[pure-silver] Re: Methods to develop large size papers
- From: Claudio Bonavolta <claudio@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 03 Jun 2010 23:00:30 +0200
Thanks Ken,
I keep the "Police" method in my list for further investigation ... :-)
I've just a concern regarding the final wash and the back of the print, do you
know if they turned the print to wash the back too ?
Using a roller transport for such sizes is overkill as I will certainly not
make lots of prints of that size.
And my darkroom is in the basement with narrow stairs that require dismounting
the machine.
I had to build my sink inside the darkroom ...
Thanks for these ideas,
Claudio Bonavolta
http://www.bonavolta.ch
----- Message d'origine -----
De: "K W Hart" <kwhart1@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:22:43 -0400
Sujet: [pure-silver] Re: Methods to develop large size papers
À: <pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
I've never done this myself, nor even seen it being done, so I can only talk
about what I've heard. I talked to a gentleman one time who worked in a police
department photo lab. They routinely made large prints for use in court. They
had a large sheet of masonite standing nearly vertical with a section of rain
gutter at the bottom. The rain gutter had a pump attached with a hose. They
also had a water supply hose and a floor drain. They would wet down the
masonite so the paper would stick to it and lay the paper on it. then they
filled the gutter with developer and used the pump and hose to spread
developer over the paper. After the developer time had passed, they pumped the
developer into it's storage container and used the water supply hose to rinse
the paper, pumping the water into the floor drain. They filled the gutter with
fixer and used the pump and hose to spread fixer over the paper. After fixing,
the fixer was pumped into it's storage container, and the water hose was used
to wash the paper. The paper was removed, the masonite washed down, and the
paper was put back, clamped at the top, and left to dry.He told me this method
worked well and they eventually switched over to processing color prints in
this manner. I've been told that the method of 'seesawing' the print through
a 'canal' tray works best with two people. Also a weighted roller (large
diameter pipe?) should be used to keep the paper in the tray. You have
probably used the seesaw method for developing roll film in a tray. Imagine
that the film is no longer 2" wide, but 50" wide, and you'll see why you need
to two people. For sponging the chemicals onto the paper, the paper should be
tilted so that the chems run off. I considered at one time making a drum using
large diameter PVC pipe and caps. This would require minimum chems as the pipe
would be rolled to distribute the chems over the paper. I'm told that the
problem is that the paper will adhere to the smooth inside of the pipe and be
very difficult to remove. In your case, you would need a pipe over 16" in
diameter. (circumference=diameter X 3.1417) With so many photolabs closing
down, used roller transport processors are more available. You might be able
to pick up a 50" wide model for a couple thousand. Of course you might also
need a fork lift to to put in your darkroom, and 3 phase power to run it, so
this might not be the most practical idea for one or two prints! Ken Hart-----
Original Message -----From: Claudio BonavoltaTo: Pure-SilverSent: Thursday,
June 03, 2010 7:21 AMSubject: [pure-silver] Methods to develop large size
papersDear All,
I'll probably have to develop large FB paper sizes (around 50"x75") soon,
what methods would you advise ?
I know the following methods:
- roll forth and back the paper in a home-made "canal" deep tray. This one
looks ok.
- the sponge (let the paper on the floor on a large plastic sheet and apply
the chemicals with a sponge).
I know some that did it but don't see myself doing it ...
- the home-made drum seems unpractical due to its weight
Thaniks in advance,
Claudio Bonavolta
http://www.bonavolta.ch
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