Stainless Steel Tank Vs Jobo Tanks

DH_Studio · Feb 5, 2021

Hi everyone,

I've been processing at home for a couple months. I process 35mm and 120 and have the same issue all the time with both of my tanks (Arista 16 ounce and Arista 30 ounce) and lids: blix leaking out from where the lid seats down around the stainless steel canister.

Not sure what it is about the blix (it's not just that I can see the dark color) but whatever isn't airtight in the seals leak like a sieve. I also process all my B+W in the same tanks and never have any problems, nor do I with C41 chemistry, stabilizer, prewash, etc. Just the blix.

I am considering returning the SS tanks and trying the Jobo tank which does 4 rolls of 35 or 2 rolls of 120 because (according to the sales rep I spoke to at Freestyle) the Jobo tanks never leak and you can pour chemistry into them much faster (I hate how long it takes to pour into the 30 ounce SS tank, especially with C41 with such short processing times).

My understanding is Jobo tanks take more chemistry but pour faster and have less of an issue with leaking. I've also heard newbies can get really frustrated with loading film onto the Jobo reels and that Jobos might need more chemistry than an equivalent capacity SS tank.

I was hoping someone with experience with both might share their experience. For now I just do all my processing in a slop sink carefully but I'm really sick of dealing with the leak issue and would love to be able to pour faster.

Thank you!

cmacd123 · Feb 5, 2021

ask 10 people and I am sure you will get 12 opinions.

I know that I prefer to Jobo tanks and wish they did not cost as Much. using inversion, the 35mm Jobo takes 290ml, while the stainless takes 240-or 250 Ml for one roll of 35mm film. they do fill and pour quite fast.

I seldom have trouble with loading film into the Jobo reels as long as they are QUITE DRY. I have learned to use the finger cutouts on the side of the reals to tap the film from side to side if it wants to get hung up. You do have to be sure that you trim the film end carefully, and not leave the end if a perforation has been cut through (trim back a bit more)

the Jobo tanks do seal fairly well, and many folks suggest using a "Tupperware Burp" when putting the cap on.

their are some stainless tanks with have a plastic top, and some folks find that they aree less prone to leaking.

Sirius Glass · Feb 5, 2021

Are you using a Jobo processor?

DH_Studio · Feb 5, 2021

cmacd123 said:
ask 10 people and I am sure you will get 12 opinions.

I know that I prefer to Jobo tanks and wish they did not cost as Much. using inversion, the 35mm Jobo takes 290ml, while the stainless takes 240-or 250 Ml for one roll of 35mm film. they do fill and pour quite fast.

I seldom have trouble with loading film into the Jobo reels as long as they are QUITE DRY. I have learned to use the finger cutouts on the side of the reals to tap the film from side to side if it wants to get hung up. You do have to be sure that you trim the film end carefully, and not leave the end if a perforation has been cut through (trim back a bit more)

the Jobo tanks do seal fairly well, and many folks suggest using a "Tupperware Burp" when putting the cap on.

their are some stainless tanks with have a plastic top, and some folks find that they aree less prone to leaking.

Thanks for the reply. For color I mix up a quart of chemistry at a time, so I guess it doesn't matter (as much) how much the tank takes since I reuse it all, anyway (for about 8 rolls). For B+W one shot it would be a little more of a drag, since I'd be wasting a little extra developer, but it would be worth it if I wasn't dealing with the blix leaking everywhere. Freestyle photo called me back yesterday and one of their sales reps who claimed he processes C41 (almost every day) said no matter what SS tanks he's used he has the exact same problem and specifically with the blix, as well. That no matter what he does there's some leakage all the time, and he claimed Jobo tanks were the only ones that (in his experience) didn't leak at all.

DH_Studio · Feb 5, 2021

Sirius Glass said:
Are you using a Jobo processor?

No, hand processing. I just want a tank that won't leak a drop and pours fast for multiple rolls.

Pieter12 · Feb 6, 2021

Ss tanks conduct heat more easily than plastic. So in a very warm environment with warm hands could raise the developer temperature and affect the time intended for processing. They are more prone to distortion if dropped, too.

