Agitation during paper development?

[jlpape]

Hello,
I have been wondering about agitation of the developer during developing of prints. I use Dektol and Ilford MGRC paper. I have my exposure set to develop the paper for 2 minutes, and up to now rock the tray back and forth during the development cycle. Is there a general rule for this agitation? Would the agitation influence the contrast of the print?
Thanks,
Jim

 

[Bob-D659]

Not agitating will be worse. Just be consistent, the main rule when doing darkroom work.

 

[jlpape]

Thanks Bob,
I have been pretty consistent in my approach, but I guess to rephrase my question... is there an advantage to agitating less... am I driving too much contrast by continuous agitation during development?

 

[ozphoto]

I too just rock the tray back and forth. Nothing fancy, just enough movement to keep the solution moving over the paper. Same goes for stop and fixer - ensures I get nice, even development and that the paper fixes properly.

 

[jlpape]

OK... Good, appreciate the confirmation.

 

[gainer]

Paper is usually developed to its maximum contrast. Any effort to hold back in order to reduce contrast or density usually results in a poor print with muddy blacks and often with uneven development. In old times, there were bromide papers that could be so manipulated to some extent. Now we use different grades or multigrade papers.

 

[JBrunner]

Paper is usually developed to its maximum contrast. Any effort to hold back in order to reduce contrast or density usually results in a poor print with muddy blacks and often with uneven development. In old times, there were bromide papers that could be so manipulated to some extent. Now we use different grades or multigrade papers.

Yes, as Pat says, with modern multigrade papers you are usually developing to completion, so gentle agitation merely helps all of the print get there. In developing paper to completion you are making the exposure of the paper the "variable" and that enables you to use the paper exposure step to exercise consistent control over the print. There are some methods of developing still in use where the contrast of the print is manipulated during development, such as water bath and two bath development techniques, most often used with graded paper, but those are specific techniques with specific developers, the nuances of which must be learned.

 

[dancqu]

...and up to now rock the tray back and forth during the
development cycle. Is there a general rule for this agitation?
Would the agitation influence the contrast of the print? Jim

Solution volume and dilution are factors to consider. Also, the
volume of prints put through. Rocking the tray in my view is
for all practical purposes no agitation at all. Doing no more
than rocking I'd worry about uneven development.

Agitation is a stirring, churning, mixing. I include some rocking
of the tray but the rocking follows a mixing and churning of the
developer. The mixing and churning is accomplished by pulling
the print over upon itself; back to front, right to left. Another
move I employ with tray flat on counter are rapid to and fro
and circular movements. Helps to refresh the chemistry at
the emulsion-solution interface.

All other things being equal I'd expect a wee bit more
contrast with increased AGITATION. Dan

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

Once I had a stack of 5x7 prints on Multigrade warmtone that I decided to develop all at once. So I threw them all in the developer and shuffled them like a deck of card. I think I over-did it because the prints were a bit darker than when I developed only one at a time.

Increased agitation may increase contrast, but you will not see a huge difference. Fiber papers tend to react a bit more to the developing technique than RC papers.

 

[jlpape]

Thank you all for your responses.

 

[analogsnob]

A procedure that works followed religiously is better that being "correct" occaisionally. That said we were always taught that the propper method was to raise a corner of the tray about 1" and drop then go to the opposite corner and repeat so you got a pattern of far left near right far right near left continuously through the time with 15 seconds drain time before placing in the stop. Bigger trays we raised 2".

When shuffling prints in quantity be sure you start with a blank or some one that is readily seen as different. Do no more than can be shuffled into the tray in 30 seconds, shuffle (bring the bottom print to the top continuously) at the end of the developer time beginshuffling into the stop with the first one you put in the developer in that way you minimize the differance in developer time between first and last.