1 gallon tanks...sort of

[Allen in Montreal]

I foolishly sold off my 1 gallon stainless steel tanks a while back thinking in the future I would only process in a Jobo 3005.

Now I miss the tanks.

Has anyone successfully divided a 3.5 gallon hard rubber tank (or stainless tank) into 2 compartments for stop and fix?
Did you epoxy a sheet of plexi etc?
I guess it would be a simple job for a decent TIG welder to add a thin sheet of 316 ss as a divider.

I kept one stainless 1 gallon tank, which I would use for developer, then stop and fix in one tank, using 1.75 gallons per side.

Thoughts?

[Ari]

Allen,
I see only one problem with this.
When you're done developing your negs, how are you going to pour your fixer back into your fixer bottle, and your stop back into your stop bottle?
You'd have to also put in a drain plug in one or both sides.
When the tank is full, it weighs around 24 lbs., so kind of unwieldy to boot.

[Richard Wasserman]

It's fairly simple to build tanks out of PVC sheet stock. It can pretty much be cut and glued like wood, with the proper adhesive of course. http://www.mcmaster.com/#plastics/=dd5eio I assume there must be a supplier in Quebec.

[jayabbas]

You would have to find an exceptional welder. I have a Hope processor and I knew the tech rep who said all welds on the tanks were tested ultrasonically . Photo chemicals love to migrate thru the tiniest of imperfections at welded seams, especially bleach-fix. B&W fixer behaves in a similar manner. Splitting a tank that size will be a challenge imo.

[Allen in Montreal]

.... how are you going to pour your fixer back into your fixer bottle, and your stop back into your stop bottle? ....

Ari,

I was thinking something along these lines.
This is a water inlet to wash, mais comme meme. :)

I think I may try Richard's suggestion and make one tank to see how it plays out.

[Ari]

Allen, I may have a lead on a plastics maker; if the price is right, I'll call you tomorrow.

[Allen in Montreal]

:) :)
Sounds good.

[Marek Warunkiewicz]

Allen, it is so easy to make the tanks out of plexi or PVC. There are a number of places that will supply you with pieces cut to size, or, even better, if you have a table saw you can cut them yourself. I've built a lot of stuff this way, from developing trays that are a bit over 30 x 40 to sensitizing tanks.

[Graybeard]

You don't say which film size you are processing.

There are one gallon Rubbermaid food containers available (Walmart in the US) that will accomodate 4x5 or 5x7 single holders. The containers are reasonably inexpensive $4-5.


I foolishly sold off my 1 gallon stainless steel tanks a while back thinking in the future I would only process in a Jobo 3005.

Now I miss the tanks.

Has anyone successfully divided a 3.5 gallon hard rubber tank (or stainless tank) into 2 compartments for stop and fix?
Did you epoxy a sheet of plexi etc?
I guess it would be a simple job for a decent TIG welder to add a thin sheet of 316 ss as a divider.

I kept one stainless 1 gallon tank, which I would use for developer, then stop and fix in one tank, using 1.75 gallons per side.

Thoughts?

[Allen in Montreal]

You don't say which film size you are processing......

Mostly 8x10 and 2 up 5x7 in Pyro.

D-76, X-tol etc sheet film processing will be done in a Jobo 3006 or 3005.

[domaz]

How about a 17 Qt divided bucket (http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23696&catid=818)? Some good containers on USPlastics site if you look around. It's also the only place I found that carried a drain vavle (drum tap) to replace the broken one on my Jobo CPA-2.

[Ari]

I just bought some PVC at a local plastics store, enough to build two 1-gallon tanks.
Total cost, including cutting pieces to size, bonding glue, and taxes, was roughly $55.
I'll let you know how it works out.

[morie]

I did divided 3 1/2 gallon Kodak rubber tank by myself and cost me just a few bucks.
I got a piece of 1/4" thick plastic (Acrylic) board from my local Acrylic sign shop where they sell their scarps by weights, if not free. After cutting to the size,I glued them by contact cement and sealed with silicon seals. I make a 2400cc slot for developing which good for 4 8X10 hangers.I drain the developer by siphoning out and cleaned that with a turkey baster.
I think you can do the same on you stainless tank and use epoxy instead of contact cement.

[Ari]

Well, that was easy.
I built two 1-gallon tanks out of 1/8" PVC in less than an hour.
The PVC cement bonds in a few seconds, and the tanks look perfect.
I further sealed all the seams with Plumber's Goop, which takes 24hrs to cure.
That's that, and all for $55.

[Allen in Montreal]

Ari,

Great work,

Do you think you will need to add a small gusset or stiffening ring so to speak around the middle to keep it from loosing its shape or breaking over time?

Richard,
did you need to add a stiffener around your tanks?


Morie,

I am pretty sure you could add 2 small drains that would do the trick, if Ari's plan works out and the tanks hold, I will go that route, it will save .75 gallons of chemistry each side.

[Ari]

Allen, it feels pretty solid, but I'll let you know tomorrow.
Meantime, I sent you the specs by email.

Also, by my calculations, I can accommodate six hangers in this tank, and it uses slightly less than one gallon, 3,6L to be exact.

[Richard Wasserman]

The only tanks I've made were 3 1/2 gallon from 3/16 inch PVC and they were plenty rigid without any additional reinforcement.

[Ari]

Regarding the PVC tanks I built today, I couldn't wait the 24hrs for the Plumber's Goop to cure; I went ahead and processed six sheets, and everything worked very, very well.
The 1/8" PVC is strong, and holds its own; no need for a stiffening ring.
Chemical use was 3.5 litres, just under a gallon, which is far preferable to using 11 litres, or 3.5 gallons, per developing session.

[Richard Wasserman]

Ari,

I'm glad to hear they're working well for you! PVC is really great stuff—strong and very easy to work with.

[Ari]

Thanks, Richard.
I will now build a house out of PVC.

[Richard Wasserman]

Thanks, Richard.
I will now build a house out of PVC.


It should be easy to clean....