daylight tanks leaking

fralexis · Sep 3, 2014

I have several plastic daylight tanks and they all leak a bit. I have Patterson as well as some generic. Is this a usual problem for everyone?

Alexis

tokam · Sep 3, 2014

My Patterson System 4 is nearly 40 yrs old and I have to be a bit careful to get the lid screw thread engaged correctly.
After this I 'burp' the soft plastic lid after the initial continuous agitation and I sometimes still get a small trickle of
leakage which I live with.

Gerald C Koch · Sep 3, 2014

I have yet to see any tank, plastic or metal, that did not leak a bit except for the brand given below. If you have a number of metal tanks it is important to keep all three pieces of the tank together. No mixing or matching of parts. This is because when the set is assembled the parts are selected for fit. This is true at least for the better brands like Nikor. I learned ths many years ago when I had two tanks. If I put the lid of tank A on tank B the result was a serious amount of leakage. With the correct lid on the correct tank there was very little leakage. I therefor scratch an identifying mark on the parts of each set.

The only tanks that I have found to be leak free are metal ones with a soft plastic top such as made by Kinderman. The caps are sold separately so one can retrofit existing metal tanks.

frank · Sep 3, 2014

My 1.5L Patterson tank cracked while I tapped it on a tabletop to dislodge air bubbles. I wrapped it in duct tape. A bit ghetto, but it stopped the leak.

I agitate by twirling not inversion so lid leaking is not a concern.

WetMogwai · Sep 3, 2014

My Patterson tank lid is a bit hard to get on so it occasionally leaks. It leaks the most when I'm doing the blix step in C-41, but that's because pressure builds up inside. I burp it frequently to cut down on this but I still usually end up with at least a few drops getting out. Some daylight tanks aren't meant for inversion and won't just leak, they'll pour. I always avoid Yankee and similar tanks mostly for that reason.

DannL. · Sep 4, 2014

I'm been through numerous 35mm/120 tanks over the years, and I found two tanks that "did not" leak. One is a cheap stainless steel tank (Taiwan) with a black plastic lid and cap. And the other is what I currently use, a JOBO Unitank 1520. I've never been particularly keen on having my hands and work area covered in chemistry.

ic-racer · Sep 4, 2014

In my experience, tanks that don't leak fluid are rare. I use gloves and process with the tank in a water bath or sink.

gone · Sep 4, 2014

My Paterson plastic tank leaks during inversions, and it has leaked ever since it was brand new. Maybe I should try swirling.

MartinP · Sep 4, 2014

I have Paterson tanks with the full-width "Tupperware" style lids. If burped heavily, they don't leak with black-and-white chemistries (I haven't tried C41 in them). I also have two Jobo multi-tanks which give the occasional drip - though they are secondhand and probably somewhat abused before I bought them. Remember that the twirling of the reel as a form of agitation moves the outer part of the film far more than the inner part, and that this could give different results along the film depending on the film type, the developer, development time, which way the wind is blowing etc. etc.

DannL. · Sep 4, 2014

MartinP said:
I have Paterson tanks with the full-width "Tupperware" style lids. If burped heavily, they don't leak with black-and-white chemistries (I haven't tried C41 in them). I also have two Jobo multi-tanks which give the occasional drip - though they are secondhand and probably somewhat abused before I bought them. Remember that the twirling of the reel as a form of agitation moves the outer part of the film far more than the inner part, and that this could give different results along the film depending on the film type, the developer, development time, which way the wind is blowing etc. etc.

I believe that you will find that the degrees of movement at the center of the reel will be exactly the same as compared to the outer edge of the reel. Naturally the two points of measurement, center and outer edge, cannot move independently of each other. If you find that the fluid in motion has the least resistance at the outer layers of film on the reel, and that the resistance to fluid motion is at it's greatest nearest the center of the reel, I would assume that the pressure of fluid against the film would also be at it's greatest nearest the center of the reel. This increase in pressure at the center of the reel should counter-balance the effects of increased speed (lower pressure) at the outer layers of film, bringing the entire process into harmony, thus cancelling any differences in development.

pentaxuser · Sep 4, 2014

Neither of my two Durst plastic tanks for 135 and 120 leak. The tank lids are simply press fit as is the cover which fits over the lid. Each tank is centre loaded like a Hewes but you attach a loader to the reel. Once the tongue of the film is under the sprung part in the middle the rest of the film simply winds on. Pretty-well foolproof. 250mls for a 135 and only 450mls for a 120 so economical. The only downside compared to a Jobo is that each tank will only hold one film whereas the Jobo 1520 will hold two 120s but all things considered, if even slight leaks are of concern then a Durst tank is worth considering.

pentaxuser

MartinP · Sep 4, 2014

DannL. said:
I believe that you will find that the degrees of movement at the center of the reel will be exactly the same as compared to the outer edge of the reel. Naturally the two points of measurement, center and outer edge, cannot move independently of each other. If you find that the fluid in motion has the least resistance at the outer layers of film on the reel, and that the resistance to fluid motion is at it's greatest nearest the center of the reel, I would assume that the pressure of fluid against the film would also be at it's greatest nearest the center of the reel. This increase in pressure at the center of the reel should counter-balance the effects of increased speed (lower pressure) at the outer layers of film, bringing the entire process into harmony, thus cancelling any differences in development.

Please don't post when you are drunk or high.

DannL. · Sep 4, 2014

MartinP said:
Please don't post when you are drunk or high.

Fluid dynamics and the variation of pressure along a gelatin coated surface in three dimensions. Advance Experimental Physics. Remember?

MartinP · Sep 4, 2014

As you wish.

Michael W · Sep 4, 2014

I have 3 Paterson tanks. Two of the lids are fine and one doesn't seal properly & leaks.

Pioneer · Sep 4, 2014

When using the cog lids my jobo tanks don't leak but I am agitating with them sideways on rollers.

So far, if burped properly after the initial agitation my Arista Premium and Patterson 5 tanks do not leak.

My old, economy, Arista plastic tanks leak like sieves and I rarely use them.

I always wear gloves and chemical goggles while working with chemicals. Accidents are not planned, they happen suddenly and there is rarely time to protect yourself when it does happen.

Andrew K · Sep 5, 2014

must admit I've never had problems with either my Patterson or Jobo tanks over the last 30 years.....

Rick Olson · Sep 6, 2014

Hi Alexis,

I have the Paterson tanks also. Also had some leaks. What helped me was wiping down the rim of the tank and inside rim of the lid between steps to dry them. This helped greatly to provide a better seal when pressing down the lid. Give it a try!

Rick

mfohl · Sep 6, 2014

MartinP said:
I have Paterson tanks with the full-width "Tupperware" style lids. If burped heavily, they don't leak with black-and-white chemistries (I haven't tried C41 in them). I also have two Jobo multi-tanks which give the occasional drip - though they are secondhand and probably somewhat abused before I bought them. Remember that the twirling of the reel as a form of agitation moves the outer part of the film far more than the inner part, and that this could give different results along the film depending on the film type, the developer, development time, which way the wind is blowing etc. etc.

I have many Paterson tanks, and unless in a real pinch, I only use the new ones with the Tupperware style lids. The smaller tanks behave nicely; hardly any leakage. But I have a few of the large ones, 8 35 / 5 120, and they almost always leak. Not enough to matter, but enough to be annoying. I still use them when developing large numbers of rolls.

And I *always* invert. I lost a couple of rolls of 120 a while ago because I used that stupid twirler thing. It worked OK for a single roll of 35, but for anything else, the insides (vertically) were noticeably less developed than the outsides. I *always* invert.

daylight tanks leaking

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