Nikor tank with a loose lid

pschauss · Jan 26, 2008

I have a Nikor tank with a lid which is loose enough that it tends to come off when I invert it. Needless to say, it also leaks rather seriously. If I put a strip of electrical tape around the lip of the bottom part to make the lid seal better is there any danger that I may contaminate the chemistry?

I have several other tanks, including a good Nikor, so it is not absolutely essential that I get this one working, but it is such a nice tank that I would like to be able to use it.

David A. Goldfarb · Jan 26, 2008

I usually use the new plastic Kinderman lids. They seem to work well on all my tanks.

fotch · Jan 26, 2008

I remember that some tanks came with a wide (1 inch?) rubber band that would cover the joint to prevent leaks. I don't remember what brand it was but you could Google a vendor of wide rubber bands for this use.

Good Luck

23mjm · Jan 26, 2008

I to have a tank or two with a loose lid (hey thats what they say about me) I found that the plastic Tundra/Kalt work great.Not an cool as the SS lid but works.The giant rubber band sounds like a good idea--thou---

mikebarger · Jan 26, 2008

I had luck using a small tack hammer going around the lid tapping on the edge/side of the lid. This actually worked pretty darn well. Just don't go crazy beating on it, you shouldn't be able to see a mark on it when your done.

Mike

analogfotog · Jan 29, 2008

Peter, I have gone the wide rubber band route in the past, on a borrowed tank. It works well, and the cost of a bag o' bands from your friendly neighborhood stationary store will almost certainly be cheaper than the cost of the tank, to say nothing of the problems associated with finding an stainless steel tank these days!

With all due respect to "mikebarger," I wouldn't go beating on an stainless steel tank for any reason. If you know a competent mechanic, machinist or millwright you might consider letting them have a look-see at your problem.

Something else to consider is: are the tank and lid compatable? I own several Honeywell-Nikor tanks I bought in the 1970's and all of their lids fit and work well with each other; they can all be safely mixed and matched, as required. Recently, I purchased another Honeywell-Nikor tank, a one-reel (35mm) model, which is quite a bit older than my others; I estimate that it was manufactured in the late 1950's or early 1960's. The lid for this small tank will not fit on my newer tanks, and if I put the lid from the one-reeler on any of my 1970's tanks, they leak all over the place! I'm not sure, but it would seem obvious that there was a design change made at Honeywell-Nikor, somewhere along the way.

Incidentally, none of the tanks show any signs of rust, and in the case of my original two-reeler, they have been in constant use since 1972!

JHannon · Jan 29, 2008

David A. Goldfarb said:
I usually use the new plastic Kinderman lids. They seem to work well on all my tanks.

David, was that the Kinderman model 3253 lid $18 or the 9960 $4 ?

Almost all my tanks leak.. Nikor, even the plastic Patterson etc. I have been using black electrical tape as pschauss does but if I can find a better lid, I will look into it.

--John

mikebarger · Jan 29, 2008

I also do auto body work as a hobby, tapping will work fine as long as you are gentle and go slow.

There is a BIG difference between beating and tapping gently.

Mike

analogfotog · Jan 29, 2008

I got that backwards: the lid from my one-reel tank only fits that tank; the lids from my 1970's tanks will fit the one-reeler, but leak.

Mike, I defer to your expertise in this area; I believe you are correct when you say gentle tapping would work. Any time I have fixed anything in my workshop or on my car (including body work) gentle tapping is the way to go for fine repairs. However, I have met people who seem to think that a hammer must be swung, full force, always. Sure, there are cases when that is necessary (frozen bolt in bottom of McPherson strut on 1982 VW, with lots of penetrating oil), but in the darkroom, or when I fix my cameras, a light touch will carry the day.

For me, "beating on" is a synonym for using a hammer...it shouldn't have been taken as suggesting the use of violent force with a hammer. Call it a problem with Canadian English, if you will...

declark · Jan 29, 2008

I use about two wraps of electrical tape on mine all the time. Mine fit well, not tight, but I'm more afraid I will pick it up or knock it over and expose my film accidentally. Once the tape is on I am pretty confident I won't unintentionally open it until I am all done processing. So far no wierd reactions that I can see with any of the B&W films (Tri-X, T-Max, Pan F, Delta, FP4, HP5) or developers (HC-110 and Rodinol only).

GeorgesGiralt · Jan 30, 2008

Hi !
I own a nikor tank for 4x5.
I think this could be a great tank if it didn't need such a looog time to fill/empty.
I wonder if Kindermann or other have a plastic cap better designed than the Nikor one and able to let chemistry go in and out faster ?
Do you, fellas, had tried this ? Any success or any failure ?
More generally, the 4x( Nikor tank share it's diameter with the 120 version ? Or is it a separate product on it's own ?
Thanks a lot for your help !

David A. Goldfarb · Jan 30, 2008

The 4x5" Nikor tank is larger than a standard tank, so it doesn't take lids from other tanks, other than I think the oversized Nikor 220 tank, but these are hard to find and probably have the same lid anyway.

If I'm developing with pyro or a short development time, I fill the tank in the dark with the lid off, replace the lid, and proceed normally with the lights on.

Lee Shively · Jan 30, 2008

I use the "General Brand" plastic lids available from B&H on my stainless tanks. They are cheap and expendable. I keep several on hand and toss one out when it starts to leak. They fit on all the different brands of tanks I have, including one Kinderman and several of mixed/unknown pedigree.

GeorgesGiralt · Jan 30, 2008

Hi Lee !
Are the caps you use better at filling/emptying the tank than the original Nikor ones ?

Lee Shively · Jan 30, 2008

I haven't used a Nikor tank/top in over 20 years so I don't remember much about them.

pschauss · Jan 31, 2008

My Nikor tanks fill and empty faster than my 1970's vintage Kinderman (plastic tank and lid) and my general brand tanks.

Nikor tank with a loose lid

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Nikor tank with a loose lid

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