Is the Sous Vide the DIY Jobo?

[Paul Howell]

Rather than using the pet heating pad, I just bought a Sous Vide, $30.00 tested works very well, mixed my R4, will start test prints in the AM. Odd his is B&W thread, all about color.

 

[Valerie]

@Valerie But if it costs you a net $20 to get your $10 roll of film processed, and your monthly film/processing budget is under $100, where are you? You can process your own C-41 for a dollar or so per roll (depending how you source your chemicals) -- and this simple, cheap tool will make it easier to get the best possible results in home processing.

He's not doing color. He's doing bw. Otherwise it would make sense and I would encourage the purchase.

 

[Donald Qualls]

He's not doing color. He's doing bw. Otherwise it would make sense and I would encourage the purchase.

Last time looked, it cost just as much to send out B&W as it does for color. Now, B&W is much less critical on temperature, but (for instance) in my house, I'm constantly fighting the temperature -- my partner can't stand either heat or cold when awake, and yet likes it really cold at night -- so there will be times when I'll need to warm up my B&W chemicals. This thing seemingly can't be used with a shallow bath for print trays without a little creative fabrication (most heating devices this shape have a minimum immersion to avoid damage), but it can certainly be used in a tub for chemical bottles for tank development -- and there are also times when I'll want to process my B&W at temperatures above 68F. Df96 monobath, for instance, works best at 75F and higher (especially if you need to push a film), and it's never that warm in this house unless the A/C isn't working right. Warming a static bath at just the needed temperature with a heater like this is far more energy efficient, as well as water friendly, than running a constant stream from the house's hot water heater.

 

[MattKing]

I agree with Valerie about Chris' circumstances - the Sous Vide is much more appropriate for a process that requires a temperature above the ambient temperature one might normally find on a boat in Texas.
During at least some of his recent tests, he was using ice baths to cool his black and white solutions down.
So it is good for C41 or E6. Not so much for black and white - unless he wants to try XP2 Super.

 

[Two23]

I've been processing my own b&w film for over a year with no problem, and also dry plates. Last summer I started doing wet plate--a pretty involved process. Successes have encouraged me to now try color 4x5. I bought an Arista E6 kit and today received a sous vida heater. Haven't yet tried it but I think I can do it. Will be using my Stearman SP-445 tank in a plastic tub full of water.


Kent in SD

 

[Sirius Glass]

Last time looked, it cost just as much to send out B&W as it does for color. Now, B&W is much less critical on temperature, but (for instance) in my house, I'm constantly fighting the temperature -- my partner can't stand either heat or cold when awake, and yet likes it really cold at night -- so there will be times when I'll need to warm up my B&W chemicals. This thing seemingly can't be used with a shallow bath for print trays without a little creative fabrication (most heating devices this shape have a minimum immersion to avoid damage), but it can certainly be used in a tub for chemical bottles for tank development -- and there are also times when I'll want to process my B&W at temperatures above 68F. Df96 monobath, for instance, works best at 75F and higher (especially if you need to push a film), and it's never that warm in this house unless the A/C isn't working right. Warming a static bath at just the needed temperature with a heater like this is far more energy efficient, as well as water friendly, than running a constant stream from the house's hot water heater.

Actually I found out the hard way that sending out black & white for processing cost more than color processing. The one time mistake that send me to FreeStyle to by a steel tank, steel reels and chemicals.

 

[grat]

I use my sous vide circulator for C41. For B&W it's slightly less helpful, since my room temperature is usually way above 68, so I'm usually fighting to cool down the water. However, it's still a circulator, and even if it's not heating, it's evening out the temperature and acting as a thermometer all at once. Either way, the idea's the same-- use the water bath to maintain appropriate temperature for my developing chemicals.

Side note, for those unfamiliar with Sous Vide... a steak prepared sous vide is one of the best steaks you're likely to encounter-- edge-to-edge perfect temperature with a thin sear. And don't get me started on roasts. Short version is that by using constant temperature in meat / vegetables, you use time to control doneness and tenderness. You literally can't overcook something in sous vide. You can over-tenderize it, but that takes work.

 

[fs999]

I always use my sous vide for regulating the water temperature in colour and b&w.
In b&w I often develop with Caffenol CLCS which starts at 15°C/59°F later I need the water at 20°C/68°F...

 

[Marioo Wilson]

Whoa! I'd seen these from a couple photo suppliers, at $100 or more. Didn't realize they were available for this much less. I just grabbed one on amazon for $36 including shipping, claiming 0.1 C precision. I can calibrate against my darkroom thermometer, so I don't care much about absolute accuracy -- as long as it'll maintain with the required precision. Nice!

 

[Donald Qualls]

@Marioo Wilson Yep, I paid $32 plus shipping on eBay for mine. No point in paying $100 and up, unless there's some reason to believe it has some significant customization to make it work better for our needs -- and I don't know of any such customization (though I won't say there is none, as I haven't examined the Cinestill unit, for instance).

 

[laingsoft]

Cinestill claims that the engineering they put into their sous vide is that theirs can handle being dipped in dev or fix. I don't know if I buy that though.

I have a cheap one I got on amazon and I use it in a big bucket of water, holding it at 28c for an hour or so with my chems in them before I use it. During dev I drop my patterson tank in the tempering bath when I'm not agitating, and so far I've gotten really nice, clean negatives with no crossover I can see.

 

[Donald Qualls]

Cinestill claims that the engineering they put into their sous vide is that theirs can handle being dipped in dev or fix. I don't know if I buy that though.

I can easily see how that would be possible -- in fact, it requires little if any re-engineering compared to being able to use it directly in a sauce or soup (vs. just a water bath as is standard sous vide usage). That doesn't mean I'd actually do that. Contamination, carry-over, etc.

 

[laingsoft]

I can easily see how that would be possible -- in fact, it requires little if any re-engineering compared to being able to use it directly in a sauce or soup (vs. just a water bath as is standard sous vide usage). That doesn't mean I'd actually do that. Contamination, carry-over, etc.

It's likely that the plastic bits inside of a sous vide is a flourinated plastic anyway. The extent of the engineering may just be emailing the supplier and asking them if they use FPE fins on the fan.

But yeah, dipping the stick in the chemicals seems like a bad idea, I'd think the quinones that like to form on dried out developer would gum everything up anyway.

 

[Kilgallb]

Cinestill claims that the engineering they put into their sous vide is that theirs can handle being dipped in dev or fix. I don't know if I buy that though.

I have a cheap one I got on amazon and I use it in a big bucket of water, holding it at 28c for an hour or so with my chems in them before I use it. During dev I drop my patterson tank in the tempering bath when I'm not agitating, and so far I've gotten really nice, clean negatives with no crossover I can see.

If you do this right, the sous vide device never touches photo chemicals, just water.

I know the cinestill device claims it can mix chemicals.

 

[photojournaliste]

I've been considering one for c41 and have seen them for as less at 60$

 

[Donald Qualls]

I've been considering one for c41 and have seen them for as less at 60$

I paid $32 plus shipping for mine.

 

[photojournaliste]

Damn!! I think ill look for a deal and shoot some color finally!!