Tray developing question about Tri-X antihalation coating. . .

[alamo]

A quick question. . . at least I hope it is quick. . . I'm getting back into photography after a few years. . . and shooting 4x5. . . I use to develop with a JOBO CPE but now I am using tray development. . . My question is this. . . the antihalation coating on the back of the film is still there after development. . . am I not doing something? I'm getting development on the film side but still have that antihalation coating on the back side. . .

 

[Ronald Moravec]

The developer should remove it so you need to have flow on both sides.

You must presoak the film in water for tray interleaving & this is the only time to do it. If you do not, the film stick.

Put a liter in an 8x10 tray, put a small wedge under one short end, interleave the stack at the deep end.

I used to do individual sheets using the method Gordon Hutchins described for his developer.

Immerse one dry sheet emulsion up, agitate for one minute by alternately lifting far end, drop, lift left side drop. After60 sec repeat. The next cycle do the close side and right side. Do not be afraid to let the sheet really bang around. Move to fix and slide in emulsion up again.

I never botched a single sheet using this method.

You get extremely even development.

 

[alamo]

Thanks for the quick response, Ronald, I appreciate it. How long do you recommend for the pre-soak?

 

[Ronald Moravec]

Presoak is 60/120sec . BUT ONLY IS NECESSARY IF YOU ARE INTERLEAVING A STACK OF FILM. At no other time do I presoak, sheet or roll film of any kind.

Fred Picker is the one who wrote up the procedure with the wedge, presoak, pick up stack, fan out, move one sheet at a time to the developer, push into developer emulsion side down, when you get them all immersed, pick up the one from the bottom of the stack and place it on top changing direction so you know when you get to the end. Keep cycling for 60 sec.

After 60 sec, cycle thru the stack again, rest for balance of 60 sec, repeat for remainder of developer time.

I used to run multiple developer trays with a single sheet in each. A 5x7 tray is sufficient for 4x5. Lift 1/2 " and drop two adjacent sides for each cycle. Two cycles will let you work around tray.

You can use a tape player to time or an audible electronic timer. I have the timer on a shelf above the developer trays with a piece of fogged film over the lights and a baffle such that no direct light hits the trays. The film is fogged enough so that you have to get really close to read the clock after your eyes are dark adapted for 5 minutes. Still no direct light should hit the film.

Further I put an opague cover over the trays.

The first post was a bit sloppy as I was working against a deadline.

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/hutchings.php

Dead Link Removed

I take no personal credit for this and only relate what they have published. I will say the methods work, specially Gordon`s.

Google to find out more about these masters.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

There are lots of ways to deal with tray development, agitation schemes, etc. My method is up here a number of times too if you are interested. Just search on my name.

That said; are you sure that it is the anti-halation layer that is not being removed? Those layers are very, very soluble in water and come right off. If you are getting both sides of your film wet for more than 30 seconds, it should be gone. If you still have opaque stuff on your negative after processing, it is likely that you have not fixed properly and that the film has not cleared. Mix up fresh fixer (check the dilution) and re-fix.

If, on the other hand, your negatives just have a pinkish/blueish cast to them, but are otherwise clear, then you just have the same problem as hundreds of us trying to get rid of sensitizing dyes in the emulsion. Longer fixing and washing times and the use of a hypo-clearing agent when appropriate are the usual ways of getting rid of that.

Best,

Doremus

www.DoremusScudder.com

 

[alamo]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the comments. . . Did a two minute presoak and it did do the job . . . Thanks much. . . Never had done a presoak before. . . Now I know. . .