Quote Originally Posted by Xia_Ke
Paul I know you mentioned in the other thread about two 30 second water stop baths. Now do you just let water run through your tank or do you fill with water and agitate for 30 seconds each cycle or...?
Immediately after draining the developer, I fill the tank with water and agitate for 30 seconds, about 1 inversion per second, then drain it. Then I do it again, but I'm not as careful to go for a full 30 seconds the second time.

Here's my logic (which could very well be wrong): As soon as you pour in the stop water, any developer that is on the outside of the film will be washed off and diluted to a point where it would take hours to actually effect the development. There is still developer that was absorbed into the emulsion, which will not wash off as easily. The time I spend agitating will remove most of it, but after 30 seconds or so, it's pointless, because that tiny amount of developer remaining inside the film emulsion will have exhausted itself by the time I'm through shaking the tank. So, I suspect a small amount of developing continues in the initial 30 second "stop" wash, but as long as I'm consistent with this process, it is factored in. I've never noticed any visible defects on my negatives, and I've never had a problem with premature death of my fixer. I hope there are no problems that I'm just overlooking.

Paul