Nikor Tank Question

[dynachrome]

I bought a large Nikor tank with a plain top, not a daylight type top. Will a Nikor top for daylight use fit the tank I just bought? If not, will a plastic Kindermann type top fit? The tank will probably arrive in about a week.

 

[mshchem]

A firm maybe. Nikor tanks, the old original had lids and caps that were paired to each other. Some plastic lids will fit.
Be careful of old plastic lids. I've had Kindermann lids split.

 

[reddesert]

More information is needed, maybe a picture. What do you mean when you say "large"? Large like the ones that are 3.25" diameter and come in sizes to hold 1, 2, 4, or 8 35mm reels (or half the number of 120 reels)? Or large like the ones that hold a reel for 4x5 film (probably about 4.5" diameter, but I don't have one)?

Generally, for metal tanks, swapped metal lids may leak a bit even if they fit. Plastic replacement lids for the 35mm-120 size are about $5-6 at major retailers like Freestyle and B&H. These fit the tanks I've tried and don't leak, but every 20 years or so they'll crack and you have to get a new one.

 

[Nitroplait]

I am not sure what "plain top" means, but as have been noted above; steel lids don't mix well among tanks. The 3 steel tanks I own are all marked so I can identify the matching lid. I have never used plastic lids but would imagine they would be more flexible.

 

[bdial]

The reason that very large tanks don’t have pour-through lids is that it takes too long to fill or empty the amount of chemistry they hold, which might cause inconsistent processing.
A daylight lid should fit, though you may need to try out several lids to get a good fit, for the reasons mentioned.

 

[Donald Qualls]

The reason that very large tanks don’t have pour-through lids is that it takes too long to fill or empty the amount of chemistry they hold

To expand on this, these tanks (larger than about 4 35mm reels) were intended to be used similarly to "tank and hanger" processing for sheet film -- tanks all open in a sink, load the film on the reels and thread them onto a lifting rod (T-shaped, with the T at the bottom and a small grip loop at the top), then still in the dark drop the stack into the developer and start time. Agitate by lifting and lowering, then when time is up lift the whole stack, drain for ten seconds or so, and drop into the next tank in line. The lids were to minimize air exposure between processing sessions, and they were really intended for replenished systems, back when everything was on film and a pro lab might handled hundreds of rolls a day. This kind of setup could run 8 rolls at a time through a fifteen minutes (developer through fixer) process and into the wash -- a little time for replenishment and you could do 24 rolls an hour or close to two hundred a day on individual reels (with an assistant loading the reels and another handling washing/hanging), and dark lock pass through for incoming and outgoing films.

 

[dynachrome]

The pour in/pour out times are much faster with Paterson/AP type tanks if you can live with the reels. I have enough of the improved AP reels that loading shouldn't be an issue. I will also round off the leading edges of the film going into the reel. I may use the top and bottom of the new tank as extra beakers. From experience I know that short developing times with tall tanks are not good. A developing time of at least 10 minutes should even things out more. I have noticed a difference in construction of the bottom part of stainless steel tanks. The short ones are typically extruded so the bottom and sides are one piece. The medium size tanks seem to have extruded sides with a welded on bottom. The longest tanks look to be made of sheet metal with a seam on the side and with a wended on bottom.