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  #11  
Old 8th August 2022, 10:16 AM
John King John King is offline
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Default Nova Processor

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Originally Posted by ssharp View Post
Hi All,

Yes, Nat got me thinking. What i forgot to mention is that i'm processing in Nova FB slot processor. The first slot for dev is not far from vertical, just leaning back slightly.

I use a Nova clip to hold the print then just hold that clip to transfer through the system.

Now when i think about agitation there might be smoking gun. These prints are pano's and they were processed short side down, so sideways. The tray developer in me likes to agitate the print in all chems but with the slot processors you get stuck into lifting it up and down. You can shift it side to side but the prints can get stuck on the front glass and get marked.

So when i lift the print up the dev falls down the print in straight lines, like a water running down a wall.

I'm beginning to suspect this might be the culprit but that really means Nova slot processors are a design flaw and i have never heard that before.

What can the test be ? Print one without up/down.side/side agitation and another just static in the dev ? If leaving a print static in dev does indeed solve this issue (no run marks) then i'll go back to trays as i just feel the need to coat the print and keep it moving.

That might be getting ahead of myself a little but these streaks are now starting to look like run marks of dev. I still don't think it should happen. I don't half give the prints a good wiggle about.

Mike, the pink is Selenium. I just thought i'd see on a duff print how long is too long in the bath. Probably not a good print to show actually but it had the worst streaking from the original process.

So not too sure what people think or if anyone has had run marks through agitation using Nova slot processing units ?

Cheers,

Simon
I have been processing colour for close on 30 years and when developing a piece of paper in my 12x16 Nova if it is full size, i.e. 12 x16 I have no option but to process it in the 'landscape'. format but I use constant agitation for the full 45 seconds used with colour developer.

I vary the way I agitate from side to side (short movements for 5 seconds the up and down for a further 5 seconds then back to side to side, so on and so forth. With the side to side agitation it makes sure the emulsion is fully wet then the up and down also mixed the developer so some that may have been partially used is mixed with fresh.

I would also ALWAYS develop the paper with the back of the sheet to the sloping side so that it does not get a chance to pick up any residue from the separator and the emulsion side des not stick to the outer plastic.

Like you said, with a dish you agitate constantly and this is what you need to do with the NOVA.

Also how often do you change the developer? I tried B&W in it once and it was a complete waste of time. The developing slot for the 12x16 is 2 litres and once used it soon goes 'off' within a few days. (My findings) So I am using twice the concentrate of MG Developer for a fraction of it's capacity. If you find this also , after finishing a session you can always cover the top of the slots with a double thickness of clingfilm as well as any cover NOVA provide, which will slow down the absorption of oxygen and reduce evaporation. It works with RA4 Colour which with proper replenishment can last AT LEAST 8 months.

The slots MUST to be properly cleaned out between each developer change, and I mean cleaned. I use Milton used to sterilise babies feed bottles and pour half the contents into the dev slot leave it overnight then pour it away. The amount of dirt that removes has to be seen to be believed. It then gets literally hosed out in the garden and properly drained. The only streaking I have ever had is from the paper clips when they have not been washed and dried properly.

As a matter of interest, I only tried it once for B&W and reverted to standard dish processing. You loose subtle 'tweaks' that you can use with dish processing such as restraining development with plain water being brushed on in areas that are developing shadows too quickly or brushing neat developer to bring out highlight details. As good as they are, you cannot do that in a NOVA.

Last edited by John King; 8th August 2022 at 10:22 AM.
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  #12  
Old 8th August 2022, 10:17 AM
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MartyNL MartyNL is offline
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They're certainly not for everyone and they take a bit of getting used to, not seeing the image appear, cleaning, fragility etc. but they're ideal for darkrooms when space and temperature is at a premium.
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  #13  
Old 8th August 2022, 11:40 AM
ssharp ssharp is offline
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John,

Yes Nova processing is a hands off way to work and as you say the subtle arts are lost and while as Marty says they are still useful for limited space i think trays are the way to go after this little foray into the issue in hand.

