2x 120 film processed in 250ml in a Jobo 1540

I'm sure this has been common knowledge to someone before, but I didn't notice any specific references on a quick google search.

After paying $220 on the Amazon US store for a 5 pack of Provia as shipped from and sold by Amazon Japan I'm now out of pocket-money to even add any Ektachrome so I'll be short on the transparency stuff for a while. But after I found a worthy cause to shoot two rolls I realized I couldn't wait to finish four rolls to see the first ones come out.

Eventually I realized if you just load one 120 on a reel with it's separator tab already in place, you could lock the film on the outer diameter of the reel and reduce the rotary chemistry depth that's required.

I did some math with rough measurements and actually found that's the first problem I've ever really enjoyed using AI for. I can visualize the geometry but I wouldn't really know where to begin on calculating the height and volume of a liquid in a partially filled cylinder on its side.

Anyway it looked like it would work and it did and I'm pleased. It was also my first time trying the Jobo E-6 kit. What a gauntlet but it certainly feels better controlled than a three step blix kit. The bottles are much nicer than the stuff from photo systems inc.

But in the long run, it's a lot of work to go through the whole process just for two rolls. I'll still be trying to save up 4 in the future unless it's urgent again.

I'm not surprised it works; as you've found, the film remains on the outside of the reel so you dont need a lot of depth to the liquid with the tank positioned horizontally.

Btw, 2x120 on a single reel in a 1520 works with 270ml, which is pretty close to your 250ml, so that's another way to get good economy out of the chemistry.

koraks said:

I'm not surprised it works; as you've found, the film remains on the outside of the reel so you dont need a lot of depth to the liquid with the tank positioned horizontally.

Btw, 2x120 on a single reel in a 1520 works with 270ml, which is pretty close to your 250ml, so that's another way to get good economy out of the chemistry.

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I did look at buying a 1520 before realizing the the possibility of the 2 roll 1540 technique but then I realized I'd want a magnet drive too for it and the cost of the idea rose above what I could throw away on it just for convenience.

I also like to work in 250's and 500's exactly so that I can easily divide 1L, 2.5L, or 5L kit instructions in my head.

hwy17 said:

I also like to work in 250's and 500's exactly so that I can easily divide 1L, 2.5L, or 5L kit instructions in my head.

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Yeah, that's definitely nice. Since I also often use a manual Paterson tank which takes 300ml for a single 135, I'm used to also having the 300ml volume to deal with. I have a range of glass bottles including 300ml size. So I round up the 270ml that the 1520 takes to 300ml, which just adds a small safety margin.

Your approach with 2x120 in a 1540 is actually quite nice because it saves you the hassle of spooling both rolls onto a single reel, which never seemed very convenient to me.