Color processing at home

thisismyname09 · Feb 1, 2010

I tried it today, and made quite a mess.

I had my regular jobo tank on a unicolor roller, developer went in and came out with no problems, but the lid popped off a minute after the blix went in, spilling blix all over the table. I assume its some kind of carbonate creating CO2 gas and building pressure.
I'm aware that I could simply open the lid for a moment to release the pressure, but if I'm to take the drum off the roller and the cap off the drum every 30 seconds, I might as well just process it with the inversion method. I was thinking of just leaving the cap off, since the hole in the center seems to be the only way of liquid getting out, but a test with water shows that theres an outlet all the way around the outer edge of the tank. Maybe I can get another lid and poke a hole through the center.
Any suggestions from someone with a little more experience?

Drikusniet · Feb 1, 2010

Doesn't it have a rubber cap? These can adjust to the build up pressure.

thisismyname09 · Feb 1, 2010

Yeah, I pushed the cap in and soon after it pushed back out, followed by it exploding.

Rudeofus · Feb 1, 2010

I know that BX builds up pressure, but it was never that much so the cap would come off. Just to avoid a misunderstanding: you did press the center of the cap all the way in (it stays in until the chemicals in the tank start building up pressure) before you put the cap on the tank?

fotch · Feb 1, 2010

Why does it need the cap if its rolling sideways without being a full tank? I have the Jobo with lift and of course it has no cap although I suppose fluid could go up the tube. My impression was that there is low volume of chemical and doesn't fill up half the tank when lying sideways on the rollers.

nickandre · Feb 1, 2010

Make sure you get the developer completely out of the tank.

thisismyname09 · Feb 1, 2010

Now that you mention it, that probably is not what I did. I probably pushed the cap in after putting it on the tank. Live and learn, I guess. :\

thisismyname09 · Feb 1, 2010

tiberiustibz said:
Make sure you get the developer completely out of the tank.

Oh, now that you mention it, I also recall having doubts about putting the fixer in right after the developer. Does rinsing the tank between developer and blix mess everything up, or is it safe to do?

hrst · Feb 1, 2010

In rotary processing, the liquid level is always so low that it won't escape from the tank if the lid is of correct type. You probably have a wrong type of lid (for inversion). You must have the "cog" type, see http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/pict/3702870164178080_3.jpg .

If you want to add a rinse, do it VERY quickly or preferably use an acidic stop bath before the rinse. Otherwise the development keeps going and you may get some problems with colors (uneven overdevelopment).

thisismyname09 · Feb 1, 2010

So, if I bought this (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/64261-REG/Jobo_J1503_Cog_Lid_for_1500.html) lid, I could fill the tank with 240mL and turn it on its side without spilling the liquid?

hrst · Feb 1, 2010

Yes, that's the idea -- the solution comes out from the middle hole (where it also goes in), and this hole is small compared to the hole in the "inversion" lid.

But, of course, you have still to be careful when turning the tank to not spill it. But once turned, it won't spill.

thisismyname09 · Feb 1, 2010

I just ordered one. Now the only problem is that I have to shoot another roll of film.

guyjr · Feb 2, 2010

thisismyname09 said:
I just ordered one. Now the only problem is that I have to shoot another roll of film.

That's not necessarily a bad problem to have.

You should be good to go with that lid - no worries about pressure or spillage - I've put 350ml in my tank before without an issue (I remove it from the CPE-2 and hand roll the last minute of stabilizer (C41) or final rinse (E6)) - haven't had a spill yet.

Color processing at home

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