Hand development with jobo 1500 tanks?

canuhead said:

did you mean 2 x 120 rolls ? Can't remember my combination of tanks (bottom one is tank for 2 x 35) but my overall set up is 3 x 120 reels. iirc

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No, I meant 4 x 120 rolls, 2 rolls per reel. They are actually designed for that, one just needs to use the red locking tab.

The 1510 tank plus 1 x 1530 extension unit is called the 1540 tank.

I would suggest your version of 3 x 120 reels is the 1520 tank plus 1 x 1530 extension unit, although I could be wrong. I'm on the road so I cannot check things.

Mick.

Doubling up 120 rolls on Jobo reels is precisely what that little red tab is for. Pop the tab out and load the first roll of 120, then push the tab in and load the second.

Just a caution on the 1500 series based on my own neophyte experience: The reels are great for 35mm, but I found for 120 with its thicker film, the 2500 series is much easier to load. Frankly I had a lot of problems with 1500 series reels and 120 until I found a Jobo article by a fellow who'd spent a career using the machine for developing, doing well over 25,000 rolls of film in short order, and he stated categorically that he used the 1500 for 35mm and the 2500 for 120. I had tried the 1500 to save on fluid, and quickly switched back to the 2500. The 2500 reels and tanks are more expensive, but just much easier, and they work fine for 35mm as well. I'll load 6 rolls of 120 (2 per roll) into the big tank, and it works wonderfully. Biggest problem is in my "drying rack" space. Before getting my Jobo machine, I rolled these on a Uniroller.... but that didn't work nearly as well. But you can use a 2500 tank for hand development. You'll need a different lid and cap, but it can be done: I run the final rinse by hand anyway when doing C41. Is it a tad awkward? Sure. But not inconvenient.

I find the red film separator clips on the Jobo reels work very well at keeping two films separated on a reel. I've never tried taping 2 films together, but I guess there's a zillion ways to do this.

Good luck! and have fun.

Mick Fagan said:

No, I meant 4 x 120 rolls, 2 rolls per reel. They are actually designed for that, one just needs to use the red locking tab.

The 1510 tank plus 1 x 1530 extension unit is called the 1540 tank.

I would suggest your version of 3 x 120 reels is the 1520 tank plus 1 x 1530 extension unit, although I could be wrong. I'm on the road so I cannot check things.

Mick.

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ahh, got it. that's a very convenient feature (I only use Hewes for Jobo).

All my 35 and 120 is done with hand agitation in PYRO in 1500 tanks. System works fine. Never had an issue.

It's the flange width that I found difficult to load in the dark. YMMV. My finger dexterity.... uh.... well.... I manage.

Another possibility would be to run two tanks at the same time. Start the second a minute or so after the first, agitate one, then the other. It can get a bit hectic, but it's doable.

Per Bjesse said:

Yeah, this does not work for me; the films bunch up on each other. What films are you doing this with, how do you agitate (swizzle stick/manual inversions), how often do you agitate, and how long is your development times?

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I have used all sorts of film with this method: Pan F, FP4+, HP5+, Delta100, Delta400, RMX, TMY, TMY-2. APX100 and perhaps some others as well. I agitate by inversion: first minute constantly, then one inversion every 30 sec. Development times differ per film and developer combination and also depend on temperature but are often somewhere between 7 and 15 minutes. I load films both ways, often inversing the direction when it fails the first effort.

And when not taping them together, the tape can't dissolve.

I used Patterson inversion tanks in the 1970s and moved to Jobo 1500 around year 2000. I think the Jobo tanks have a better design of the lid and the reels. I felt the edges of 120 film had more even processing. Of course the 1500 tanks also fit on the Jobo rotary processors, and this is a big plus.

I never process with the tape on the film, I cut it off (tearing it can fog the film). Since the cut is never perpendicular to film, I load the factory cut end (which would be the non-tape end) on the reel first. I started doing this way around 2008 and have not had issues getting two 120 films on a Jobo 1500 reel.

ic-racer said:

I used Patterson inversion tanks in the 1970s and moved to Jobo 1500 around year 2000. I think the Jobo tanks have a better design of the lid and the reels.

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FWIW, the current Super System 4 Paterson tanks use a lid design that is different from the 1970s Paterson tanks.

MattKing said:

FWIW, the current Super System 4 Paterson tanks use a lid design that is different from the 1970s Paterson tanks.

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What about the reels? Seemed to me a the time (1970s) the thick plastic came too close to the border of a 120 frame. I thougth the ball-bearings in the old Paterson reels made loading a little easier than Jobo.

I think that the Paterson reels have changed as well (slightly) but as I normally use the Paterson compatible AP/Arista clone reels with the wide tabs ...

ic-racer said:

I used Patterson inversion tanks in the 1970s and moved to Jobo 1500 around year 2000.
...
I never process with the tape on the film, I cut it off (tearing it can fog the film). Since the cut is never perpendicular to film, I load the factory cut end (which would be the non-tape end) on the reel first. I started doing this way around 2008 and have not had issues getting two 120 films on a Jobo 1500 reel.

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Why does the end need to be truly perpendicular and may not be just as perpendicular as cut by hand in the dark?

R.Gould said:

I often put 2 rolls of 120 0n paterson reels with no problem, load first roll, when roll is fully onto the reel keep ttwisting the reel using your thumbs untill the film cannot go any further, carefully hold film gently with your hand and make sure it won't go in any further, then start the next roll then stop loading as soon as the end ofnthe film is ijust inthe reel, it sounds harder than it is, I have used this method for more years than I care to remember, never had kinks, and much easier than trying to tape the ends of film in the dark, Patterson nake tanks for up to 5 35mm reels, but these will only take 3 120 films, but the multi reel tanks are around £30 GBP over here,

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You can also get 8 reel Patterson tanks for £43 ; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Paterson...031407&hash=item4b5460d3ea:g:mugAAOSwuLZYyTHn but I would imagine they are quite cumbersom to use .
I tend to develop film in batches when I have quite a few ready .

Tanks are filled with film that requires the same developing and I mark on the tanks with masking tape what time and developer quantity is needed .
Part way into the first tanks fixing I will set the next tank off developing and so on .
I tend to use the tanks that fit three 35mm reels/ two 120 reels , though I have quite a few to use as needed .
New or used , Patterson tank's aren't expensive .

MattKing said:

I think that the Paterson reels have changed as well (slightly) but as I normally use the Paterson compatible AP/Arista clone reels with the wide tabs ...

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I use the AP ones with the wide tabs with 120 film as they make loading so much easier , but for 35mm I use the standard reels as the film is much easier to remove .

neilt3 said:

I use the AP ones with the wide tabs with 120 film as they make loading so much easier , but for 35mm I use the standard reels as the film is much easier to remove .

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Curious.
I just twist the AP reels backwards, and they separate, leaving the film standing in the channels of the bottom half.
Then off to the Photoflo the film goes.

neilt3: Absolutely.... those AP reels with the wide tabs are some of the easiest to load anywhere. In my mind, their form factor is the best there is out there, and I used them for all 35mm and 120 up until romancing a Jobo.

MattKing said:

Curious.
I just twist the AP reels backwards, and they separate, leaving the film standing in the channels of the bottom half.
Then off to the Photoflo the film goes.

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Never fancied separating the reel to get the film out to avoid it touching itself , I just put the film hanging clip on the end after loosening off a few inches before sliding it out the same way it went in .
It's the same when I develop sheet film if I'm doing it in a tray , I just do one at a time to avoid accidental contact causing scratches .
Works for me anyway .

It depends on the reel. As I hinted at, some even have barbs.