How do I time film development when using trays?

dpurdy · Jan 31, 2008

I really don't think you want to have to count seconds while you are processing film. Just get a used old gralab and be sure not to plug in a space heater on the same circuit. Once when I did that the fuse blew in the middle of the process and I had to count seconds in my head for the rest of the time.
I love the cd idea.

Colin Corneau · Jan 31, 2008

The idea of plugging a radio into the Gralab is inspired - will definitely have to try that sometime.

analogfotog · Jan 31, 2008

Gee, thanks, Colin; nobody has EVER called me "inspired" before. Perspired, yes; inspired, no.

But you know what Rube Goldberg once said about political cartooning: "...successful political cartooning is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration..." The same could well be said about photography, too!

PHOTOTONE · Jan 31, 2008

The INDUSTRY STANDARD way of doing any timed darkroom task in total darkness is the GraLab timer, the big one about a 10" square box, with sweep minute hand. This is designed for this task, and has glow-in-the-dark markings for everything on it. You can set it in the dark if you wish. I have three of them. One near my b/w and E-6 developing areas, one near my C-41 area and one on the wall above my print processing area. These can be found used for very little money. You can set them to buzz at the end of the timed cycle if you wish. You can also use them to switch on a safelight or whatever.

Sanjay Sen · Jan 31, 2008

I use a Gralab 300 too, about 3-4 feet from the trays. It doesn't fog the film, and it works great!

vet173 · Jan 31, 2008

I also use a greylab. An old one with no ilumination. You can count the clicks for minutes in the dark just fine. I now use night vision, but still set the timer for a reference. I never use the buzzer, most greylabs run loud enough that you will notice when they stop.

MSchuler · Jan 31, 2008

CD for timing

I created a CD using Soundforge sound editing software and a voice synthesis program to count minutes and tell me when to switch between trays. I'm only developing one type of film in one developer for a set time right now, so it works very well. And adjustments aren't that hard, with the proper software.

Snapshot · Jan 31, 2008

c6h6o3 said:
I use my Avier Torino watch, which has extremely luminous hands (including the second hand) and numbers. Since I gently agitate the film for exactly 10 seconds every 30 seconds of development time after the first minute I need to monitor the time constantly. Simply setting a timer won't do.

I second this approach ('scuse the pun). I have a luminous dial watch and I can time film or print development with it. Just make sure that your 'charge' up the watch before development. If you dont', could find yourself trapped in your darkroom without anyway of completing your development.

semeuse · Jan 31, 2008

I use the Gralab timer, also about 4 feet away, and just to be safe, I block the end of the sink off with a piece of black cardboard though it probably isn't necessary

Akki14 · Jan 31, 2008

well people will whinge when I say this but I don't want to hear it, because it works for me.

I have a countdown kitchen timer to tell me when to take the film out. I also check it by putting it on the floor and I light it up with the light from my wrist watch (pointing down). My trays are in the bathtub so effectively have a wall between them and the film. This works for me but I only work with fomapan100 not higher speed films since I'm enlarging onto, not shooting, 4x5 film. I have a fairly random method of agitation and when I put it in the stop I just count to 10 then put it in the fix and start the timer again, wait about 30seconds (by counting) then turn on the lights (using rapid fix so it's already cleared by 30 seconds).

haris · Feb 1, 2008

And at the end, go and buy developing tank, and process as usual

DWThomas · Feb 1, 2008

Faced with this problem many years ago, I cut a piece of cardboard tube about three inches long, of a diameter that fits nicely on the frame of an old traditional mehanical stop watch. I fitted the top of the tube with a cardboard disk with a quarter inch hole in it and rigged a little NE-2 neon bulb and a current limiting resistor inside. I used small earphone-type two conductor wire hooked to a wall plug for power. Of course, surely this rig would panic any electrical code enforcement types, but it works well.

I place the tube assembly on the watch and use a strip of masking tape to anchor it. You put your eye to the little hole and read the stopwatch; the watch buttons work as usual. I keep it off to the side, but very little light escapes. I've recently developed 400 speed film around this with no problem.

No doubt if I were starting from scratch today, I would use an LED and a small battery box. But after thirty or forty years, the old kluge still works for the rare occasions I need it. And it was zero cost, made from stuff out of the junk collection.

DaveT, compulsive tinkerer

23mjm · Feb 1, 2008

I love this site---all your answers are great. APUG is a wonderful resource. I think I will go with a Gralab 300 but might look for a wall clock with glowy hands

Thanks all.

Magee

nick mulder · Feb 1, 2008

Ole said:
I use a CD player, and time development by selecting tracks with appropriate length. Eric Satie's "Gymnopedies" work well for FP4+ in Pyrocat-HD.

Organisation's (early Kraftwerk) 'Tone Float' works for Bergger BPF200 and Arista UltraEdu200 in D19 1:1 ...

c6h6o3 · Feb 1, 2008

Snapshot said:
I second this approach ('scuse the pun). I have a luminous dial watch and I can time film or print development with it. Just make sure that your 'charge' up the watch before development. If you dont', could find yourself trapped in your darkroom without anyway of completing your development.

Does your watch have a luminous second hand? If so, what make is it? Such watches are exceedingly difficult to find.

steve simmons · Feb 1, 2008

I tray develop all the time. I have placed an article in the Free Articles section of the View Camera web site. I can do 6-8 at a time all for different times.

The article is a step by step description of the entire process.

steve simmons
www.viewcamera.com

gainer · Feb 1, 2008

I posted this once before. You can use a paper safe as a daylight developing tank for sheet film. Get one that has a lid that extends the length of the tray. You could get one that is large enough for several sheets side by side and make some separators, or develop one sheet at a time. Agitate as you would for printing paper. Use you imagination and do it your way.

jgjbowen · Feb 1, 2008

I use two Digital timers in my darkroom. The first is a Zone VI Compensating Developing Timer. I would recommend you do without, whatever it is you have to do without, to acquire on one of these. They are a god send. This timer adjusts the time of development as the temperature of the developer changes.

I've also been using a Creative Phototronics CP 900 Digital Touch Programmable timer---for almost 25 years. You can set this little devil with up to 9 steps. Once programmed for 2 minutes development, 15 seconds stop, 5 minutes Fix, etc., etc., with a beep every 30 seconds, all you do is step on the footswitch as you put the films in the developer. The timer has a dim red light. I set both timers on a box, below the sink, where they are visible, but won't fog the film. Neither timer is made any longer, but they do show up on Ebay every once in a blue moon. The CP timer was also sold under the Ilford name.

fschifano · Feb 3, 2008

Ole said:
I use a CD player, and time development by selecting tracks with appropriate length. Eric Satie's "Gymnopedies" work well for FP4+ in Pyrocat-HD.

Hmmm. Satie. Most of the folks I know would have called him a "whack job," a real eccentric. My kind of guy, if you ask me. I don't think his music would go over too well in my darkroom though. I'd rather be listening to Count Basie in there. You can never have too much Count Basie.

Kilgallb · Feb 3, 2008

I use an old clock radio. Just before immersion I apply power. It immediately starts counting up form 12:00 AM. Most alarm clock radios will flash once per second. So if your development tiem is 6:30, just watch untill the clock reaches 12:06 then count 30 flashes.

the RED LED alarm clocks work well and you can reduce intensity by placing exposed and developed film over the display.

How do I time film development when using trays?

haris

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