8x10 film development

[joel_brown2]

After years of tray developing 4x5 film I wil be moving up to 8x10.

Can I tray develop the same way with 8x10 as I do with 4x5? I

use HC110 at 1:64 and develop 10-12 sheets at a time with a

develpment time of 17 minutes (one minute for complete pass).

Can I do maybe 5 sheets of 8x10 comfortably using the 1minute

pass?

Joel

[john_d._clark]

Joel, I develop 8x10s exactly the same way as 4x5s with one

possible exception -- I usually develop just one negative at a

time. I haven't gotten to the point where I can do more than one at

a time, and in general I don't have so many to do...

JDClark

[joel_brown2]

Thanks JD Clark. I have never developed one sheet of film

before. I'm not sure I could match the agitation to get a

predictable contrast. I will add 3 or 4 clear sheets,(I'm always

develping unexposed film by mistake) of film to the batch so that

I may stay with the 10 - 12 sheets I base my agitation time on.

With 8x10, I may have to change my developing habits as I too

won't be developing more than a few sheets at a time

[nicholas_f._jones]

I also develop one 8x10 sheet at a time, but, besides the matter of

maintaining uniform agitation from one sheet to the next, there is

another, equally serious complication--the gradual exhaustion of the

developer. Ideally, I think, with each successive sheet you should

increase development time proportionally while holding everything

else constant. Of course, the problem doesn't exist when all the

sheets are developed simultaneously by shuffling.

 

<p>

 

At this point, I've not yet run any tests on my preferred film format

& developer combination(s). One problem is that I don't yet really

know what the manufacturer's capacity figures are supposed to mean.

Kodak rates 1/2 gallon of D-76, stock solution, at eight 8x10's.

What happens when the ninth 8x10 is reached? Failure to develop? Or

is that the point when development time *first* must be increased

appreciably? Probably somewhere in between, but it would still be

helpful to know by what percentage the time should be increased for

each single sheet as it enters the solution. Nick.

[joe_lipka3]

There is no reason why you should not be able to develop multiple

sheets of 8x10 film in a tray. As mentioned earlier, you do need to

figure out the correct amount of developer for the number of square

inches of film to be developed. Or put another way, "How many sheets

of film can be developed in (for example) 2 liters of developer?"

 

<p>

 

You will need to test development times. I don't know if 4x5

emulsions and 8x10 emulsions are the same.

[david_goldfarb]

My limit is 8 8x10" sheets per 11x14" tray with 2 quarts of

chemistry, shuffling the stack once every 30 sec., but in practice, I

rarely do more than 6 sheets in a batch. I guess I could do more if I

were using a deeper tray and a film that liked to be shuffled once per

minute. Start with fewer sheets and work your way up to be sure

you're comfortable with it.

[henry_suryo]

Hi all,

I always seem to get scratches when processing multiple sheets in a

tray. So I just do one at a time. But for a lot of film, group

processing sounds great if I can eliminate the scratching.

[david_grandy5]

With dip and dunk process I was never able to get even development

when there were

even tones over large portions of the negative - like the sky. I

tried tray processing for a

little bit but I hated the mess it made and I was always afraid that

I'd pollute the

developer with stop or fix - which makes this a very expensive one

shot process.

 

<p>

 

So I got a Unicolor drum and roller and life has been good. With

8x10 I can do just one sheet

at a time, but after loading the film, everything else is in

daylight. I use about 250 ml of

developer solution which I throw away, insuring that the developer

is consistent and the

process repeatable. There isn't any mess and I get wonderful even

tones in those skies!

 

<p>

 

You are talking about doing a lot of film at one time and perhaps my

way isn't feasible.

But I'd hate to do all the shooting work and then mess up

(scratches, uneven development

& so on) by trying to process it all in a hurry. I also can do

something else while the film is being machine agitated, so while

I'm in the room, I don't have to sit there in the dark mindlessly

rocking a try back and forth.

 

<p>

 

One of the strengths of large format is to fine tune the process for

each negative. I use

kind of a soft zone (the only kind of zone that makes sense to me)

and I mark my film

holders to indicate flat lighting, or contrasty or whatever so I can

tweak the development

somewhat.

 

<p>

 

I sure that for well under $200 ($100?) you could get a Unicolor

roller and drum, and

after you see the results I doubt if you'd go back.

[michael_a._smith1]

Joel,

 

<p>

 

The answer is yes you can. We usually develop 8 sheets of 8x10 at a

time, but I have often gone to 10 or 12. Keep agitation constant. I

have found it impossible to get the negatives even when only one at a

time is developed.

[david_goldfarb]

The key to avoiding scratches and getting even results is to be sure

to have enough chemistry--at least one quart or litre per four sheets

in an 11x14" tray, and don't use a process that develops too

quickly--more dilute solutions and lower tempertures are to your

advantage in this regard.

 

<p>

 

When inserting the sheets into the fluid, don't insert edge first.

Pass the sheet in from the front of the tray to the back in a

sweeping motion with the leading edge bent up slightly, then pat the

sheet down with your fingertips.