Rubber band for using stainless tank on rotary machine

[gfeucht]

I recently purchased the Aura Rotary processing thingy and it has been fantastic for my BW processing with my Patterson tanks.

However, I've had one too many reel loading sessions where my 35mm film gets stuck halfway into the load. Yes, dry reels, etc etc. I love the tabbed loading of my old Hewes reels and have a 4-reel tank for them. My new mission is to get the stainless tank on the rollers but I'm concerned about the lid popping off.

Is there a proven standard size rubber band for helping secure the lid to stainless tanks? The whole lid, not the small filling cap. I initially switched to Patterson to fix my uneven development/surge marks because of Pattersons inversion displacement, but Rotary has been fantastic especially since I can fill the tank only halfway full. 100% displacement.

Thanks!

 

[MattKing]

I think some people have had success placing a single wrap of electrician's tape around the tank over the spot where the edge of the lid meets the tank.
For a two roll solution, I use plastic tanks and rubber lids, and this setup:

 

[AnselMortensen]

That there's some outa-tha-box thinkin' right there, I tell ya!

 

[Steve Goldstein]

A #84 rubber band is what you’re after. Years ago I bought a bag of them from Staples. I don’t know if they’ll fit the bigger tanks (220 size and 4x5), which have a larger diameter.

 

[gfeucht]

Thanks! I'll give that a shot.

 

[M Carter]

I just use duct tape on mine; the rollers on my rotary box are rubberized and have plenty of traction. Though I do this with a plastic tank that's slightly tapered, to make the same diameter of tank at each wheel (so it doesn't get spun off the machine).

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Do you want to keep the lid on or keep it from sliding off? Seems everyone is telling you how to keep the tank from sliding off the rollers.

If you press the lid down before you put the little cap on that will help keep it on. I don't know anything else to help with the lid, but it should stay on unless you are doing color. Bleach needs to be burped. For keeping the tank on the rollers so it doesn't slide off, I just put my fix bottle against the tank. No need for rubber bands.

I've come to the conclusion that unless you are using a JOBO setup, it is better to just use inversion processing. One of the problems with rotory processing is the reels might not rotate with the tank. I've had that happen to me and it ruins the film.

 

[Steve Goldstein]

From the OP’s first post:

“My new mission is to get the stainless tank on the rollers but I'm concerned about the lid popping off.”

The #84 rubber band I mentioned, or the even wider #94, should do the job, although that’s not why I use them. In my case, I got tired of the dribbling leaks, even with tanks that have known matching lids (because I bought those tanjs new ages ago).

 

[reddesert]

I feel the plastic lids for stainless tanks are somewhat less likely to pop or slip off than tbe original stainless lids. The plastic lids are available from outlets such as Freestyle or B&H.

 

[Randy Stewart]

Since the early 1980s, I'[ve used a Unicolor film Drum on a Unicolor roller base to do all E-6 and C-41 processing. If you load just one or two reels, there is a tendency for the drum to "walk" off the roller base a bit because its weight is no evenly distributed. In the late 1990s, I was visiting a large local camera store which was heading for closure. While snooping through some storage drawers, I discovered several packages of rubber bands, thick with a square cross-section, issued by Unicolor to specifically deal with this problem. Go figure. I think I got 'em all for a buck a package.

 

[mshchem]

I haven't tried SS tanks on a roller, looks like Matt has a good method.

For some reason I save the fat rubber bands that hold together stalks of broccoli etc. I use these to bundle cords and the like.

Probably would be tricky to get around a stainless steel tank?? When I still used Nikor tanks, steel lids have a tendency to leak, I would tape the lid on with 3M Super 33 electricians tape.

Matt's tank in a tub sure would keep leaks off the roller and the countertop.