Stainless steel developmetn tanks, what is the attraction?

[Arklatexian]

In school we simply wrapped masking tape over the cap/tank joint of the Nikkor SS tanks, no more worries of leaking when we inverted the tank.
And as Bill and Sirius said, we could THUMP it on the counter to break air bubbles free, without worrying that we would crack the tank.
If you use a water bath to maintain temp, it is more effective with a SS tank, as SS is a heat conductor. Plastic is a heat insulator, and your water bath won't work as well. But plastic will maintain the temp of the contents.

I learned on SS and find it easier to use. I was the weird guy in class who used the steel tank and reels. Everyone else used plastic.
If you like plastic tank/reels, use it. It is about what works best for YOU, not me.

SS is like a manual transmission car. Harder to learn but one you learn it, it seems easy.
Plastic is like an automatic transmission car. Easy to learn and convenient.
And most/many plastic reels are adjustable, so you can adjust to different size film. SS is one size only.

There are people like Matt who use SS reels for 35mm film but have trouble with the wider 120 film. I don't, but that is just me. They can probably do things that I can't. Everyone is different.

As has been mentioned, if the SS reel was dropped and bent out of alignment, it can be a PiA to load. Trying to bend it back into alignment is HARD. Just throw it away and get a new one. This is the risk of buying old reels, especially the ones with thinner wires. The 35mm 36 exposure reels used a thinner wire than the 20 exposure reels, so if dropped, they bent easier. And some of the cheaper brands bent easier than the Honeywell Nikkor reels that I used.
A comment on the reel itself. If the reel was not finished well, the wire is not SMOOTH. That makes loading film more difficult than with a reel with a SMOOTH finish. The cheaper stuff had the less than smooth finish. I won't say they were hard to load, just not as easy as the reels with smooth finish. So pay attention to the finish of the wires.

Good idea about using masking tape where the top joins the tank. I keep a roll of electrician's tape near the tanks and use it for the same purpose. When I invert the tank, my thumb holds the small cap onto the lid. Best advantage with steel tanks and reels is the ability to boil them in clear water which makes them cleaner (no residual chemicals after boiling) and then they dry faster. Do let them cool however. My oldest ss tank and reel is probably 60 years old........Regards!

 

[Bill Burk]

Though I love my stainless steel reels, I process a roll of 35mm film last week and struggled with loading the film. You'd figure after 30 years of practice and thousands of rolls, I wouldn't have a problem. The issue is inserting the film cockeyed on the reel with it clipped down. If I get it right, the film rolls on like a dream. I always shake the loaded reel to see if the film is floating between the wires correctly. I should hear a bit of a rattle.

I too suffer from inability to load a roll right after bragging how easy it is. You do have to be “confident” when you do it. If your nerves are rattled you’ll kink it or have to roll and unroll a few times.

 

[Vaughn]

I sure load 120 SS reels differently than those two videos! Rolled my first 120 on SS reels in 1977, so I guess I will not change my style soon! I usually peel off the tape so I can see the light show -- love it! I have several developing sessions in front of me...Mostly Acros 120 film run through the Rolleiflexi and the Veriwide100 in Zion last month. Not every roll glides on the reel smoothly -- I am not surprised that one out of the four in a session in the dark might give me some trouble, but it is nice when they are all well-behaved.

 

[guangong]

I have used ss tanks for 60 years as well as plastic tanks. Since beginning I found two loading aids very useful for the ss reels: for 35mm film a gadget that snaps outside the center of the reel with a feeder channel. Spin reel and film automatically feeds; for 120 a curved ss sheet that fits in the palm of the hand and guides film into grooves. I must admit that, unlike my friends, I have not had much success loading ss reels without these aids.
On the other hand film for Minolta 16 and Minox comfortably slide into their respective ss reels with no effort.
As an aside, I find Lomo tank relatively easy to load with Super8, but I botch loading 16mm. For 16mm I wind Morris tank reel to reel.