Bikerider · Feb 6, 2021

It may be that if you are processing Colour C41 the problem is when you pour out the developer there will always be a bit of developer left. This will react with the blix and create a gas and this will cause a leak. I have an older type of JOBO tank which has the hole already in place so it must have been a known problem some time ago.

I first noticed that when I started with C41 and if I wasn't careful the top cap would pop off when it was in the processor and the blix would drain away. There are a couple of ways to stop this and the one I use is to give the tank a 30 second rinse out in the JOBO processor using plain water. This dilutes the developer so much any gas produced when the blix is poured in is minimal. Or in the case of using the JOBO processor is to drill a small hole in the top lid it need be no bigger than 1mm to allow the gas to escape and the cap stays firmly in place.

I have quite a lot of caps to fit JOBO tanks some with the hole for colour and some without which are for B&W where the full 250CC of developer is used. You make no mention of using a JOBO processor so the rinse out with water (or stop bath) will, probably suit your working.

Alan9940 · Feb 6, 2021

I don't know who makes Freestyle's ss tanks, but I've had and used them for nearly 50 years without a single drop leaking out. I'm suspecting that the quality of the Freestyle tanks just aren't up to par. That said, if you decide to go with a Jobo tank and reels you will: 1) use significantly more chemistry, if doing hand inversion, 2) learn a few new choice words when loading the reels until you get the hang of it (I never did), and 3) as already mentioned above, you pretty much loose the ability to do any temperature control. Over the years many folks have opined that temperature doesn't vary much in a plastic tank, but I've tested this theory several times in my darkroom with various plastic tanks and have found that the temp can drift by as much as 3 - 4 degrees. Granted, my darkroom hits about 79 - 80F during the summer months, but I'll stick with my ss tanks and water bath for maintaining proper processing temp.

pentaxuser · Feb 6, 2021

[QUOTE="cmacd123, post: 2380020, member: 20459"
I know that I prefer to Jobo tanks using inversion, the 35mm Jobo takes 290ml, while the stainless takes 240-or 250 Ml for one roll of 35mm film. .[/QUOTE]
Which Jobo 35 mm tank is this? . My Jobo 35mm tank only takes 240ml for one roll of 35mm film. I ask this only because if we are comparing and contrasting SS tanks with Jobo tanks then this might be important

pentaxuser

Patrick Robert James · Feb 6, 2021

It has been a long time since I developed color film, but I believe you need to "burp" the tank with the blix. after each inversion, pop the fill lid to release the pressure.

Hope that helps you.

cmacd123 · Feb 6, 2021

pentaxuser said:
[
Which Jobo 35 mm tank is this? . My Jobo 35mm tank only takes 240ml for one roll of 35mm film. I ask this only because if we are comparing and contrasting SS tanks with Jobo tanks then this might be important

Let me check, I tend to only use then 5 reels at at time, so 1210 ml is my standard batch... (a 1520 plus a 1530.) That takes 5 35mm or 3 (times two) 120, or 3 35 plus one 120 reel (double loaded reel holds 2 rolls) and I can cram in 2 120 reels plus two 35mm reels if I top it up right to the brim, making 6 rolls of film. Double check before loading as that is outside the makers recomendations.

just checking, the current 1510 tank (1 roll 35mm) does indeed say to use 250Ml for inversion. the same as a typical SS tank.

DH_Studio · Feb 6, 2021

Patrick Robert James said:
It has been a long time since I developed color film, but I believe you need to "burp" the tank with the blix. after each inversion, pop the fill lid to release the pressure.

Hope that helps you.

I didn't know that! About to process two rolls, I'll give that a shot. Thanks.

Bikerider · Feb 7, 2021

Patrick Robert James said:
It has been a long time since I developed color film, but I believe you need to "burp" the tank with the blix. after each inversion, pop the fill lid to release the pressure.

Hope that helps you.

I said the same more or less in post 7, but also gave the reason why!

DH_Studio · Feb 7, 2021

Bikerider said:
I said the same more or less in post 7, but also gave the reason why!

Ah, okay, so you did. Thank you. Since you mentioned JOBO in all three paragraphs I thought you were commenting specifically on blix leaking from a JOBO, which I don't have yet. I've also frequently heard a lot of different people mentioning "burping" Paterson tanks, as well, but haven't heard anyone suggest that directly for my SS tanks and assumed that was an issue with plastic tanks.

