have no effect on the finished print, which I have found quite surprising. So for now I will continue to use it.

<p>I am a recent user of the MOD 54 and have been getting a few significant and consistent scratches across the base side of the film. I think it's the corners of the incoming sheet of film scratching the middle of the sheet that is already loaded on the core. I may have to practice some more, but if my assumption is correct, all the sheets except for the ones loaded on the outside will have scratches. The only way to avoid this would be for the sheets not to touch each other at all, which would be rather difficult because we are using the center as a guide. Maybe tray/tank developing isn't so bad after all?</p>

I had a Mod54 a couple years back, after scratching sheet film that cost me hundreds of dollars in man hours, gas money

and film to shoot, I bought a Jobo 3010 and a motor base and realized what a waste of time and money the mod was. I

now have a CPP2 and two 3010 drums, will get third....

 

I can not for the life of me figure out why people spend hundreds if not thousands on shooting 4x5 only to use some pain

in the rear developing method that wrecks the film.

<p>Loading it gets easier but the problem I have is the black marks on the edge of my film sheets where it comes in contact with the MOD54 holder. There are scratches too but that's from my being a little careless. Does anyone else have the black marks on the edge of their film too?</p>

<p>If these MOD54 things were easy to load digital imaging would never have established a foot hold in the market. No, I'm just joking. Take some sheets of film you no longer need (ruined, scratched, fogged, outdated, etc.) into your work area. Practice with the lights on, a lot. Then practice with the lights out, a lot. You'll get it. I am sure. I have confidence in you. Practice is the key. I use Jobo and it took practice to get good at it.</p>