 

[mnemosyne]

After thirty years I recently switched from plastic to stainless. I have not touched my Jobo tanks once since then. As others have pointed out, both materials/systems have their advantages and shortcomings. It probably depends on which properties are more important to you and which are less. For me the advantages of the SS tanks outweigh the disadvantages. Steel or plastic caps, I have both and I am not yet sure which I like better.If you decide to purchase stainless steel tanks and reels I would kindly suggest to invest in new or used, but not abused specimens of quality brands, e.g. Nikor, Kindermann and LPL for tanks. When it comes to reels, the 35mm Hewes reels are very robust and probably the easiest to load. For 120, I like the LPL reels.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I sure load 120 SS reels differently than those two videos! Rolled my first 120 on SS reels in 1977, so I guess I will not change my style soon! I usually peel off the tape so I can see the light show -- love it! I have several developing sessions in front of me...Mostly Acros 120 film run through the Rolleiflexi and the Veriwide100 in Zion last month. Not every roll glides on the reel smoothly -- I am not surprised that one out of the four in a session in the dark might give me some trouble, but it is nice when they are all well-behaved.

I use a changing bag so I miss the light shows, but I have always just torn the tape in half and let the tape add stiffness to the film. Besides there are no images under the tape.

 

[ac12]

Good idea about using masking tape where the top joins the tank. I keep a roll of electrician's tape near the tanks and use it for the same purpose. When I invert the tank, my thumb holds the small cap onto the lid. . . . My oldest ss tank and reel is probably 60 years old........Regards!

Masking tape is CHEAP
And easy to tear with your fingers, don't need a scissors.

We kept a bottle opener or quarter nearby, just in case the small cap was on too tight, and had to be pried off.
As you can expect, it was most exciting when going to pour out the developer . . . and the small cap was stuck.

Mine date back to the 70s.

 

[pcyco]

i have both. and i like my plastic jobos. esp. with 135 films. on ss reels they allways get out of the slot and get "demaged" (krinkled - i hope thats the right word)
regards
thomas

 

[faberryman]

SS tanks do leak a little. It's part of their charm. The real reason I use them is that they are what I learned on and haven't had any reason to change. They last a lifetime.

 

[Steve Goldstein]

<snip>
We kept a bottle opener or quarter nearby, just in case the small cap was on too tight, and had to be pried off.
As you can expect, it was most exciting when going to pour out the developer . . . and the small cap was stuck.
</snip>

I do the same, and pop the cap after the final agitation but before developing time expires. There's not need to wait until the very last second.

 

[Arvee]

SS tanks do leak a little. It's part of their charm. The real reason I use them is that they are what I learned on and haven't had any reason to change. They last a lifetime.

One way to improve the 'leaking' situation is to use a strip of 400 grit sandpaper on the mating surfaces. Over time the mating surfaces become polished and weep. To tighten up those interfaces, take a few light concentric turns on the protruding bump on the canister and also on the mating surface on the inside of the lid. I also do the lip on the top of the lid where the cap sits and the inside of the cap. Caution: don't overdo as the lid/cap may become difficult to remove the first few times. With use those surfaces will again become polished and start to weep and will need further attention.

 

[msage]

So these leak less?

I have never had a leak.

 

[Saganich]

I started with ss steel reels and they were always a problem, so I switched to plastic reels and I never once succeeded in getting film on one of those so I switched back BUT bought some expensive Hews reels and never had a problem again. As far as the SS, easy to clean and manage, I've been using the same 4 reels and 2 tanks for over 10 years about 600 rolls worth of usage...they get good mileage.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I started with ss steel reels and they were always a problem, so I switched to plastic reels and I never once succeeded in getting film on one of those so I switched back BUT bought some expensive Hews reels and never had a problem again. As far as the SS, easy to clean and manage, I've been using the same 4 reels and 2 tanks for over 10 years about 600 rolls worth of usage...they get good mileage.

Hewes reels are worth their slightly higher costs.

