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For what it's worth....
Pre-rinsing of film is not a
good idea... period. Once the film has soaked up the water, the developer has a
real problem getting at the emulsion in an even manner because it has to
displace the water that is already there.
If you want to cut contrast, use a water bath
technique... start in the developer, then put the film in water without
agitation, then back in the developer.
To get even agitation with 4 X 5 film,
use standard ASA agitation... once the film is in the tank, tap the holders on
the edge of the tank several times to dislodge air bubbles. Pick up the holders
and bring them almost out of the tank and tilt to the left, then back in gently,
then back out and tilt to the right. This tilting is to prevent surge from
forming, a pattern that registers when the film is agitated in only one
direction. Agitation should be every 30 seconds.
I, personally, stopped
using any stop bath because I was having problems with pinholes... when I
stopped using a stop bath the pinholes disappeared. I use a plain water rinse
instead.
Tony
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