Anyone use the B&W King 5x7 (or 4x5) developing reel & tank (Nikor-like)?

[LabRat]

Steve,

I use the B&W King 4x5 tank and have never even seen a Nikkor 4x5 tank, but, based on pics of the Nikkor reel, etc, I'm thinking they're very similar. I do normal inversion agitation or stand development with the B&W King tank. However, due to the central band around the B&W reel (and associated issues as reported in this thread) I tend to agitate slowly and as smoothly as possible. Therefore, following an initial 30 secs of agitation I'll generally do only 2 inversions each minute thereafter. The initial agitation is, maybe, 8 inversions total. I simply adjust time, as needed, to compensate for the "decreased" agitation and have never had uneven development. Agitation methods for the Nikkor tank could be totally different, of course, so...YMMV. But, I hope something I've said here helps.

Thanks Alan, but could you describe you agitation a little more???

So are you agitating twice per minute by slowly turning over the tank in your hands, or is it held in front of you and turning over in a long arc??? And does it take 1 or 2 seconds to invert or longer??? When do you rap the tank to dislodge air???

Have you had issues due to pre-soaking or washing, and how many 4x5 sheets do you normally do per run, and does the # ever change???

I expect the Nikor to behave close to the BW Man system, just maybe slight different dev time... Also, I have read long ago to add about 20% dev time as a starting point for tests... Does it come out about to that for you???

Thanks again,

Steve K

[Alan9940]

Thanks Alan, but could you describe you agitation a little more???

So are you agitating twice per minute by slowly turning over the tank in your hands, or is it held in front of you and turning over in a long arc??? And does it take 1 or 2 seconds to invert or longer??? When do you rap the tank to dislodge air???

Have you had issues due to pre-soaking or washing, and how many 4x5 sheets do you normally do per run, and does the # ever change???

I expect the Nikor to behave close to the BW Man system, just maybe slight different dev time... Also, I have read long ago to add about 20% dev time as a starting point for tests... Does it come out about to that for you???

Thanks again,

Steve K

I agitate the B&W tank like I would any other hand tank, albeit more slowly and deliberately. Here's the agitation sequence:

1) Pick tank up
2) With one hand on top and one on the bottom (I find it necessary to use two hands, in this case, because the full tank is a bit heavy) and the tank out in front of me, I invert it and as I do I twist the tank in a circular motion about 180 degrees.
3) As I'm setting the tank back down to rest, I rap the side of it with my palm or knuckles.

This sequence takes me about 4 secs for one cycle. Therefore, initial agitation for 30 secs comes to about 8 inversions, followed by 10 secs of agitation (2 inversions) every minute thereafter. I don't tend to do short development times so agitating every 30 secs is not necessary, IMO. I hope this makes sense.

I pre-soak all film (yes, even Ilford) and I've never noticed any issues from doing this. I think my B&W reel holds a max of 10 sheets, but I've never run it that full. I tend to process 4 - 8 sheets at a time because that's about what I'll shoot in a days outing. The number of sheets does change, of course, but I always run the tank full; even if processing only a single sheet. Actually, I do the same with my Jobo film drums in that I never use the minimum amount of chemistry. Chemicals are cheap and I want to make sure I've got sufficient chemistry to do the job.

Sorry, I've never heard the 20% more dev time recommendation. All the film I use (only a few different brands really) is tested using a densitometer. I strive for 0.10 over fb+f for Zone I and 1.25 - 1.35 for Zone VIII, then make slight adjustments from there, if I feel it's necessary. I've used Fred Picker's Proper Proof method for 40 years so it's very easy to see if anything changes and/or to quickly pick up on errors I may make in the field.

[Tin Can]

I do the Nikor tank the same way, slow and careful inversions, I have no idea about spinning the reel

And yes emulsion in

But I have clumsy fingers and only put 6 sheets in it, hopefully every other slot

Takes time to adjust the thing for 1/4 plate film

I practiced loading a lot with old exposed film

Works fine!