Alas, an 8X10 tube that really works!

[Alex Hawley]

Don, are you still using DBI with the tubes or running strictly by time.

Good invention Mike. I like your tube idea a lot. Good move taking out the aluminum liner. It would certainly have some sort of reaction with the chemicals I would think.

 

[Donald Miller]

Ron,

On minimal agitation I presoak for 5 minutes. I then add developer and agitate for 1 and one half minutes. Thereafter I agitate for 15 seconds at 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 of total development time. The information that I have received indicates that minimal agitation will make the film expose at a higher speed then the box speed. In the case of the Efke that I developed I rated it at 100. I will know more when I read the density of the film how much the speed needs to be adjusted. I would guess that a truer speed for Efke in minimal agitation would be 125 or even 150.

 

[Donald Miller]

Don, are you still using DBI with the tubes or running strictly by time.

Good invention Mike. I like your tube idea a lot. Good move taking out the aluminum liner. It would certainly have some sort of reaction with the chemicals I would think.

Alex,

I am strictly developing by time and temperature. I have found that this gives me more consistant negative density range then DBI.

 

[Alex Hawley]

Thanks Don. I was thinking DBI would be too cumbersome with tubes. Too much fumbling potential.

 

[Donald Miller]

Alex,

Yes I agree. Other then the one sheet of 8X10 damaged, I have not experienced any damage to 4X5 on either gentle or minimal agitation. The 8X10 was probably the sharpest negative that I have ever experienced from my efforts.

 

[Donald Miller]

The corresponding negative density range for the earlier reported minimal agitation Efke PL 100 (1-1-150 @70 degrees F) is as follows:

SBR 6 Developed 23 minutes Density range 1.10

SBR 7 Developed 19 minutes Density range 1.22

It would appear that the SBR 6 could be pushed out to 25 minutes.

 

[Silverpixels5]

Thanks for the info Don!

 

[Donald Miller]

Ron,
You are welcome. I have had the opportunity to print one of the negs that I developed earlier this evening. I am washing the print now and will post it a little later.

The results of minimal agitation/Efke is astounding. The 8X10 print from a 4X5 neg looks sharper then most of the 8X10 contacts that I have. Not only sharper but local contrast is much improved.

I am really looking forward to using this on 8X10 and 12X20 on Azo.

 

[juan]

I'm using a bit different method for a couple of reasons. First, I'm po'. (Pronounced as Poe - for those of you who are not Southerners the word refers to someone several orders of magnitude down the socio-economic scale than one who is simply poor.) Second, the concept of extreme minimal agitation began with the use of a tank - thus a larger amount of developer than one gets in tubes alone. Does this really matter? I don't know.

I simply cut a few tubes from some PVC I had and left them open ended. I load the film using the screen method and dunked the open ended tubes in paint buckets. A 1-gallon bucket will hold 8 tubes for 4x5 and requires 3500 ml of developer.


I do all my processing in the dark. An hour long development session is a good time for meditation, not spending money, and not IMing my advisor of all things post-modernist, Donald Miller. I agitate for 1.5 minutes at the beginning then for 10-seconds at 3/4, 1/2, and 1/4 by simply reaching over and jiggling the bucket.

The negatives are great - very sharp, but I did have a problem with scratches when I did some 8x10s. I suspect they scratched in the fixer or in the wash.

I used Efke PL100, and as I planned to print on Azo, I used times considerably longer than Don - 45 minutes for an "N" negative (SBR7?) at 1:1:150.

juan

 

[Donald Miller]

John,

I think that I am fair in saying that you are contact printing your negatives on Azo and that is why your times are considerably longer then what I indicated. The negatives, times, and densities that I obtained and that I mentioned in this post are for the purpose of enlarging.

Just wanted to mention this so that others aren't confused by what I said.

Post modernist huh? Hey I like the sounds of that...does that mean that I am old or what? Sometimes these fancy terms are beyond my one room school house education.

 

[bmac]

How has the tube worked out over time? Any problems yet?

 

[Donald Miller]

How has the tube worked out over time? Any problems yet?

Brian,
I am not sure if you are asking the question about the welding rod holder or the tubes that I use. My tubes are working very well. Development is more even then tray processing.

 

[bmac]

Both actually As you can probably gather, I'm itching for a new setup...

 

[Donald Miller]

Brian,

I am absolutely amazed by the sharpness and local contrast with Efke PL 100 and minimal agitation. My experience has been with 4X5 and the prints are better then contact prints from 8X10 using Classic 200, Bergger BPF 200, or FP4. I haven't tried it with 8X10 Efke yet...my Efke 8X10 should be in the end of next week.

This may not be what you are looking for since it doesn't use a motor base.

 

[mikepry]

Brian,
I can say that the welding rod tubes are working out great so far. I tried using ABS pipe(2") at first but found three things that I didn't like...
1) The weight of them
2) The ease of getting the caps on and off
3) Having to fix in a tray
With the Rod Gaurd tubes I have eliminated the pre soak with no difference in the end result at all(FP4). I know allot of people say to do it but on the other hand there are people that are just as firm on NOT doing it. Well I tried it and it works just fine without. I can load the tube up dry and fixing is done to completion inside the tube. These tubes are very lightweight and to screw the caps on and off is very quick and easy. I have since contacted the Manufactuer and I can get these tubes in BLACK but I have to buy 48 of them. If any one on this forum wants to purchase with me, we can get them for under 5.00 each. The company sent me one so as I could try it to see if it was light tight and yeppers it was. Silver Pixels is interested in some and I'm wanting more so why don't we get together on this and get some. I'd like to have more than one so I can do multiple sheets. The company also said they can work out a deal for extra caps. That would be handy. So at around 4.80 each that comes out to about 230.00 less shipping. If we get 4 people on this we're at about 60 bucks each! That's doable I think. The other thing I like about them (and the ABS as well) is that in a water bath there is zero flucuations in temp and that is key. Anyone out there interested let me know and let's do this.

Mike

 

[mark]

I looked at the welding tubes at the hardware store yesterday and the only one's they had were over 12 inches long. I am shooting 5x7. What size are the tubes you are getting? I am assuming suitable for 8x10, right?

I settled on 10 foot section of conduit tube and mish mash of PVC parts. The hardware guy I got to help me really got into it and we were coming up with all kinds of concoctions. They would not cut the conduit down so I have the body makings of a lot of tubes.

My problem is the cap. It is not very convienient to get off. It gets stuck. Has anyone come up with a way to make this easy. By the way What does a waste Adapter look like. No one had a clue.

 

[Donald Miller]

Mark, I put a threaded male pipe adapter on the tube and a female treaded pipe female adapter that inserts into the glue cap to allow a threaded cap on my tubes. Works great

The waste adapter is the female threaded pipe by male glue fitting adapter.

 

[mark]

I think I get it. Thanks Donald

 

[mark]

Okay. made the tubes as close to the instructions as my local hardware store could get. They look pretty cool, but.....The lid seizes and so does the screw top. I basically have to bang the hell out of it to get it open. Before I put film in these things I need to solve this problem. Any suggestions?

 

[Donald Miller]

Mark,

I have not experienced that problem. Perhaps you are screwing them on too tight.

Irregardless, what I would do would be to pick up a roll of teflon thread tape at the same hardware store. This tape, if you haven't used it before, is wrapped tightly over the male threaded componants... in the direction of screwing something onto the male threads. This tape will act as a lubricant and a sealer of threaded parts.