Stainless Steel tank question

[mehguy]

Hello,
I have a stainless steel tank that holds 2x 35mm reels or 1x 120 reel, I'm wondering if it's possible to develop just 1x 35mm film in it at a time, or is this going to cause issues for agitation? (since you are filling the tank only half with chemical, when you agitate, the film will be exposed out of the chemical for a brief moment in time).

 

[Alan Townsend]

Hello,
I have a stainless steel tank that holds 2x 35mm reels or 1x 120 reel, I'm wondering if it's possible to develop just 1x 35mm film in it at a time, or is this going to cause issues for agitation?

Yes, possible. I suggest using a little more than half the full tank amount of developer and placing an empty reel, or a spacer 35mm wide, on top of the reel and use tank inversions to agitate, or use the figure 8 method of agitating without inverting the tank without reels or spacers. It may also work OK with one reel only and inversion as long as you don't agitate as hard. I like the figure 8.

(since you are filling the tank only half with chemical, when you agitate, the film will be exposed out of the chemical for a brief moment in time).

Use a little more than half just to be sure. With empty reel or spacers, will also be out of developer while inverted, but back in again when righted. The reel alone will stay in solution more, but that's not really important during agitation where we are trying to mix up the developer. During stop, wash, and fixing this is totally unimportant.

 

[david schaller]

I suggest putting the empty reel on the bottom, and filling up the tank. When I have used an empty reel on top, I’ve had artifacts on the film (dripping after the agitation?)

 

[Bill Burk]

An innocent question throws doubt on my own process test results. You see I used a two reel tank, one with a full 36-exposure roll and the other with just a test strip.

That test strip developed to higher contrast than a similar test strip that was part of a full roll.

Your scenario here reveals one more factor that can affect development.

 

[Bill Burk]

I suggest putting the empty reel on the bottom, and filling up the tank. When I have used an empty reel on top, I’ve had artifacts on the film (dripping after the agitation?)

I filled my tank all the way and would recommend that either way.

 

[Alan9940]

I always load an empty reel along with the loaded reel and fill the tank as if developing 120 roll film. It seems to me that filling the tank only enough to cover the one loaded reel (assuming on the bottom) would cause quite turbulent agitation. That might not be a bad thing, but it will affect contrast. Never tried itself myself, though.

 

[runswithsizzers]

@mehguy -- Is developing one roll of 135 film a one time thing, or do you expect to do this often?

If it's a one-time thing, I'd suggest using enough chemistry to fill the tank, as if developing two rolls, and using the empty reel as a spacer. If you "waste" 250-275 mL of chemistry, it will be only for this one time, and that shouldn't be a big deal.

But if you expect to process only one roll of 135 or a regular basis, then the optimal, long-term solution would be to obtain a second tank designed to hold one 135 reel.

 

[Paul Howell]

I use two reels, the empty on top of the loaded reel with enough one and done chemistry to cover the loaded reel with a bit to spare, if using replenished then I just fill the entire tank. I have not noticed any difference in negative density with the additional aeration of the chemistry when the tank is only 1/2 full.

 

[MattKing]

You don't want to do this with just one reel in there.
It will create an infernal racket whenever you agitate.
I've done it with just a bit more developer than necessary to cover the bottom (full) reel, but not often. I don't recall any problems.
I use replenished developer now, so all tanks are used full.

 

[mehguy]

You don't want to do this with just one reel in there.
It will create an infernal racket whenever you agitate.
I've done it with just a bit more developer than necessary to cover the bottom (full) reel, but not often. I don't recall any problems.
I use replenished developer now, so all tanks are used full.

Yes sorry I mean I will be using both reels in the tank, but I want to know if filling it only half way to just cover the first reel and film will cause issues.

 

[mshchem]

Yes sorry I mean I will be using both reels in the tank, but I want to know if filling it only half way to just cover the first reel and film will cause issues.

Personally I wouldn't use the tank with half the solution capacity. I just imagine air swishing through the empty reel, aeration of developer isn't a good thing. You can use @Andrew O'Neill figure 8 agitation, Kodak still mentions this option, this would reduce air bubbles. I would consider getting a 1 roll tank.

 

[koraks]

Yes sorry I mean I will be using both reels in the tank, but I want to know if filling it only half way to just cover the first reel and film will cause issues.

Nope, will be OK. Just ensure that if you use intermittent agitation, as you'd typically do with manual development, the liquid level is sufficient to cover the reel(s) that hold film and that the reel(s) cannot slide up on the center column to rise over the fluid level. As long as these two conditions are met, there's nothing to worry about.

when you agitate, the film will be exposed out of the chemical for a brief moment in time

That's really not an issue.
In rotary development, the film can easily spend about half the time above the fluid level. That's OK since the liquid isn't immediately removed from the emulsion. The emulsion is permeated by the processing liquid and a lot of it clings to the film as well, so on that basis, processing simply continues for the brief moment (let's say up to a few seconds) the film is not emerged.

I just imagine air swishing through the empty reel, aeration of developer isn't a good thing.

There's air in a one-reel tank just the same.