I tried it yesterday, the result was instead of leaking as much during inversions the pressure just caused a bit to leak out each time I burped the lid, but at least I had a second to wipe it down and less did in fact leak out during the inversions, so the suggestion was helpful. Would love a solid fix without having to burp the lid every 30 seconds - but any progress, I'll take!

Bikerider · Feb 7, 2021

Unless you can find a way to stop the gas being produced when you pour blix into a tank that has previously has held developer the you won't eliminate it. A quick rinse with water or stop bath will work - it does for me. As I also suggested a very small hole drilled into the top cap will do the job and release the gas. It only needs to be 1mm or even .5mm to do the trick. This can easily be made watertight afterward with a finger over the hole during agitation.

DH_Studio · Feb 9, 2021

Bikerider said:
Unless you can find a way to stop the gas being produced when you pour blix into a tank that has previously has held developer the you won't eliminate it. A quick rinse with water or stop bath will work - it does for me. As I also suggested a very small hole drilled into the top cap will do the job and release the gas. It only needs to be 1mm or even .5mm to do the trick. This can easily be made watertight afterward with a finger over the hole during agitation.

I have an extra lid, going to try the small hole and see if that does the trick. The burping method didn't, the blix just leaked out when I took the cap off, so a leak's a leak.

Would stop or water in between developer not risk causing issues with C41 development? I'm pretty green and don't know much about the chemical compositions of the developer or blix, and the kit I use (Arista) doesn't come with a stop, just developer, blix and stabilizer (and I rinse with water before the stabilizer).

koraks · Feb 10, 2021

I always use a stop bath (acetic acid 1-2%) with c41 and "burp" the tank once after about 10 seconds. This is entirely sufficient to del with the pressure buildup. With just blix (no stop) burping only once should likewise be sufficient. No drilling of holes etc necessary.
And yes, c41 with a stop bath works fine.

Bikerider · Feb 10, 2021

Not at all. I always use plain water and give it a 30 second rinse using a JOBO rotary between the finish of the developing stage and before putting the blix into the tank. As recommended, drain the developer 10 seconds before the end of that stage and immediately pour in the water.

It has another benefit as well, because the developer is an alkali and mixing that with the blix which is an acid, without the rinse it can shorten the active life of the blix. (The reaction between the two causes the gas that create the leaks) If this is rinsed out first the bleach fix can start immediately and you will find your leaks stop.

If you don't have a JOBO then a 250cc (or whatever capacity your tank is) rinse with water at the same temp as the developer and agitate for 30 seconds will work just as well..

I have an early JOBO 120 tank that came to me with a hole already made in the cap when it was manufactured, so they knew of the problem a long time ago.

DH_Studio · Feb 10, 2021

Bikerider said:
Not at all. I always use plain water and give it a 30 second rinse using a JOBO rotary between the finish of the developing stage and before putting the blix into the tank. As recommended, drain the developer 10 seconds before the end of that stage and immediately pour in the water.

It has another benefit as well, because the developer is an alkali and mixing that with the blix which is an acid, without the rinse it can shorten the active life of the blix. (The reaction between the two causes the gas that create the leaks) If this is rinsed out first the bleach fix can start immediately and you will find your leaks stop.

If you don't have a JOBO then a 250cc (or whatever capacity your tank is) rinse with water at the same temp as the developer and agitate for 30 seconds will work just as well..

I have an early JOBO 120 tank that came to me with a hole already made in the cap when it was manufactured, so they knew of the problem a long time ago.

Okay, great, thanks for the info. I'm definitely going to give that a try the next time I process!

DH_Studio · Feb 10, 2021

koraks said:
I always use a stop bath (acetic acid 1-2%) with c41 and "burp" the tank once after about 10 seconds. This is entirely sufficient to del with the pressure buildup. With just blix (no stop) burping only once should likewise be sufficient. No drilling of holes etc necessary.
And yes, c41 with a stop bath works fine.

Alright, thanks for the advice, I appreciate it!

Adrian Bacon · Feb 14, 2021

DH_Studio said:
Hi everyone,

I've been processing at home for a couple months. I process 35mm and 120 and have the same issue all the time with both of my tanks (Arista 16 ounce and Arista 30 ounce) and lids: blix leaking out from where the lid seats down around the stainless steel canister.

