LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
(The letter by Bert Sanders, in reference to Ron Knowles`s "Round-A-Bout", has brought some comment which give a counter-balance to the whole affair. It is not the intention of the Editor to allow `personal` bickering to become normal contents of the CRCN, therefore the issue is now, closed)
Brain Asquith (Area 11):- I look forward to getting my copy of the CRCN, which I find is full of good copy which always stimulates me. Ron Knowles does write some good stuff and usually good sense. His piece about hanging film out in the garden for 2nd. exposure was foolish, but the letter was too personal. However WE choose to do these jobs so have to take the brickbats as well as the compliments.
ROY SALMONS (Area 3 Co-ordinator):- I don`t like to read insults and bickering in the pages of what is afterall a magazine to join us all together in one hobby. I have no objection to comments telling whether or not a reader likes what he/she reads, or doesn`t, as the case may be. But there is no need to dip the pen in vitriol to do so. Let us remember that we are all in the hobby of photography for FUN!
Rita & Major Pearle (Area 13):- We liked John Slater`s method of adding drops of a 10% solution of Sodium Hydroxide to Chrome 6 solutions and increasing the time in the 1st.& Colour developers. Although we only use W&M ourselves, we can appreciate that the "drop" method would eliminate the need for a pH meter which can be a very expensive item. Now John Slater says that he processes his films two at a time back-to-back, getting top quality and using 300ml of solutions for 7 films (could be 8) so what does Bert Sanders think happens to the "anti-halation" layers then? There isn`t any antihalation layer on 35mm film! Not on the outside anyway. It is a very economical and time-saving way of processing two films in a small tank on one spiral! and if you happen to have a Durst tank with a loader that loads the spiral from the centre outwards - the film clips on to the centre of the spiral and loading is very simple without having to manhandle the film in any way. If you haven`t got a centre loading spiral then taping the ends of the film together, back-to-back and being very careful to align them correctly before starting to load is the next best - but not so easy.
As for Reversal - well, sunshine is probably the cheapest way of doing it, when there is any! However we don`t think that Bert`s attack on Ron Knowles and his washing line reversal was justified. Has he seen the results that Ron obtained using this method? We have - they were in the Club`s Slide Folio; had really superb colours and no "bits" of any sort. We even did him two 10" x 8" Cibachromes from two of his flower pictures - they were perfect. Do we judge the method by results we get or not?
Personally we have never had any trouble with the chemical reversal because we make it up in a concentrated form, it keeps for a very long time that way; and dilute just enough to process the films that we have to do and then throw it away - but I must confess that we would hesitate to remove wet film from the spiral just so as not to damage it.
The letter from Brian Murphy (Area 15) about freezing his developers after processing two films and using light reversal for the second lot of films some time later seems a very good idea. We have frozen developers (used and unused) for almost a year and had results from the frozen developers every bit as good as the fist time use. Seperate bleach and fix solutions have quite a long shelf life, but not having used Blix`s we wouldn`t say what effect ageing would have on them. We have seen an article in one of the photographic magazines on the use of kits with different films and they did not recommend using three bath kits on Kodak, Agfa or Fuji films. They got far better results using the seperate bleach and fix.
"I CANT REMEMBER"
Just a line to say I'm living, that I'm not among the dead,
Though I'm getting more forgetful and mixed up in the head.
I've got used to my arthritis, to my dentures
I'm resigned, I can manage my bifocals, but God I miss my mind.
For sometimes I cant remember when I stand at the foot of the stairs, if I must go up for something or have I just come down from there.
And before the fridge so often, my poor mind is filled with doubt,
Have I just put food away, or have I come to take some out.
And there is time when it is dark with my nightcap on my head,
I don't know whether I'm retiring or just getting out of bed.
So, if it's my turn to write to you, there's no need for getting sore,
I may think that I have written and don't want to be a bore.
So, remember that I think of you and wish that you were near,
But now it's nearly mail time, so I must say G'by me Dear.
There I stand beside the post box with my face so very red,
Instead of posting you my letter, I had opened it instead.This was sent to me by a friend from Canada. Bert Sanders.