A totally new disaster urgh

[Eric Rose]

So I loaded up my FP4 120 into my trusty old Paterson tank. This is the old double 135 or one 120 tank with the screw on lid.

Poured in my D76 and set the timer. After awhile it seemed rather light and didn't make the usual gurgling sounds. Now I have returned to working out at the gym so I figured geez I must be toning up. The lack of gurgle I chalked up to being deaf and having the darkroom stereo blasting AC/DC.

When I went to pour out the developer there was only a thimble full!

I quickly turned the lights off and transferred the reel into another tank. Dumped new D76 in and started over. I thought worse case the developer slowly leaked out and with the second round the negs will have a graduated density from side to side. Best case is the developer exited rather quickly.

Upon inspection it seems the developer probably exited within 2 to 3 minutes.

Live and learn. Even after 60 plus years developing film

 

[KN4SMF]

That's too bad. My Honeywell Nikor tank is in the exact same shape as it was in 1972 when I bought it.

 

[Eric Rose]

I have some metal tanks but alas arthritis is making it harder and harder to load film on any type of reel.

 

[NB23]

60 plus years... gym... radio blasting ac/dc... all is well.

 

[MattKing]

I have a Paterson Super System 4 that after a significant amount of use suddenly seamed to leak fluid. The lid didn't seem to be the source of the leak, so initially I was mystified, until when I went to "burp" the lid after adding fixer I observed that pressure on the top was causing liquid to squirt out through about a 5 cm hairline crack in the side.
I kept adding fixer, and finished the process.
The film didn't show any signs of light leak, so the tank remained light tight, just not leak proof.
I've since managed to fix the leak using generic "Crazy" glue applied to the inside of the crack and air pressure to force the glue into the crack itself. The outside of the crack has some packing tape on it as well. It has worked fine now for several months since the repair.
Now Eric, as your style tank was discontinued in 1989, maybe you should consider treating yourself to a new one - don't you think 30+ years is a decent amount of service .

 

[mshchem]

I used Paterson tanks forever, starting around 1970. Last couple years, I've been afflicted with Jobo, got some old equipment cheap. I still have my original 35mm, System 4 tank with the gray cap, with the London Design Center sticker on it. Polystyrene didn't have the impact resistance as what it does today. I've picked up several Paterson tanks over the years. I still say a fresh (i.e. not 35 years old) Paterson reel is by far the easiest all around reel to load. Way easier than a Jobo, and 1/3 the cost. All the Paterson stuff is still molded in Britain. Local shop here was closing cry I bought 6 or 7 10-15 year old Paterson reels, in their neat red cardboard boxes and set them up on my shelves. After the close out price discount they were about a buck a piece more than B&H, but I like the provenance .

 

[koraks]

After having Jobo exclusively for a few years, I fell in love with my old Paterson again a few weeks ago. It's probably from around 1970. Fortunately no leaks yet. Some silicon tape around the threads gets rid of most of the leakage while turning the tank.
So easy to load, always perfectly even development right across the film up to the extreme edges - just bliss. The Jobo system gives me cartwheel/wagon ruts sometimes and unevenness along the extreme edges of the film, depending on developer, film, rotation speed, celestial alignment and karma I guess (I must have a black aura or something). The Paterson however is always perfect.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

I think "new experiences" must be going around Eric. I just developed some film and it seems one reel wasn't rotating with the tank so most of the roll had these stripes on it. Always something! Lol. First time it ever happened. At least it only affected one roll. I hope your film came out better than this-

 

[Rudeofus]

I have made the experience, that Paterson tanks become brittle after many years. I got these tanks from amateurs with low throughput, and probably no throughput at all in the years before these tanks were given to me. One of these tanks was fine until I accidentally dropped it, which lead to the same experience that Eric just reported. There was a thin but nasty crack on the bottom of the tank, something I have not seen with my Jobo tanks yet.

 

[Ces1um]

I think "new experiences" must be going around Eric. I just developed some film and it seems one reel wasn't rotating with the tank so most of the roll had these stripes on it. Always something! Lol. First time it ever happened. At least it only affected one roll. I hope your film came out better than this-

View attachment 224002

What a shame, that would have made a gorgeous photo.

