Has anyone here used a Paterson Orbital print processor to develope 5x4 negs?
Its a tray with a lid and theres dividers internally when doing 5x7 or 5x4.
I was worried about the chance of scratching.
They are available locally. Should I avoid them and go for a dip n dunk where the negs are vertical?

I haven't had any problems with scratches. The only drawback to the orbital is that the solutions can't get to the back of the film, so the antihalation dye is not washed off evenly. You can roughen the base, stick thin bits of plastic onto it - both are recommended by some users, or do what I do - ignore it and clear the dye with a small amount of sodium sulphite 20% solution. It seems to work.

This was a old topic I started when i was wondering how I could possibly process sheet film .
I subsequently bought a Fink-Roselieve tank.
I know there are those who fiercely hate these things. It is all because you have to be very careful with agitation with a full load of film or else you get uneven developement. I think gently does it is the answer.

Right; those old "daylight" tanks can give very good, consistent results if you keep the logic of their design in mind when deciding on an agitation routine. That's why they have been around forever.

primus96-
i also have a fink-roselieve sheet film tank i just bought to process my 4x5s. it didnt come with a manual or anything... do you have any tips or tricks you use with it or are there any special techniques you have acquired in using it? namely, how exactly would one go about with the agitation?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: dvonk on 2004-02-25 16:37 ]</font>

Some tips.

Pre wet the film, (fill tank with tempered water, wait 30sec drain) This will wet the film and inhibit developer streaks when you pour it through the small hole.

Get a developer temp combination in the 9-12minutes or more.

Make sure your top has three pieces, many are missing one or more and may not be light tight.

my FR tank has:
1) a slender 'loading guide' of sorts that looks like the front of a floppy disk drive(sorry, im a computer geek)- i assume is only for loading purposes and not to remain in the tank while developing
2) a 'bridge' shaped object that appears to sit on top of the film after its loaded to keep it in place and
3) the square light shield that fits on top of everything right under the lid of the tank

im fairly certain the tank is light tight- i put a bright flashlight inside the tank and turned off all the lights and could not see any light coming from inside the tank. however, i do not have a cap to fit over the top of the lid, so if i were to invert the tank during agitation it would surely spill. i guess that is where my question is going- what is a good method for agitation when i cannot invert the tank?

the FR tanks are not watertight, there is no seal in the lid so they have to stay upright.
I assume your tank is the same as mine, if so it will come with two slabs of plastic which have curved guides in them. they are for 4x5. The bridge peice is possible meant for processing smaller sheet sizes like 3x4 or 2x3.

I pre-soak the film, I give it a minute or so.
The tank takes between 1500 and 1600ml of liquid for 4x5, I use plastic jugs to hold it & a funnel to help fill the tank as quickly as possible.
Agitation is a VERY GENTLE side-to-side motion 3 tinmes a minute.
Dev times: Look at http://www.digitaltruth.com

There is one good use that can be made of an FR tank - it makes a good Polaroid clearing tank. There, the lack of vigorous agitation does not matter- just keep swishing it until the film clears.

More useful info here...

http://graflex.org/helpboard/viewtopic.php?topic=889&forum=15

If the thing is anything like the Yankee tank, be sure you only move the tank back and forth in the direction that the film faces lengthwise. If you agitate in a direction that puts force against the surface of the film it can knock it out of the guides and it will float around loose. Believe me, you don't want that to happen.

thanks for all your help guys.