scratch-free Efke PL100/25: a futile exercise?

Tom Hoskinson · Oct 7, 2005

Markus Albertz said:
(3) single sheets in tubes, but can process multiple tubes at a time

True, you can (and I do) process multiple tubes at a time. Have not tried it with DBI, but it may be feasible.

Markus Albertz said:
(4) multiple sheets in slosh tray (does this work well with DBI, though?)

I don't think DBI would work well in a multi-compartment slosher. You would need to handle the individual sheets of film and handling is what can create problems.

However, you COULD make sloshers that handle only 1 sheet of film each, (1 sheet sloshers). Then you could put multiple 1 sheet sloshers in a processing tray. In principle, you could do multi-sheet DBI that way.

(I may have talked myself into an experiment.)

Markus Albertz · Oct 7, 2005

David said:
What kind of scratches do you get Markus: gouges where the corner of a sheet digs at another, fine micro-scratches or what? I experience that careful technique can eliminate most all of the problems. If I slip and drop a sheet just wrong it does damage or if I lose concentration (not being careful) problems can occur too. Otherwise it works. I also check the tray before using it to make sure there isn't anything like grit in the tray.

David: What I get I would describe as micro-scratches. For the most part, they are concentrated near the center of the sheets, not at the margins as I would expect (and got a while back when I did this for the first time) from a corner of a sheet digging at the area of another. They are parallel to the long sides of the sheets and clearly indicate the direction I was sliding the sheets past one another.

I liked the description of your working method in your previous post. Sounds as if you devised a method that keeps sliding the sheets past each other hence thus eliminating the problems I have experienced. Thanks for posting it! Of course it makes perfect sense that trying to avoid differential movement between sheets as much as possible is of critical importance for tray processing film with soft emulsion such as Efke. In a bold moment, I will give it another try. Until my wounds have healed though, I will stick to single sheet development ;-)

Best,

Markus

Markus Albertz · Oct 7, 2005

Tom Hoskinson said:
However, you COULD make sloshers that handle only 1 sheet of film each, (1 sheet sloshers). Then you could put multiple 1 sheet sloshers in a processing tray. In principle, you could do multi-sheet DBI that way.

(I may have talked myself into an experiment.)

Tom: of course your tray needs to be large enough to hold 4 (for example for 8x10 film) sheet sloshers arranged next to each other, and during agitation, they must not overlap each other. Well, if you run an experiment, please report back. I'd be quite curious to hear how it went.

Best,

Markus

David · Oct 7, 2005

Good luck, Markus. It took me around a year of single sheet development after failing on multiple sheets before necessity and the example of people who were doing multiple sheets successfully encouraged me to try it again. Now it seems easy enough. There isn't any secret to it and it's doable (sp?).
Someone suggested practicing and that is the key when you find a technique that works. Mozart supposedly said that playing music was easy - all you have to do is play the right note at the right time!

scootermm · Oct 7, 2005

peters said:
Matt-is that brush 8 inches wide? Is the negative in the tray with no developer
and then you brush? Or is it put in a tray full of liquid and you brush?
Peter

its an 8" wide brush yeah.
the tray is filled with developer. usually around 1.5L for multiple 8x10s (usually around 6). 2.5-3L for about 4-5 7x17s. Then I place the neg in the tray full of dev and then brush the negative.... emulsion side up of course.

Tom Hoskinson · Oct 7, 2005

Markus Albertz said:
Tom: of course your tray needs to be large enough to hold 4 (for example for 8x10 film) sheet sloshers arranged next to each other, and during agitation, they must not overlap each other. Well, if you run an experiment, please report back. I'd be quite curious to hear how it went.

Best,

Markus

Quite true, Markus. My current 8x10 slosher has 4 compartments that are vented on 5 sides (4 walls + bottom) - thus 4 completely separated sheets of 8x10 film with no chance of overlap.

In principle, one should be able to separate the compartments and still maintain the 4 wall + bottom integrity of each individual compartment...

David A. Goldfarb · Oct 7, 2005

Another alternative is to use tanks and hangers. I've been doing this more and more with 4x5" and 5x7", just because it's a handy way to process film in quantity. I don't have the space for an 8x10" tankline, and for 11x14" it's not an option, so those I do in trays.

I even do it with ABC and RAF pyro. Because the volume of developer is greater than with a tray, and the surface area is less, I find that I can run three batches of 10 5x7" sheets through a gallon of ABC 1+1+1+7 and get consistent results by time and temperature, where I would only run two batches through a tray. If you develop by inspection, you get even more flexibility in this regard.

herb · Oct 8, 2005

efke softness

I had similar problems. I use hangers, no more than 6 at a time, and do the lift tilt forward lift tilt backward about every two minutes.

No scratches, although one must use more developer for the tanks that the hangers go into.

I grab all the hangers at the top with the right hand and support and keep together the bottom of the hanger bundle with the left.

takes a bit of practice, but once in the hangers, all is well, and then I use them for the entire process, even drying.

good luck

Herb

Michael Kadillak · Jan 18, 2006

I regularly process Efle PL100 in 8x10,11x14 and 8x20 in trays and found that the propensity for scratches need to me addressed in two areas - developing and washing.

For developing I use thin nitrile gloves (pyro), infrared goggles to see what I am doing, flat bottomed oversized trays and slow methodical shuffling to bring the sheet from the bottom completely away from the top stock before I angle it up to remove it. With both hands you carefully set it on the top of the stack and very softly push it under the developer. Watched Paula Chamlee at a seminar demonstrate this technique and by George it works like a champ every time.

Washing ( is where I was getting some occasional gouging early on) is done with hangers individually in a print washer or as single sheets (11x14 and 8x20) in a tray. Works like a champ and every time you take your time you get better at it.

Cheers!

Tom Hoskinson · Jan 18, 2006

I shoot a lot of 8x10 Efke 100 & 25

I process in Tubes from J&C Photo for 8x10

I also process in a PF Slosher Tray for 8x10

- no scratches

Donald Miller · Jan 18, 2006

I process Efke Pl 100 in BTZS type tubes that I developed. The design is such that I don't need to fish for the film down in the tube. I never ruin a sheet of Efke since I started processing in this way.

I agree with Michael that washing is another area that bears attention. I wash my film separated from each other in a rack...no danger of contact.

scratch-free Efke PL100/25: a futile exercise?

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