Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Tue, 19 Oct 1999 22:15:52 -0400 (EDT)
On Tue, 19 Oct 1999 Kerik717@aol.com wrote:
>
> The widest tube I use is about 24" (for 12x20 film), but the pipe
> comes in 10-foot lengths, so make them as long as you want.
Sorry, guess I meant *diameter* -- what is the widest *diameter* the ABS
comes in? (I was thinking 10 foot is long, not wide, tho maybe it's both.)
> > Are your home-made ABS tubes opaque and light proof?
> > Reports on that point were inconclusive, I believe.
> > How long is your total development?
>
> Yes, my tubes are opaque (black plastic) and light proof (they
> wouldn't be too useful if they weren't!!) I process my film with full
> room lights on and have never had any fogging problems with these
> tubes.
Some years ago, I was having a problem with mottling in large very
delicately shaded highlight area on lith film being developed to low
contrast. (Some old timers may remember the saga of the white limousine.)
Couldn't seem to get that long gradual sweep EVEN, even with brush
development, so as per discussion on the list at that time, I tried a
tube. But this was clear plexi tube open at both ends -- with the short
times of lith, getting in and out of a closed tube in 2 or 3 minutes
wouldn't have been feasible.
As it happened, the tube worked fine for the *limousine* but I got some
weird stripes in the *other* direction in the sky. What you describe
today would probably have solved that -- picking up the tube at half
minute intervals to break the laminar layer, probably diluting more to
slow, etc. etc. But I didn't have a clue at the time -- fudged the sky
streaks by hand with dyene and went on to other things.
Which is to say, I was doing this with clear tube in the dark, but the
lith could take safelight -- not too bad for 3 minutes. As I recall, I did
a plain water pre-soak & loosened wet film from the back by hand.
> My development times are usually in the 7 to 10 minute range.
Are you doing several at once?
Judy
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