Graflex.org

[Micah in NC]

Folks,

Here's my Film Pack update:

It seems the Film Pack Adapter for 4x5" fits fine under my Pre-Anny's spring back.

I just finished developing my first-ever Graflex films (non-Polaroid) last night, using my Yankee Agitank. They were eight sheets from a 16-exposure Kodak Tri-X Pan 4x5" film pack with an expiry date of 1984. I used D-76 full strength at 75°F and added 10 percent to developing times to compensate for the age of the film.

Unfortunately, they did not turn out all that great. I got some images, yes, but due to that being my first use of a film pack, I mistakenly tried to pull the tabs ALL the way out, a la Polaroid pack films. (Don't do that!) After these, I learned you should simply pull the tab out until it stops, then either tear it off using the edge of the film pack adapter as a "cutter" in effect, like tearing Saran Wrap, OR leave the tabs in place.

My pitiful tab technique had caused the film sheets to be pulled too far and really dog-eared the corners. This effect was so bad as to hamper my loading them in the Agitank rack.

(Also, this being my first use of a 4x5 tank, combined with the near-impossible task of using loading it in a comparatively tiny 17x17" dark bag, resulted in two film sheets touching--in the same slot at the bottom edges--and my leaving a tab stuck on a third sheet. That one turned out completely black.)

Overall, even with extended "soup" time, the negatives looked thin, to my eye. Good detail in the shadows, but no real dark highlight areas (speaking in negative terms). I don't know if the D-76 nowadays is tdifferent than the stuff used in 1984, or if my D-76 had been mixed a bit too long, or if it's the age of the film, or all three.

I shot more negs from the same film pack later (leaving the tabs in place this time), so I hope to develop them soon and find good images. That'll have to wait until after my trip.

I have been busy packing for a trip to Richmond this weekend so I didn't bother printing them yet.

Maybe this post will help other film pack novices. I'm still not giving the idea of this being feasible, though...

--Micah in NC

[glennfromwy]

Micah, that old film will have lost considerable speed. Try giving it a stop more exposure.

_________________
Glenn

"Wyoming - Where everybody is somebody else's weirdo"

[Micah in NC]

Glenn,

Thanks! I'll try that!

--Micah in NC

[Murray@uptowngallery.org]

Filmpack dummy here.

I have a partially used one with a sheet of film exposed.

Should there be a darkslide (only one, I hope), and is it the same size as normal filmholders.

So, pulling the tab makes the film stay inside the pack back?

Hard for me to visualize, but I guess I have to try once I get the darkslide part answered.

I am also having trouble visualizing where the tabs go if they don't tear off...into the back with the film?

Thanks

Murray

[clnfrd]

The darkslide in my old 2X3 film pack adapter is slightly larger than the dark slides in my 2X3 film holders. Yes, the film stays inside. After you expose a sheet of film you pull the rear-most, numbered paper tab until it stops and tear the tab off. This pulls the exposed sheet of film from the front of the adapter to the rear, allowing the next sheet to be available for exposure. After all the sheets are exposed, you open the adapter in the darkroom and have all the fun of processing those flimsy sheets of film with remnants of the paper tabs still attached. Fred.

[Murray@uptowngallery.org]

If the seller is that guy in Pennsylvania, I've heard he retests old film & redates it.
Comments above sound like the same guy.

I don't know how a new expiration date is obtained, but at least he tests it.

He does sell 5" and occasionally the 9.5" rolls.

I was eyeing the ISO 40 9.5" stuff he had a while back but A) I didn't see any for a long time and B) I had no immediate use for it...just for Someday.

I give him credit for working out a method he can stand to work with. I've tried some unrolling from a 5" x 1000' roll, in a hurry, under pressure, and it was kind of traumatic (seeing sparks when pulling off the tape, using the cannister lid for a stand and pulling too hard and having the spool leap out of the lid and roll across the darkroom floor several feet, me rolling up the dereeling film as quickly as I could.

[bertsaunders]

After I posted this message, I developed 6 sheets of this old film....dev w/new developer and normal dev times on first neg to see how it looked....a bit on the thin side, but printable! Not satisfied with any changes in dev proceedures!
Did not purchase any more.....worth the try, but not worth the money!
Have a nice day......Bert

[ This Message was edited by: bertsaunders on 2007-04-04 08:17 ]