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Combi Plan

rmolson

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Feb 23, 2006
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327
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Mansfield Oh
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Combi plan


Got my Combi plan tank the other day. and as I am switching back to TX320 and HC 110 I ran some basic Zone I tests I had been using an old Unicolor rotary tank and motor base left over from my old days of color printing, which is a whole other story. But could not reduce the contrast as I wanted ,or do stand development hence the combi tank.
As a daylight tank it is fine, but for filling and draining it sucks. I used it as a modified dip and dunk. I am loading the rack in the dark anyway so I just drop it into the developer, agitate a few seconds pop on the top and turn on the lights .At the end of the cycle, turn off the lights and transfer to a tank of water and then my second Combi tank with fixer and put the top on and finish the process. Since I am using the HC110 as one shot I merely dump the tank with the developer.
I found some clear plastic food storage containers that are perfect for the stop bath and or wash .The combi rack fits perfectly although it is tad too high to put the top on.
They are called Snapware and measure 3 3/8 x 5 ½ x 6 ½ and are the 58 oz. size I found mine in the food storage section of my local Krogers for 4.39. For any one who wants to do dip and dunk it beats buying two more Combi tanks at 40 to 50 bucks a piece
Hooking up a hose to use the combi tank as a wash tank did not appeal to me .I ran some simple food dye wash tests and it took 3 minutes to exchange the water. Not good enough.. I prefer to fill and dump ,that way I am sure I have exchanged the water completely.
 
Have to agree Combi Plan, and HP tanks suck.

I have one purely to develop 9x12 negatives, they aren't too bad for 5x4 but to get good agitation they leak badly. very poor, typical US design I prefer my Jobo's

Ian
 

That’s pretty much what I do too

I use "Lock n Lock" food containers - I found one that takes the whole cassette and you can fit the lid on too

I tend to do my developing in batches, so I have 4 cassettes and can have the first one dry and ready to start again on the next batch of film, when I am done processing the last cassette

NOVA does a film washing tank for the Combi Plan – which is what I use.

If you get the lid on PROPERLY I have found the tank does not leak much – no more so than a Paterson Tank

I recently read something about doubling the throughput by loading sheets of film back to back separated by fly screen or similar – so will have to give it a go as I only do 4 sheets of film each time because its quite easy to push sheets onto each other if you put the top clip on too hard

Martin
 
CombiPlan is a Swedish product.

Lee
 
Well, I have a Combi Plan, and it doesn't leak. I wet sanded with 600 grit paper around the top of the tank where the lid seals, then burp it like you do with a food container. I shake, rattle, and roll it. Never leaks.
 
I like my Comb-Plan, and it only leaks a small bit. Just pushing down on the lid a bit more stops that. I can fill it in 20 seconds, so I haven't found the need to preload it. I figure the bottom of the film starts developing first, but it also stops developing first, so it all evens out. The negatives are even top to bottom, so it works well enough.

The only issue I have is the slots in the tank create small uneven areas that extend into the negative sides by about 2mm. Not much more of an issue than the stupid hole on Fuji Acros film, but annoying just the same. For both these reasons, and a few others, I try not to compose right up to the edge of the frame in 4x5.

Jobo Expert drums still give the most even development of any method I have tried, but they need to be rotated. If you don't want continuous agitation the Combi-Plan is a good way to go.
 
How do you get it to fill in 20 seconds When I timed filling mine it took 45 to 50 seconds That's when I decided to preload
 
Don't want to answer for L Gebhardt, but in my case I can fill it in _about_ 30 seconds (25 to 30, usually) by unscrewing the top plug a bit (as indicated on the lid) and keeping the funnel as full as can be. It needs some time to get used to it, but works fine.

I also try to develop for long times (10 minutes being the average) so that these 30 seconds do not really matter.

It tried to time how long to took me to fill my Jobo 1520 + 1540 when developing several rolls, and the time needed to pour 1.2 liters was about the same as with the Combiplan.
 
My CombiPlan tank works well. And my fill times are closer to 20 sec than 45 sec. Not a big deal since my normal development time is just under 13 minutes.
 
You need to unscrew the top a git to allow the air to escape as you pour in the developer. Then screw it down tightly before you begin inverting the tank for agitation. Yes, you can get the tank full in about 25 seconds that way. Use a developer that takes at least 10 minutes, and you'll have no problems if you load the film correctly.
 
rmolson said:
How do you get it to fill in 20 seconds When I timed filling mine it took 45 to 50 seconds That's when I decided to preload
Click to expand...

I unscrew the top over 1 turn, maybe 1.25 turns. Then pour directly down the funnel. I actually try not to keep the funnel full, as it seems to go quicker that way (maybe more air can escape). 20 to 25 seconds is the normal fill time this way. Following the directions of a 1/2 turn (going from memory here) I think I was closer to 45 seconds.

To drain I turn it upside down and just open the bottom port to let air in. Then attach the hose to fill the tank for a rinse. Drain and add the fixer.
 
Ditto for me as well. I found that the bowl shape of the funnel actually impedes filling if you let it [funnel] get full. I'm actually keeping my eye out for a more slender funnel, if I can find something that fits, to allow a straight-in path. Otherwise, I've gotten the hand of the Compi, even loading the sheets in their individual slots. I'll have to give the emptying routine you use a try.
 
I need to give a try filling it without making the funnel too full, 20 seconds seems nice.
 
If you want a quick to fill 4x5 to 8x10 daylight tank, the Paterson Orbital is hard to beat. Nice even development every time.

One of the few English products that doesn't leak all over the floor....
 
I'd love to give the Orbital a try, but it's hard to find ! Also, since I'm using XTol 1+3 or HC110 dil. B, I'm not quite sure the tank would be large enough.
 
bobwysiwyg said:
Duh! Going to have to try this.
Click to expand...
Remember to put the stoppers on after you filled the tank. I forgot to do that once, but luckily I was developing 6,5x9 film and used 1 liter developer, so I managed to stop the outflow before losing too much developer. :rolleyes:
 
filling tank

That's what I love about APUG,someone has had the problem and figured out a solution and let the rest of us know it,got to try that filling the tank from the side Never thought of that and it is so logical when you think about it.
 
I have used the Combi-Plan for many years and have found some leakage only if I overfill the tank. I don't try to use their funnel and drain hole, but rather fill the tank in the dark, dunk in the sheet holder, put on the top and start turning the tank over as I turn on the light. For stop bath I turn out the lights, take off the lid, pour out the developer and pour in the stop bath - then dip and dunk for a count of 30. Then, still in the dark, pour back the stop bath and pour in the fixer. Then the lid goes on and the lights go back on. If you have everything lined up with the stop and fixer measured out and have big funnels on the bottles to pour back the stop bath, it goes surprisingly well with no streaking and very little leakage.
 
JPD said:
Here's a tip on how to fill the tank faster:

http://www.photax.se/mrkr/dsr/combiplan.htm

The picture is self-explaining.
Click to expand...

JPD,

I had 8 sheets of 4x5 to process so I thought I would give this a try. Worked great. I didn't actually time it, but it was noticeably faster filling, particularly if you didn't let the funnel fill. Thanks.
 
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