I forgot how disconnected i became from the print really so time for more hands again, and finer control of the outcome.
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  #14  
Old 8th August 2022, 12:18 PM
Terry S Terry S is offline
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Like others, I too have a Nova slot processor and have only had minor problems over the many decades that I have used one. ALL of the problems turned out to be chemically related and easily sorted once the problem was diagnosed.

Reading through the whole thread, my guess would be, as already suggested, that the developer hasn't been mixed thoroughly enough before pouring into one of the slots. I say this as it can make more of a difference to the final print made in a Nova rather than in a tray, where there is more agitation. From this, one's first thoughts are that you have used a thick and viscous developer concentrate. Can you let us all know which developer you used, as I don't see a mention what you used?

Quote:
Originally Posted by John King View Post
I tried B&W in it once and it was a complete waste of time. The developing slot for the 12x16 is 2 litres and once used it soon goes 'off' within a few days. (My findings) So I am using twice the concentrate of MG Developer for a fraction of it's capacity. If you find this also , after finishing a session you can always cover the top of the slots with a double thickness of clingfilm as well as any cover NOVA provide, which will slow down the absorption of oxygen and reduce evaporation. It works with RA4 Colour which with proper replenishment can last AT LEAST 8 months.
Then there is the length of time that diluted and mixed B/W chemicals work for. John seems to have had a bad experience when he tried using them, but like many others, I have managed to keep the developer alive and kicking for AT LEAST 4 months, sometimes going on 6!

Personally, being an occasional printer, I replenish the slots after each session and keep a tally on a small white board, so I know when to replace them. I have only used the Nova slot floating covers, along with various gases over the years, (currently using a pound shop can of lighter fuel aerosol) but have NEVER used clingfilm etc. and this has kept my chemicals fresh from session to session. For years I used shop bought Ilford MG developer, but now use home mixed D72 and both have worked fine.

As for developing FB prints in a Nova, I have only ever made smaller prints, no bigger than 10" x 8", but even then the spiked Nova print clips, have torn a small hole or two in the print occasionally. The papers that I have used in FB have been FB matt and Art 300.

Terry S

Last edited by Terry S; 8th August 2022 at 12:23 PM.
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  #15  
Old 8th August 2022, 02:47 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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ssharp, I wonder why it only happens on some prints? I'd have thought that if your method in the developer slot is the same or at least as nearly the same each time as makes no difference, then something else may be at work

Like others here I tend to move the print in the slot nearly all the time and lift it out just to check development at least once during the process as I find that the development time is so short there is nothing else I can do productively

While apparently in a minority of one here in what I am going to say I do wonder if something else is going on.

Do the incidence of these streaks coincide exactly with first using a Nova and are they spread over a period or was there a period of no problem then a period of occasional problem as is now the case?

How do you prepare the developer, do you mix it in an other vessel and then transfer it to the slot or pour the concentrate in the bottom and top up with water with no attempt to mix prior to the first print?

I'd have thought that even the action of the water in topping the slot up would be enough to mix it or if not then the action of sliding the print back and forth might perform the mixing operation so I do wonder about the likelihood of lack of mixing

Of course it's your Nova and your choice to switch to trays if you want but I'd be tempted to mix fresh developer, pour it in, do what Nova has suggested, keep a note of how many prints done, replenish according to the developer's recommendation and place cling film over the developer slot at the end of the session

Then see what happens

Mike
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  #16  
Old 8th August 2022, 10:31 PM
Stocky Stocky is offline
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I use a 12x16 Nova (the more common vertical model). I have found that the ripple texture of the plastic side can leave a trace in the print which in my case appeared only after toning (2 bath sepia). I do two things to prevent this. One, I use a lab style bottle brush to remove any developer products from the sides, and two, I agitate quite a bit, making small movements rapidly. I used to lift the print as a form of agitation but I found that it accentuated staining presumably by oxidation of the developer Agfa Neutol-WA at the strong, fast dilution, at 25degC to speed things up which probably aggravated that.
Now my agitation doesn't require me to lift the print above the liquid level, but I do lift it to have a look near the end of development.
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