Been futzing with some Fuji HRU cut down to 4x5, but have had a heck of a time with scratches on my negatives during/after development.
Would it be worth the hassle to get some chrome alum to make a hardening bath, or should I just accept gouges in the emulsion as part of working with this film?
For single sheets, use quart size ziplock bags on a small sheets of thin plywood or mdf. Leave film in same bag for all process steps including washing. Use mutiple bags for several sheets at a time by staggering developer start time. Tilt the plywood sheets slightly to agitate for a few seconds per minute. Do not over agitate. Invert the bag and film a few times during processing to get both sides. After use, turn the bags inside out to dry before reuse. Fairly easy to do four films at one time this way.
For 12 sheets at a time, the Doran or Yankee tanks work very well for hru xray. Do not try to slide the sheets out after washing the same way they were inserted. Instead, take the film holding racks apart by placing horizontally on a paper towell, then lifting one half of the rack off. Then, the sheets can be removed sideways without scratching. With the Yankee tank, the film rack is simply wet down, the release to split the halves is pushed, and you are done. With Doran, the two rack halves need to be slid out together at the same time with tank on side, then top of rack lifted off. Simpler to do than explain.