tray processing negatives - gloves?

[Terri]

This almost sounds like a no-brainer, but in my reading of Ansel Adam's "The Negative" to get the set-up for tray processing of 4x5 negatives, all his example photos show him (or the helper) handling negatives directly in the developer/stop/fix with NO gloves. Now, this may be related to the time it was written, when maybe such precautions weren't routinely suggested...? Or is it really better to hande negatives with bare fingertips, and dip them into a clear tray of water periodically as suggested by AA?

I'm going to be developing tonight for the first time, and my intent was to use thin latex gloves. Any thoughts?

[ann]

terri,

i hate gloves, i find them difficult and have no sense of touch.

I know lots of folks use them and worry about chemicals and having skin issues; however, for me, (and i am saying only myself) this is not an issues.
After working in a darkroom for over 60 years the worse thing about my hands would be a lack of finger prints.

You might try them to see if they work for you, and then try developing the film without and see what works the best.

[Terri]

Thanks, Ann. Well, I did it without gloves, since I agree with you about losing the sense of touch with gloves, and I was paranoid enough about being able to handle them. And, this being the first time I've done tray developing - WOW, I didn't realize how slippery developer is. I felt like I was thumbing those poor negatives to death, just to keep them from slipping away. :lol:

Anyway, the good news is, at least I did get an image :cheer: and they're drying now. I'll be able to scan them tomorrow. They look pretty sharp but I want to inspect them under the loupe.

So far 4x5 has been nothing but fun!

[JC1220]

Nitrile gloves are they way to go here, they are blue or purple in color. As they warm on your hand they conform to the shape, are relatively thin and provide good tactile control of the negatives. Plus, its safer that way!

Brett Weston never wore gloves when printing, resulting in black finger nails from the amidol. His father had Parkinson’s, often said to have been brought on by the chemical exposure.

[Hertz van Rental]

The downside of tray developing is that it is very easy to scratch the negs.
Any imperfection or residue on the surface of the tray and you'll have trouble.
I'd invest in some deep tanks and film hangers.

[JC1220]

once you become adept at tray processing, scratches are few and far between, and after your first couple of runs you should be scratch free.

I have found the Cesco Lite trays to be the best, nice smooth bottom, no grooves to concentrate developer, and use that tray for film processing only and keep it clean.

Tank processing is good way to go, but the film hangers can cause development artifacts on the negative edge. Pluses and minuses just like everything else, use what you feel comfortable with and provides the results you want.

[Hertz van Rental]

You only get development problems with poorly designed film hangers and bad technique. I've developed over a thousand 10x8 and 5x4 negs and never had a problem using hangers.
They are easier to agitate and you can do a whole load at a time. Something that can be tricky using a dish.

[JC1220]

Yup, good technique keeps you trouble free.