kymtman

Here is a plan to build a 4x5 sheet film developing tube that will

maintain temperatures during processing for the sum of $15.00 This

one I have proven to work beautiful. Before you use it make sure it

is cleaned and dried throughly. The negatives come out beautiful.

I have been processing T-Max 400 with Microdol-x 1:3 for 15 minutes

then wash, stop, wash, fix for 5 min. I thought of selling mine but

no way would I depart from mine. Going to go buy 3 more jugs. Wal-

Mart sells these for $15.00 and they are not the coffee mugs. They

are for soup etc. Try it you'll like it.

Yes you can use rodinal; the chart says 1:50 for 4.5 minutes

http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.html

select the link above and copy to clipboard and paste in your address bar and check it out yourself.

Oh by the way; I have some film B&W 25 asa super fine grain coming from former Russian soviet block. Should be in this week. give me your email and when it comes I will give you the info that is on the film. rtincher@prtcnet.org

Yes you can use rodinal; the chart says 1:50 for 4.5 minutes

http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.html

select the link above and copy to clipboard and paste in your address bar and check it out yourself.

Had some trouble at first with antihalation dye streaks on film back, but took a fellows advice on one thread and dried my tube before inserting the film. Now everything is O.K.

I am a beginner also and I will try anything, I pulled the darkslides off the film holder and droped them into a cut off oil can of developer, after I had washed it in the cleaning solvent "XX", Throwed a light proof vinyl fabric over it and turned on the safe light and when completed the cycles found that the anti-halation layer was not removed (a pretty blue-red). I had some sodium sulfite and washed for 5 minutes, then used de-ice fluid mixed with water to final wash and dried and printed. no problem so far. I'll check on them in a month if they are still there (ha ha) and let ya know!

Just completed a 4x5 T max in a crafted stainless steel tube. I bought a soup Thermos at Wal-Mart ($16). The lid is a sealed plastic insulated lid. On top of the lid is a circle that I cut through and removed. I removed the styrofoam and noticed there was two steps with two different size circles. I cut a piece of plastic from an old Texaco antifreeze jug to fit in the top circle with a notch out of one side. Drilled a 1/2" hole in the center of the lid and placed the light baffle piece that I had just made where the styrofoam was. this allowed the fluid to pass into the jug without light entering. I found a lid to a can of black spray paint and cut out the center and it just fit into where the styrofoam was, holding down my light baffle and further insuring no light to enter. It takes 16 fl.oz. to fill. I used Microdol-x 1:2 for 14 minutes to dev. the drain stopbath and fixed for 5 minutes. While I was at wall marts I got a gallon of de-icer fluid which I mixed 1 part with 2 parts of water to final rinse my neg. Used it before and works fine with no ill effect to the neg. I had a little problem with the negative touching its back side to the wall of the tube, causing the blue streak not to come off the back of the neg., no prob just let sit in sodium sulfite for five min. and looks great. I will work on the neg touching back prob and let ya know how it turned out. if you like this Idea email me and I will send the plans.

Don't throw away your propylene glycol, you can use it to de-ice your windshield this winter.

On B&W film I used one part white vinegar-15 parts distilled water with good results. This is the same recipe that I use to clean window glass with out streaking, figured if it worked on glass why not film.

May not work for you , try on some old negatives.

Call me el' cheapo or whatever, but as for me I am new with 4x5 developing. Went to the dollar store and bought a four pack of Ziplock tubs that seal with the push of a finger in the center, they are about six inch sq. by 2.5" tall. After filling with dev.,stop,fix,

I stack them in order and take to the darkroom closet, along with a piece of lightproof upholster vinyl and my neg. I only do one at a time. open the dev tup slip in the neg and close seal and wrap with the upholster vinyl. Out of the closet for the duration to dev. then back in to repeat for the stop bath and fixer. Not to bad for a low budget. I am working on the ultimate system. I'll yell at you all when it is complete...........

At first I started to throw the whole mess out the door. I was using

1:1 for 6min. at 20deg cel. almost wiped out the image. Went to Kodak and told me to go with 1:3 at 24 deg cel for 16 minutes and now I have changed my mind about throwing the mess out! I had some film that was dated '99 and then I was sure it was gone but now I'm using it. It was hard for me to get over the pink cast (4x5) sheets}. I have been shooting 120, man what an image a 4x5 gives. Want to buy my medium format camera? Just kidding!

It's good to know that I am not completely crazy, but at 62 what can one expect. Where did Eastman get his plastic film material. I did not know that it was made at that time!! I wanted to at least try to do this process, just to know that I can. This is America. We do things just to satisfy, don't we? I have 21 grandchildren and they are amazed at the things that I do, and that is a reward in itself.

I have a question about the gelatin coated polyester, is it clear?

I have another project I am working on, applied for a patent pending on it, a new type cut sheet film holder and a developing tank to develope the film in without taking the film out, tested superbly and should start mass production before winter starts, also a new tank to develope ready loads in without the strip down, I'll post as soon as I have a few ready. anyone interested give me a reply.

