C-41 printing, dry the Jobo tank or buy multiple tanks?

Sirius Glass · Oct 1, 2018

I am preparing to make C-41 prints in my darkroom. Back at Kodak I used the Keonite processor and was badly spoiled. Now I want to make the color prints at home. Do I have to completely dry the tanks between prints or do I need multiple tanks?

glbeas · Oct 1, 2018

Rinse and wipe dry to avoid contaminants and you should be good.

btaylor · Oct 2, 2018

A hair dryer is a handy accessory for drying the drums

Young He · Oct 2, 2018

I give my Jobo drum a good rinse and shake the lid and drum a few times to remove large drops of water, and then wipe the outside. I have found that not drying the drum is acceptable, and the prints have no trouble getting in.

MattKing · Oct 2, 2018

I use old Cibachrome tubes and a Beseler roller agitator when I process prints in tubes.
If you have more than one tube it definitely increases the ease of working. One quick wipe with a linen tea towel and then leave the tube to air dry while you use the next one - it works quite well.
JOBO tubes are pricier than used Cibachrome tubes, so my collection of half a dozen tubes in various sizes may not make sense.

mshchem · Oct 2, 2018

I'm with Matt ,when I used tubes I used Cibachrome and the Doran/Devtec/Premier drums. I use a Kodak rapid color processor model 11 and 16k now. The smaller one can be had for peanuts. You work in the dark. Very fast. I have 3 Thomas safelights with color filters you can see well after about 5 minutes in the dark.

If you use tubes use stop bath to prevent stains

I also have some narrow SS tanks that hold close to a gallon. If you have 8x10 film hangers ,you can process two sheets, back to back in one hanger and easily accomodate 3 or 4 hangers per run.

As long as you pre-rinse and don't get damp fingers on the emulsion damp shouldn't be too much trouble.

BMbikerider · Oct 2, 2018

Initially expensive to buy a processor, but far better with little risk of temperature fluctuation has got to be the NOVA deep tank processors. No rinsing or drying after each print, only the small clips that hold the paper to rinse and shake dry.

If you have to make a number of test strips to ascertain the correct colour balance/exposure using a JOBO drum would be both time consuming and to be frank, quite monotonous. I doubt if you would use a JOBO drum to make B&W when a dish is easier, so why use a JOBO for colour. Additionally if your darkroom is like mine with no running water, it just makes sense. (The water is in the next room.)

Photo Engineer · Oct 2, 2018

I have multiple tanks. It is very time consuming drying tanks thoroughly enough for reasonably rapid turnaround.

PE

Wayne · Oct 3, 2018

Sirius Glass said:
I am preparing to make C-41 prints in my darkroom. Back at Kodak I used the Keonite processor and was badly spoiled. Now I want to make the color prints at home. Do I have to completely dry the tanks between prints or do I need multiple tanks?

Neither. You only need trays.

Sirius Glass · Oct 3, 2018

Wayne said:
Neither. You only need trays.

Been there, done that, it will never happen again for over 10,000 very good reasons, we are talking about color printing with the lights out, not safe lights, when time and temperature conditions.

Wayne · Oct 3, 2018

Sirius Glass said:
Been there, done that, it will never happen again for over 10,000 very good reasons, we are talking about color printing with the lights out, not safe lights, when time and temperature conditions.

You can keep the lights out, or you can use a dim safelight with color printing in trays. Just letting you know its an option in case you werent aware.

Sirius Glass · Oct 3, 2018

Wayne said:
You can keep the lights out, or you can use a dim safelight with color printing in trays. Just letting you know its an option in case you werent aware.

But I already have a Jobo CPP2 processor.

Wayne · Oct 3, 2018

Sirius Glass said:
But I already have a Jobo CPP2 processor.

You could gift it to me for film processing, then use trays for printing.

Photo Engineer · Oct 3, 2018

I have 2 Jobos, but I use the tray at 20C.

It is quite convenient.

PE

Wayne · Oct 3, 2018

Photo Engineer said:
I have 2 Jobos, but I use the tray at 20C.

It is quite convenient.

PE

I would accept a gifted jobo from anyone.

And I agree.

mshchem · Oct 4, 2018

Sirius Glass said:
But I already have a Jobo CPP2 processor.

One thing that might work is to pre soak the paper before inserting into the wet Jobo tube ? Probably not practical .This is why I use these old beasts. No tubes

halfaman · Oct 4, 2018

I don't wash the Jobo tanks between developments, only dry them with paper towel.

Photo Engineer · Oct 4, 2018

Wayne said:
I would accept a gifted jobo from anyone.

And I agree.

Ahhh, maybe someday someone will stop by here and pick one up.

C-41 printing, dry the Jobo tank or buy multiple tanks?

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