DURST FP-8 processor

[ghe67]

HI all,
I've the opportunity to buy for a cheap price the Durst FP-8 processor.
Even if I'm living in Italy I can't find anything on it, manual infos etc..
so does anyone know something more about the machine?
Is it good to develop 4x5 sheet films?
Thanks in advance.
Giorgio

[Francisco Disilvestro]

Ciao Giorgio,

The Durst FP8 is a table top film processor, kind of a "sink line" processor. It can keep warm up to 4 chemicals in 4 tanks (it has a large water temperature controlled tank, up to 40 degree C) plus a washing tank (center) with connections for running water. Each tank requires 2 lts. of liquid.

You have to manually move the "processor unit" from tank to tank. This processor unit consist of the processor motor and the tank that holds the film reels.

The agitation is not controllable, it spins in one direction, stops then spins in the other direction until you turn it off (the processor switch is separate from the temperature control).

The processor came with reels for 35 mm and medium format. There was an optional accesory for 4x5 sheet film, but I can´t comment on it since I did not have it.

You can process 2 35mm rollls, 1 120 + 1 35mm rolls, 1 120mm roll or 6 4x5 sheets
Here is an image of the processor.

Francisco

[ghe67]

Hi Francisco,
thanks for the infos.
as I've found the 4x5 drums for the machine, in your opinion is it a worth buy?
Just a thing not clear to me,
how do you put the chemical (developer and then fixing etc..) in the negative tank?
Do you need to put the chemical manually stoopping and disconnecting the motor drive from the top of the negative drum?
How it is compared to a Jobo processor?
Thanks
Giorgio

[Francisco Disilvestro]

The negative tank has holes at the top and at the bottom and it fills when you put it in a tank. it has special spirals inside to keep it light tight. There is a small button in the motor drive handle to stop it when you move from one tank to another.

About if it is worthed, consider that those processors are rather old, and there very few around, so it is very difficult to service them. Does it work without any problem? Are all parts OK? Do you plan to develop color or B&W?

I haven´t used a Jobo (they look like a better choice anyway), so I can´t give an expert opinion.

From a process point of view, you cannot use the FP8 for one-shot processes, since the tanks need to be filled with 2 liters of chemicals (You could manually replenish them)

[ghe67]

Thanks Francisco for your help.
Yes, the machine is in brand new conditions and it came directly from Durst Bolzano.
I will use it only to develop B&W films. I have not get it yet but in my opinion is better built than the early Jobo processor (CPE).
Ciao
Giorgio

[Francisco Disilvestro]

I see, it is basically an unsold unit from Durst. Then you should be fine with it.
The build quality is very good, as it has been my experience with several Durst Products.

The FP-8 is capable of handling color processes like C41 & E 6 (for E6 you could get additional tanks and use them next to the machine, as not all the steps in the process need precise temperature control). So it is more than capable for B&W.

One note, the temperature control system can only warm up, it cannot cool down (in case your ambient temperature is higher than the desired process temperature). This is probably never an issue with color processes, but it may be something to consider for B&W during summer (maybe you could pour some ice in the water tank, but I have never tried this).

Agitation: As I mentioned in my first post, you cannot control it, it goes trough a cycle of spinning in one direction for about 10 seconds, then stops for another 10 seconds and then spin in the other direction, and so on. Another possibility for B&W is to use only initial agitation and turn off the processor (the unit that spins), for a kind of "stand development".