Not sure what it is about the blix (it's not just that I can see the dark color) but whatever isn't airtight in the seals leak like a sieve. I also process all my B+W in the same tanks and never have any problems, nor do I with C41 chemistry, stabilizer, prewash, etc. Just the blix.

I am considering returning the SS tanks and trying the Jobo tank which does 4 rolls of 35 or 2 rolls of 120 because (according to the sales rep I spoke to at Freestyle) the Jobo tanks never leak and you can pour chemistry into them much faster (I hate how long it takes to pour into the 30 ounce SS tank, especially with C41 with such short processing times).

My understanding is Jobo tanks take more chemistry but pour faster and have less of an issue with leaking. I've also heard newbies can get really frustrated with loading film onto the Jobo reels and that Jobos might need more chemistry than an equivalent capacity SS tank.

I was hoping someone with experience with both might share their experience. For now I just do all my processing in a slop sink carefully but I'm really sick of dealing with the leak issue and would love to be able to pour faster.

Thank you!

If you're not running a JOBO processor, I find that the Paterson tanks are generally better. I have both types of tanks, and when I'm not running my JOBO and just doing manual inversion processing, I very much prefer the Paterson Tanks.

Anon Ymous · Feb 14, 2021

Adrian Bacon said:
If you're not running a JOBO processor, I find that they Paterson tanks are generally better. I have both types of tanks, and when I'm not running my JOBO and just doing manual inversion processing, I very much prefer the Paterson Tanks.

How come? I have both and overall like my Jobo tanks much more. Neither of them leak, but the Jobos have better reels IMHO, need less chemicals and the tanks feel less brittle. Somehow, every case of bubble related development artifacts I had happened when using my Paterson tank.

Adrian Bacon · Feb 14, 2021

Anon Ymous said:
How come? I have both and overall like my Jobo tanks much more. Neither of them leak, but the Jobos have better reels IMHO, need less chemicals and the tanks feel less brittle. Somehow, every case of bubble related development artifacts I had happened when using my Paterson tank.

The JOBO reels are OK, but in truth, I like the Paterson reels far more. I also like the Paterson tank much better when it comes to doing the wash at the end as you just pop the top lid off, dump the tank, then put it under a faucet fill the tank, then run a slow dribble and it's literally a one way path for the water to go down the funnel top, down the center column, into the tank, and out the tank over the outer lip. All you have to do is set it under a faucet, turn it on, start a timer, and go do something else. The JOBO tanks don't do that unless you use their way overpriced forced film washer thing, and that's a pain to get to work with a faucet that isn't dedicated for the use.

All that being said, I mostly use a JOBO processor, and have waaayyy more JOBO tanks and reels than Paterson, and use the JOBO tanks and reels significantly more than my Paterson stuff.

Anon Ymous · Feb 14, 2021

@Adrian Bacon Oh, I see. I do water changes when washing film, so I don't need any special washers. My Paterson tank came used with some other darkroom stuff. I suspect that the previous owner used photo flo with the film still on the reels. They are a bit stiff and just don't feel right. Loading film on them feels much more "forced" compared to my Jobos. I don't know if it's normal or not, but in any case, it's largely a matter of taste.

Adrian Bacon · Feb 14, 2021

Anon Ymous said:
previous owner used photo flo with the film still on the reels.

yuck. I never do that.

in terms of washing, I prefer to do an initial fill, dump, fill, dump in rapid succession, which pretty much removes everything but what is actually in the emulsion. From there, do a fill, put it under a dribble of water so that the tank changes water about every 5-10 minutes, then let diffusion over time do it’s job and go do something else in the meantime. The Paterson tank is extremely well suited for that, and the end result is really well washed film. I actually mostly use the Paterson tanks at home and the Jobo stuff at my lab. With the jobo stuff, for C-41/E-6, the in between washes are water changes, the last wash before putting it the final rinse is in a film washer, same thing as the Paterson, let diffusion over time do it’s job.

with either tank system, I never, ever, ever let the reels come into contact with final rinse or photoflo. It’s way too hard to get off the reels.

Stainless Steel Tank Vs Jobo Tanks

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency