So I'm jumping into a project that will take a lot of 4x5, very happy with Delta 100 in DD-X... except for the expense of DD-X, and I'm a uniformity freak, so none of the multi-use/replenish stuff I've read has appealed to me. Decided to try rotary.
Got a Beseler motor base for $35, runs about exactly 1 rev per second, doesn't reverse. Got a 2-sheet 4x5 tank/holder setup from eBay (this project is models, props, hair, makeup, tons of strobes, so I'm 100% cool running 2 sheets at a time, and I'm making 4x5 test prints from most every processing run... paranoia, man).
Tank is freaking tapered (though the vendor said fine for rotary). Duct tape to the rescue (Gorilla tape actually, very water resistant, a couple winds around the narrow end).
With the Beseler motor, "cut development by 15%" was still way blown out. For Delta rated at 80 ISO (I need tons of shadow detail, and I also need very light skin tones, so I'm shooting with a CC05M wratten filter which cuts about 1/3 stop), I settled on 1 min. pre-wash (non-rotary), and DD-X 1+9, one-shot at 24°c; 7:15 is giving me great negs, very even development. I'm mixing (for 1 sheet) 12.5ml+125ml water, for 2 sheets 25ml DDX + 250ml water. I need to test and see if the 125ML mix will actually process 2 sheets at some point.
I was going to shoot some blank-gray sheets and really check for even development, but so far my negs have a lot of smooth tonal areas and look perfect. I've barely dented the DD-X at about 20 sheets in between testing and shooting.
Since the tank is wrapped in tape, I stick the reel in another plastic tank and wash with a center-hose and a dribble. So my process is pre-soak on the counter, rotary development, stop, a water rinse, 2-bath fixing, all rotary (rotary stop and rinse means using less quantities and fast fills and pours - I've always rinsed my film before fixing, too). Then rinse the reel and tank clean in the sink, followed by 3 mins HCA (rotary) and a 10-minute wash. No issues with lost acutance, negs look great, test prints at 2.5 show a full tonal range with exposure time based on max-blacks from a strip test of the blank film border.
Happy camper, and reading all your threads here on rotary was a big help!
Got a Beseler motor base for $35, runs about exactly 1 rev per second, doesn't reverse. Got a 2-sheet 4x5 tank/holder setup from eBay (this project is models, props, hair, makeup, tons of strobes, so I'm 100% cool running 2 sheets at a time, and I'm making 4x5 test prints from most every processing run... paranoia, man).
Tank is freaking tapered (though the vendor said fine for rotary). Duct tape to the rescue (Gorilla tape actually, very water resistant, a couple winds around the narrow end).
With the Beseler motor, "cut development by 15%" was still way blown out. For Delta rated at 80 ISO (I need tons of shadow detail, and I also need very light skin tones, so I'm shooting with a CC05M wratten filter which cuts about 1/3 stop), I settled on 1 min. pre-wash (non-rotary), and DD-X 1+9, one-shot at 24°c; 7:15 is giving me great negs, very even development. I'm mixing (for 1 sheet) 12.5ml+125ml water, for 2 sheets 25ml DDX + 250ml water. I need to test and see if the 125ML mix will actually process 2 sheets at some point.
I was going to shoot some blank-gray sheets and really check for even development, but so far my negs have a lot of smooth tonal areas and look perfect. I've barely dented the DD-X at about 20 sheets in between testing and shooting.
Since the tank is wrapped in tape, I stick the reel in another plastic tank and wash with a center-hose and a dribble. So my process is pre-soak on the counter, rotary development, stop, a water rinse, 2-bath fixing, all rotary (rotary stop and rinse means using less quantities and fast fills and pours - I've always rinsed my film before fixing, too). Then rinse the reel and tank clean in the sink, followed by 3 mins HCA (rotary) and a 10-minute wash. No issues with lost acutance, negs look great, test prints at 2.5 show a full tonal range with exposure time based on max-blacks from a strip test of the blank film border.
Happy camper, and reading all your threads here on rotary was a big help!