Large format film tray development

pkr1979 · May 13, 2023

Hi all,

I'm curious about tray development and how this is done if you intend to use the same development time as you would for roll film in tanks. Or how you would do it and adjust development time if necessary. Any tips? I suppose it doesnt make that big of a difference but I shoot 8x10.

Cheers
Peter

Alan9940 · May 13, 2023

For 8x10 tray development, I use Paterson 12x15 trays and 2L of developer. I develop 4 sheets at a time via the shuffle method with the emulsion side up. It takes roughly 15 secs through the stack, once. Many photographers can handle more and/or have the emulsion side down. Very important to ensure a good soaking in water before going into the developer, otherwise the film will stick together. Many ways to develop sheet film in trays. Do a search and YouTube and I'm sure you'll uncover many videos.

Rick A · May 13, 2023

For tray development use a flat bottom tray (no channels or dimples) lay a piece of glass or plexi in if you don't have one. You can use regular trays for stop and fix. Reduce time if you continuously shuffle or rock the tray.

Robert Poole · May 13, 2023

I develop in PMK in a tray partially immersed in a circulating water bath to control temperature. I always do ONE sheet at a time.

SodaAnt · Jul 5, 2023

Ansel Adam's book The Negative has a good description of how to tray process sheet film. That was his technique for developing 4x5 and 8x10.

AnselMortensen · Jul 5, 2023

I have been using a Stearman Press 8x10 setup and it works GREAT for my needs.
I load it at night in my dark apartment, and can process it whenever.
Very easy to use.

John Wiegerink · Jul 5, 2023

AnselMortensen said:
I have been using a Stearman Press 8x10 setup and it works GREAT for my needs.
I load it at night in my dark apartment, and can process it whenever.
Very easy to use.

4X5 tray development has never worked out well for me. Maybe if I tried to develop just one sheet at a time I might be okay, but shuffling sheets in a tray, no. Too many nicks and scratches. I use either a high-volume Yankee tank with Xtol-R or my low-volume Stearman SP445. For 8X10 I use a 11X14 tray and do one sheet at a time.

DREW WILEY · Jul 5, 2023

I use an oversized 11X14 stainless steel tray with a dimpled bottom (really helps), with little feet on it, so it can be placed in an even larger plastic tray which serves as the water jacket for sake of temperature consistency. I shuffle develop the sheets EMULSION UP, three to no more than six 8x10 sheets at a time, shuffling the stack every 30 sec. Each 30-sec cycle I rotate the stack 90 degrees, so that a different end of the film is taken and lifted each time, assuring highly even development. There are some other tricks to it; but that's enough for the moment. I use a Zone VI compensating development timer probe in the outer water jacket. Specific times and developer choices are all relative to the type of specific film itself, and the degree of development I need in each case. Practice makes perfect, although I avoid sheet development sessions if I'm unduly fatigued or otherwise happen to be stupid at the time.

RalphLambrecht · Jul 5, 2023

pkr1979 said:
Hi all,

I'm curious about tray development and how this is done if you intend to use the same development time as you would for roll film in tanks. Or how you would do it and adjust development time if necessary. Any tips? I suppose it doesnt make that big of a difference but I shoot 8x10.

Cheers
Peter

Peter, in my experience the tray development is very similar in time to rotation development if you constantly rock the tray. Just keep the emotion side up, not to scratch it at the bottom of the tray. I
Only if you experience excessive development of the edges, do you need to reduce agitation and then possibly adjust the time.

Peter Schrager · Jul 5, 2023

I develop by inspection in a tray. Easy to do 10 sheets at a time. Footswitch and dark green safelight held about 3 feet away
It doesn't matter how you process...continuous or one at a time..the point is do it the same way everytime.....
I rotate through the stack and then wait one minute and do it again

Loose Gravel · Jul 5, 2023

I used to do 6 sheets at a time, but now one sheet at a time. Yes, it takes more time, but so does travelling across the country to reshoot.

I use 8x10 tray enamel tray for 45 and 57. Easy to over agitate. Find a process that works, write it down, and follow it exactly every time.

Andrew O'Neill · Jul 5, 2023

I do 1 sheet at a time, flat-bottomed tray, 4x5 and 8x10...and 14x17 Intermittent agitation a few seconds every minute. Same times for my roll films in Paterson tank.

abruzzi · Jul 5, 2023

I prefer working in the light, so the only tray development I do is with the aforementioed SP-810, which does 1 8x10 or 2 5x7 (it can also do 4 4x5, but I use something different for 4x5.)

awty · Jul 5, 2023

Rick A said:
For tray development use a flat bottom tray (no channels or dimples) lay a piece of glass or plexi in if you don't have one. You can use regular trays for stop and fix. Reduce time if you continuously shuffle or rock the tray.

I haven't had any problems with the dimpled oven trays with single sided film. Double sided xray film needs constant rocking or else you get dimpled marks.

DREW WILEY · Jul 6, 2023

I don't get Rick's point at all, unless he's developing emulsion down, which risks air bells getting trapped under the film, with their own ring impressions, unless you constantly agitate it. A dead flat bottom makes it harder to lift the lowest sheet of film during the shuffle, and also affects efficient developer circulation too. I use self-adhesive tiny hemispherical true silicone cabinet bumpers for the dimples, which are very durable (don't use the vinyl kind). But my smaller set of stainless trays (5X7) have the dimples factory pressed in.

Large format film tray development

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