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View Full Version : JOBO manual roller base: where to buy?



Arne Norris
17-Mar-2008, 18:09
I am going to find a JOBO 3010 expert drum for processing 4x5 B&W film.

For now I don't think I can afford one of the JOBO processors such as the CPP-2. I've seen a few references to a manual roller base that JOBO makes which I believe costs about $25 new.

Can anyone tell me what the base is called and if they are still available?

I would also like to hear any feedback about how well these work. Or if there are better options that aren't too expensive.

I'm not doing a huge volume of developing, but of course want consistent results. I'll probably be processing films such as Arcos and Tmax 400.

Jan Pedersen
17-Mar-2008, 18:25
Arne,
With a little patience you should be able to find a Beseler or Unicolor motor base for about the same money. Will leave you with more time to check this forum and i think with more consistent results.
The Beseler base is a little more sturdy but also faster than the Unicolor, i use both on a 3005 and soon also with a 3010

Ron Marshall
17-Mar-2008, 18:27
I've used the manual base for three years now and it works well. I bought mine at Badger.

They have them at B&H also:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?shs=jobo+roller+base&ci=0&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=RootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t

Gary Beasley
17-Mar-2008, 19:07
Arne,
With a little patience you should be able to find a Beseler or Unicolor motor base for about the same money. Will leave you with more time to check this forum and i think with more consistent results.
The Beseler base is a little more sturdy but also faster than the Unicolor, i use both on a 3005 and soon also with a 3010

The nice thing about the manual base is it can be set in a tray of water that can keep the drum at the right temp throughout the process. The beseler base would tend to act a bit funny underwater.

David Karp
17-Mar-2008, 19:59
Arne,

I saw one when I was at Freestyle today.

Jan Pedersen
17-Mar-2008, 20:45
The nice thing about the manual base is it can be set in a tray of water that can keep the drum at the right temp throughout the process. The beseler base would tend to act a bit funny underwater.

Indeed a very good point Gary, didn't think that far since i don't do colors. Perhpas one of each would work then :)

BradS
17-Mar-2008, 21:09
calumet has them too but, honestly, I wouldn't bother. Find a motorized roller base and use it. I've a unicolor model 352 that I needed to modify slightly so that it didn't switch directions and, I don't think I'll ever roll that drum by hand again/.

Nick_3536
17-Mar-2008, 22:51
The nice thing about the manual base is it can be set in a tray of water that can keep the drum at the right temp throughout the process. The beseler base would tend to act a bit funny underwater.

I'm not sure about the experts [never used it for colour] but all the 2500/2800 drums are so well insulated that once up to temp they stay there. Preheat the drum in a water bath. Add chemicals at temperture. Stick it on the motor base. No worries for C-41 and RA-4.

Last time I cared to test a 2800 drum held 1000F for longer then 10 minutes. I haven't cared to test it for longer then that.

Scott Kathe
18-Mar-2008, 06:50
I found a nice non-reversing Beseler motor base at a very reasonable price by placing a WTB add here. You can make your own with four wheeled-castors from a home improvement store mounted to a piece of wood. I was thinking about going that route but the motor base was pretty inexpensive.

Scott

Marko
18-Mar-2008, 10:52
You will find that Expert drums do not go a full circle on a reversing Beseler and Unicolor motor bases due to their large diameter. At least mine didn't. So I decided to use a programmable relay switch (http://www.vellemanusa.com/us/enu/product/view/?id=350614). I programmed it to reverse every 5 seconds or so, which on my base and with my drum translates to about 2.5 turns each way. I've been getting nice even results so far.

As for temperature, these drums seem to be holding up pretty nicely, at least for the 15 minutes or so. I usually prepare a large (several gallons) water bath at 68 degrees and put the drum and chemicals in it an hour in advance. Then I presoak the film for 5 minutes using the same water, which brings the film to the same temperature. I keep my fixer in it too, but I don't think it matters as long as the temperature difference is not more than a degree or two.

BarryS
18-Mar-2008, 13:51
I have a Chromega roller that only goes in one direction and it works really well with my 3010 drum. I develop in my basement and the temperature is reasonably constant, so I don't worry about temperature control. For black and white, it's less critical and you can always adjust development time a bit to compensate. With the Jobo tank and the motorized roller, developing 4x5 is even easier than developing roll film. When I was a kid developing color prints, I used to roll the print drums back and forth on a table and only dreamed of getting a swanky motorized roller.

Arne Norris
18-Mar-2008, 16:51
Thanks for all of the information! Very helpful as always!

Now I'm curious: what's the going rate for a used Chromega, Beseler or Unicolor motor base? And just how much does a used CPP-2 usually cost?

Jan Pedersen
18-Mar-2008, 17:32
Arne, No experience with the Chromega but the Beseler and Unicolor bases should not go for more than 15 - 25$ each. This thread may change that but be patient then ;)

BarryS
18-Mar-2008, 18:06
Well you could get lucky and find a CPP-2 locally for a couple hundred bucks, or pay $700+ on ebay for a nice one with a lift arm and accessories. The motorized roller bases usually go for $20-$30. I think the CPP-2 is a bit of overkill for developing B&W 4x5 sheet film, but great if you want to run your own E-6 processing.