Kerik717@aol.com
Tue, 19 Oct 1999 12:13:29 -0400 (EDT)
There is a low-cost solution for rotary processing of films 8x10 and larger.
For 8x10, get the Jobo Expert drum but turn it on a simple motor base such as the Beseler. These can be found used for $25 to $50. I own 4 motor bases and 2 Jobo Expert drums for 8x10, so I can process 10 sheets of 8x10 at a time.
For 7x17, 11x14 and 12x20 I use processing tubes that I make from ABS plastic pipe - 3" Diameter for 7x17 and 4" diameter for the other 2. I turn these tubes on the same motor bases, so I can do 4 sheets at a time. Every 30 seconds I simply pick up the drum, hold it vertically momentarily, then place it back onto the motor base so it turns in the opposite direction. The tubes should be 3 or 4 inches longer than the film to prevent density buildup from turblence near the ends of the tube. This system works great for me and gives me very consistent negatives.
I refuse to stand in the dark shuffling film in a tray. That's just not compatible with my attention span.
As for cost:
2 Jobo Expert Drums $400
4 Motor Bases (used) $200
Enough ABS Pipe for MANY tubes $25
Rubber caps for 8 tubes $50
Plus, no Jobo Bathtub to take up space in the darkroom!
Best,
Kerik Kouklis
www.Kerik.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Fri Nov 05 1999 - 21:26:28