Went back and found the web site

 

http://www.darkroompro.com/darkroom/formulas/emulsion/plate.html

How much different would it be to make negatives from plastic sheets,

than make glass negatives. At todays prices I am inclined to try.

I want to know if anyone ever tried this. In glass plate making you

first subb the glass with a gelatine thin base with plain gelatin at

the grocery store. then with the final coat You use a more refined

gelatin and silver salts recipe that you can find on the net, I'll

try to get the web address if anyone is interested. I read the

formulas for three different asa speeds, didn't seem to complicated.

find most chemicals at the drug store.... once I made gun powder when

I was just a lad. Almost blew up the place!!! Love to hear from

anyone interested in making their own negatives.

Correction on the Date: The company was formed during this date.

the images are around late 1800 or early 1900s/// glass dry plates were out about 1880 made from gelatin and silver halide i think, or was it silver bromide?

1851 Frederick Scott Archer publishes collodion wet plate process

1851-1880 Collodion wet plates in common use

1871 Richard Leach Maddox invents gelatin dry plate process

1880-1920 Gelatin dry plates in common use

I am in the same boat, the camera I bought has no bellows! I purchased

a side of pig skin from Tandy leather,(hasn't got here yet). Now what do i do? Talked to a crafter told me to mark our the folds on both sides, wet the skin and use the round-edge straight chisel (don't have one, gona make one) then tool the marks on the reverse-side of the bend. The side under the hills and the side in the valleys. This way no marks are seen on the outside. Let dry. Glue together and then fold the bellows. Think this will work? Any suggestions?

I got the chance to scan some glass negatives made in St.Louis Mo. back in 1854. The images were yet emaculate. Glass was coated with eggwhite and silver bromide solution etc. don't know the exact solution and dried. Then shot the same as any film almost.The holders were a little different. I am going to try to coat glass with liquid light and shoot the negative and place on a black paper after developing, I hear it is simular to the old tin type. can anyone elaborate on this line?

Solution #412:

in your darkroom or in the room of choice, mine is the bathroom, preferibly the tub, I use a spray bottle a and wet down every thing slightly, this increases the humidity some but it seems that the film dries quicker this way for some reason. I also use the same idea where I dry my prints. Have little problem with dust.

Solution # 154:

Use a liner made from a 5x7 negative with no image or other cello

material fashioned to fit the complete inside diam of your tube. Your tube to be longer that 4x5 film. when you place film in tank, place farther down leaving your liner exposed. your tube has been recessed at the end for a thumbnail catch, as in your film holder. When you pull the liner out, it will be the subject of abuse, not your negative.

I am in the process of making bellows, made a couple of vinyl and not to pleased. Goint to try a nylon with pvc coating like lugage is made of........ here is a web site http://www.americanhomeandhabitat.com/catagories/fabric.htm

you can buy one yard or one hundred.

You will truly enjoy MF quality. I have a Canon D60 and love it, but when I shoot B&W I want film. I process my own. Scanned film I do not like so well, so when one wants B&W I shoot and print film. I have a Bronica that I bought on e-bay. I have a Kiev and it broke after five rolls of film. (junk) don't waste your money on junk save up and buy a good camera and especially a real good lens. Russian lens are good for portraits because of softness they produce. The Bronica lens are excellent in sharpness......go for the Gold!

Have you tried test strips (alkali) you can get them at the drug store. Test each dilution and record. Record full strength and 1:1 use the test strips data with mfg. recomendations and apply a little math. and go for it. Keep good records. You will find a curve close to x cubed.

I need to know what would be the least amount of developer that would

develope a 4x5 sheet film B&W and also color. I want to NOT reuse the

developer, and will it take longer to develop the negative if you use

full strength 1:1 until it is timed out and diluted? I will be using

Kodak readyload 4x5 B&W T-Max 100. I want to thank you in advance

for anyone with the acurate responses. Thank you.

Now that I have your attention can you tell me how many fluid oz. of

developer would be the min. amount to develope a 4x5 sheet film? This

is by employing all of its strength where the developer would not be

reused..............or milli liters even, I'll do the conversion.

I am an old man of 62 but only 21 in spirit! Thanks in advance for

your suggestions.

An old gentleman photographer friend of mine told me to eliminate dust from entering the darkroom when the door was open was to pull the air through a filter from the outside, creating a higher pressure value inside the room and then when the door was opened dust would leave the room rather that being pulled from another room within into the darkroom. There is a new device being advertized that collects smoke and dust by means of electrostatic inductance. the cost is rather high around $300.///// Dust is a concern of mine in the negative dryer..it is hard to contain a dust free enviroment.

If the amount of incoming air is greater than the exhaust air there is a pressure build up inside the room. Always maintain a clean filter when using incoming air, depending or your location the air is almost always dirty.