 

[Eric Rose]

I've posted a scan of one of the images from the offending roll. Besides the negs being a bit "crunchy" for the over development only a few were totally ruined.

 

[Eric Rose]

Now Eric, as your style tank was discontinued in 1989, maybe you should consider treating yourself to a new one - don't you think 30+ years is a decent amount of service .

Good point Matt but with me being a Scottish Taurus I squeeze every last bit of life out of anything I buy lol. This tank has hit the trash as I have others I can use. The newest one was probably bought in the late 80's

 

[Hatchetman]

I'm confused how it leaked out?

 

[Eric Rose]

There were cracks in the base near the center.

 

[faberryman]

Unless you really live a charmed life, I am not sure a cracked Paterson tank rises to the level of a disaster.

 

[Prest_400]

Our camera club has quite a few tanks and many reels of old age, no problem at all. I would gladly change your disaster for mine... I used fixer as developer last monday! Next time I'm using the newer and clear jugs to see which one is the HC110 and not measure the fixer first!

 

[Eric Rose]

Unless you really live a charmed life, I am not sure a cracked Paterson tank rises to the level of a disaster.

Thanks for chiming in.

 

[Luckless]

If nothing else, you've reminded some of us to double check our tanks before next usage... I know mine have gotten handled by my girlfriend recently as she rearranged a few cupboards. I don't expect anything actually happened, but I guess there is still that slim chance that something got dropped and cracked.

Our camera club has quite a few tanks and many reels of old age, no problem at all. I would gladly change your disaster for mine... I used fixer as developer last monday! Next time I'm using the newer and clear jugs to see which one is the HC110 and not measure the fixer first!

Personally I measure my fixer before I measure my developer. While filling my measuring cups for development, I'll start with filling my final rinse, measure the fixer, then stop bath, and finally developer, simply because I lay things out in depth down the counter as my bathroom isn't really wide enough to go side to side.

And that way I know that if I'm reaching over another measuring cup to grab something, then I'm clearly doing something horribly wrong.

 

[Hatchetman]

I usually sit on the bench with the tank on my lap and my iPhone in the other. I would notice a leak in a big hurry!

 

[Anon Ymous]

I have made the experience, that Paterson tanks become brittle after many years. I got these tanks from amateurs with low throughput, and probably no throughput at all in the years before these tanks were given to me. One of these tanks was fine until I accidentally dropped it, which lead to the same experience that Eric just reported. There was a thin but nasty crack on the bottom of the tank, something I have not seen with my Jobo tanks yet.

Considering the rather flexible plastic Jobo tanks are made of, I'd be very surprised if they would be susceptible to cracking, even after a lot of use. IMHO, it's a very nice characteristic and I'm not afraid of banging them hard to displace any bubbles after agitating. Paterson tanks on the other hand make me nervous, I'm always worried that I'll break them.

 

[pentaxuser]

Bad luck, Eric. I hope that wherever it leaked to, no damage was done to those other surfaces where the tank sat, Eric. That would be insult to injury. I do wonder myself if one of these days a tap on a hard surface after the the first set of inversions will crack the body of the tank. Depending on where the tank sits, a clear liquid running out slowly may take several minutes to show up and the damage is done.

Note to self: Pass a dry towel underneath the tank after 1 min and having loaded the film on total darkness always put the room light on and never work under a safelight even if the light level looks OK that way and saves on electricity

pentaxuser

 

[Cholentpot]

I just play talk radio in the dork room and my agitation is spot on.

 

[Eric Rose]

I have a drain in the middle of my sink that I put the tank over when developing film. That's why I had no idea it was leaking.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Thanks for chiming in.

That cracked me up. Lol. Well played...

 

[pentaxuser]

I have a drain in the middle of my sink that I put the tank over when developing film. That's why I had no idea it was leaking.

Thanks, that explains things fully and a sensible place for the tank, Eric. Just goes to show that no good ever comes from forethought, good housekeeping and tidiness

pentaxuser