 

[Vaughn]

Hewes reels are worth their slightly higher costs.

Definitely. I finally got the funds together to replace all our 35mm reels with Hewes back in the day. Bought about two dozen...well worth it. Student frustration went way down! I wish I had done it years before...it would have meant far fewer trips into the film loading rooms to check students' reels for them!

 

[RPC]

If you are doing color processing, a water bath is often used for the precise temperature control needed and the stainless steel tanks have much better heat conductivity than plastic to transfer the heat of the water bath to the solution in the tank.

 

[acey]

Been using SS tanks and reels for over 45 years, never had any problems with loading or leaks.
Loading film on reels is a skill that develops over time. Sacrifice a roll and practice first with the lights on, then lights out, then do it in a changing bag if you use one.

Just wondering, does anyone know anything about these ISE Stainless Steeel Tanks & Reels from S.Korea that are going for premium prices on Ebay?
ISE Stainless Steel Daylight Darkroom Film Developing Tank w/2x Reel 35mm 135 I $121.13
Am I missing something here?

 

[Fritzthecat]

One of you should make a video and show me how to load a metal reel...for real!!

 

[BradS]

Like anything, each has its advantages and disadvantages. Neither is, strictly speaking, "Better" that the other.
I think it kinda just boils down to "whatever you're used to, most comfortable with, etc...."

Personally, I've used Patterson System 4 tanks fro small and medium format for decades.

 

[Fin]

I used to use (and swear at) plastic reels and tanks in the photography center I worked in. Then when I bought my own gear, with the lack of money I had, I could only afford a small Gepe Combina single 35mm tank with a fixed reel and a small spike in the center. Initially, I found it a pain to load, but with a bit of practice, I found it much quicker and easier to work with.

Sadly, I sold off my darkroom gear in about 2001 to buy digital nonsense, and sold that tank with it, which I'm still kicking myself about!

Now I use film again, I only use stainless reels. I do have some Paterson bits still, but don't bother with them any more. I develop B&W, C41 and E6 and SS reels and tanks are much easier to clean. Plus I always had issues with plastic reels jamming up half way through loading and creasing film.

 

[Dismayed]

I started with stainless steel decades ago. Then I tried a Patterson tank and reels for medium format. No more metal!

 

[GRHazelton]

Funny.
Back in the day I used stainless reels with no problems. I processed 100 feet of Ektachrome shot in London and Paris in the early 70s,. But now I seem to have lost my mojo, so I use Paterson, washing the gear occasionally in the dishwasher. My Flora (wife) is very understanding. I find that putting the tank, lids, reels, bottle opener, scissors, film, etc, in a 16x20 tray before I start to load saves much grief. It's amazing how large even the smallest darkroom is when you're trying to find something you've dropped on the floor!

 

[msage]

So these leak less?

Mine don't leak at all.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I think it is battle of eggheads in Gulliver.
Plastic is as simple as metal reel to load.

 

[Arklatexian]

My four 30-oz Nikor cans have never had much of an issue of leakage from the fill cap. Of course, I marked the fill caps, lids, and cans so I don't mix them up. A #84 (wide) rubber band around junction between the lid and body prevents seepage. This also allows me to roll the tank in the sink for agitation when developing single sheets of 4x5 and 5x7 using EMA methods - I tray develop for sheet film normal agitation. I've always thought the fill-time argument was a bit of a red herring, at least for the developers I use - 10 or 15 seconds out of 10+ minutes doesn't make any practical difference; this might matter if you're using something like HC110 Dilution B, which has a rather short development time.

I bought my first Nikor 30oz tank around 1970 and it's still going strong. It was used when I got it.

After years of using steel tanks and mis- matching tops and bottoms, trying different methods to control (stop) leaking, you sir have given me the answer. "A #84 (wide) rubber band.". I won't say that this information is worth the cost of my membership in this group but it comes mighty, mighty close. Thank you sir! You are, indeed, a gentleman and scholar.........Regards!