Volume of Chemistry

Totally NOOB question. I'm getting close to making my first print and I'm wondering how much chemistry to prepare. I'm using Cesco 11x14 trays, the kind with the dimples on the bottom. When I put 1 liter of fluid in the tray the height of fluid between the dimples is 7cm and over the dimples is 4cm. Will that be sufficient to develop and fix? What volume of liquid are you using in your trays? How long do you let developer sit in the tray before draining the tray? Is today Tuesday?
Thanks,
Doug

Grampadoug said:

Totally NOOB question. I'm getting close to making my first print and I'm wondering how much chemistry to prepare. I'm using Cesco 11x14 trays, the kind with the dimples on the bottom. When I put 1 liter of fluid in the tray the height of fluid between the dimples is 7cm and over the dimples is 4cm. Will that be sufficient to develop and fix? What volume of liquid are you using in your trays? How long do you let developer sit in the tray before draining the tray? Is today Tuesday?
Thanks,
Doug

Click to expand...

Should be fine.

I prefer to use more - in my case ~1.9 litres (2 US quarts).
But that is because:
1) I'm often printing in batches, including sometimes handling multiple prints in the tray at the same time; and
2) I have 2 quart bottles that I use to store partially used chemicals between sessions.
With fixer, you can definitely do that. With stop bath and developer, some are more suited to re-use than others.
Another consideration is that some papers are more difficult to keep submerged than others.
If I knew that I just had a few smaller prints to do, and that there was going to be a long gap between sessions that made it impractical to keep the developer and stop bath I use between sessions, I wouldn't hesitate to use the smaller volume you are suggesting.
I'd suggest that you avoid leaving developer for a long time in the trays - those Cesco trays will lose their beauty quickly if you leave developer in them for a long time!
Of course, for some of us, deeply stained trays are a badge of honour!

I find one quart perfectly fine for 11x14" trays. Keep in mind total throughput - I usually do less than 20 8x10s in one night, never more than 24. Any more, and something will likely get exhausted. I always drain the solutions at the end. The developer tray WILL get stained; it is unavoidable.