Bad day at the wet bench

[Richard Gould]

Happens to the best of us,Richard

[alfie]

You can be too even in aggitation, the motorised base does just that, very even aggitaion. It needs to be more random, just like hand aggitation. Try putting a flourescent lamp starter (a cheap one not a posh electonic one) in series with the mains input to the motor unit, this will give a random start stop to the motion. I don't know how this will affect the motors life, however it will be random. I guess we have all seen the random flickering of a non starting office lamp before.

I won't give the usual safety thing here, we are all grown ups.

[Trevor Crone]

Originally Posted by alfie

You can be too even in aggitation, the motorised base does just that, very even aggitaion. It needs to be more random, just like hand aggitation. Try putting a flourescent lamp starter (a cheap one not a posh electonic one) in series with the mains input to the motor unit, this will give a random start stop to the motion. I don't know how this will affect the motors life, however it will be random. I guess we have all seen the random flickering of a non starting office lamp before.

I won't give the usual safety thing here, we are all grown ups.

Thanks Alfie, but I'm returning to the good old hand agitation as I used to do before I got the motorised base unit.

[Keith Tapscott.]

Originally Posted by Trevor Crone

Thanks Alfie, but I'm returning to the good old hand agitation as I used to do before I got the motorised base unit.

Trevor, I remember reading some where about a photographer who uses 3 Jessops plastic paper-safes for processing 10x8 sheet-films, one with developer, one with stop-bath and the third with fixer. He reported that he got very even processing with that method. Once the film-sheet is inside and the cover is secured, you can go into room light.

[Trevor Crone]

Originally Posted by Keith Tapscott.

Trevor, I remember reading some where about a photographer who uses 3 Jessops plastic paper-safes for processing 10x8 sheet-films, one with developer, one with stop-bath and the third with fixer. He reported that he got very even processing with that method. Once the film-sheet is inside and the cover is secured, you can go into room light.

Hi Keith, the Paterson Orbital processor I suppose is a bit like a paper safe. Once the lids securly on its quite light tight.

As mentioned I had no problems with negative development until I started to use that darn motorised base. Just being lazy really, didn't really want to stand there jiggling the tank by hand.

[Martin Reed]

Originally Posted by Trevor Crone

.....I discovered it was the negatives that were at fault - slight uneven development in the centre of the negative resulting in a small dark area in the print.....

I tried the Paterson orbital for 5x4" when it first came out & was dismayed by the 'v' shaped agitation marks caused by the pins that separate the sheets - I think there's some trick for avoiding that, anyone know what it is?

[Dave miller]

Originally Posted by Martin Reed

I tried the Paterson orbital for 5x4" when it first came out & was dismayed by the 'v' shaped agitation marks caused by the pins that separate the sheets - I think there's some trick for avoiding that, anyone know what it is?

Use irregular agitation "in the hand" rather than on the base with about three times the recommended volume of fluid seems to be the way to go.