Anyone use the B&W King 5x7 (or 4x5) developing reel & tank (Nikor-like)?

I purchased one. Fantastic. Actually wrote a review on my blog and am in the process of a more detailed "usage" post; https://allaspectsphotography.wordpress.com I am extremely pleased with it. I purchased via eBay. Price was steep but I'd just acquired a 5x7 and it through me for a loop in my 4x5 world. Shipping, quality and performance are excellent. I develop in PMK Pyro and was a bit concerned but just followed the directions and my "standard" process. I did not invert rather I just did two full rotations every 15 seconds. Perfect results. No issues. The only tip I'd put out is that when you do load your sheets, make sure they are pushed beyond the vertical bar and snap in behind it. Otherwise, when you spin, a sheet can just slip right out (happened to me) and it'll end up pasting itself against the side of the tank...you can imagine the outcome. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this.

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Originally Posted by Stephen Thomason

bw-king: Excellent explanations. Your developing tank looks very nice. I will be purchasing one. Thank you for participating in the forum.

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Stephen, I just caught this thread and posted. I can totally recommend this. The quality is exceptional and I've put it to use without a hitch. It really feels like something that will last and that's rare in my opinion.

I am so intrigued by this! This could make sheet film logistics so much simpler/more efficient, while still allowing me a range of choices for agitation scenarios (stand, semi-stand, minimal, constant, or whatever).

Noting the above reference to relatively frequent (once per 15sec) agitation cycles...my biggest concern would be the efficacy of this tank for minimal agitation (5x7 sheets in Pyrocat HD)...with a further question regarding the possibility that, during the initial wetting period at the beginning of a given run, and/or during periods of rest in between agitation cycles, and/or during the agitation cycles, there might be a chance that what looks like a mid-section support bar in each film channel might leave some kind of mark on the base(s) of the film(s). Any comments? Thanks!

I've only put a couple of batches through this tank but have not seen any marks from the support bars. But the runs have been with a lot of agitation, actually slow consistent agitation for pyrocat-mc. Next batch I will try 70m of stand development in Caffenol-CL.

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Originally Posted by John Layton

I am so intrigued by this! This could make sheet film logistics so much simpler/more efficient, while still allowing me a range of choices for agitation scenarios (stand, semi-stand, minimal, constant, or whatever).

Noting the above reference to relatively frequent (once per 15sec) agitation cycles...my biggest concern would be the efficacy of this tank for minimal agitation (5x7 sheets in Pyrocat HD)...with a further question regarding the possibility that, during the initial wetting period at the beginning of a given run, and/or during periods of rest in between agitation cycles, and/or during the agitation cycles, there might be a chance that what looks like a mid-section support bar in each film channel might leave some kind of mark on the base(s) of the film(s). Any comments? Thanks!

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I will strongly confirm your tip on making sure the film is in all the way (see previous post #19 with samples).

All in all, I think this is a pretty good product filling a huge void in 5x7 processing.

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Originally Posted by AAP

I purchased one. Fantastic. Actually wrote a review on my blog and am in the process of a more detailed "usage" post; https://allaspectsphotography.wordpress.com I am extremely pleased with it. I purchased via eBay. Price was steep but I'd just acquired a 5x7 and it through me for a loop in my 4x5 world. Shipping, quality and performance are excellent. I develop in PMK Pyro and was a bit concerned but just followed the directions and my "standard" process. I did not invert rather I just did two full rotations every 15 seconds. Perfect results. No issues. The only tip I'd put out is that when you do load your sheets, make sure they are pushed beyond the vertical bar and snap in behind it. Otherwise, when you spin, a sheet can just slip right out (happened to me) and it'll end up pasting itself against the side of the tank...you can imagine the outcome. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by John Layton

I am so intrigued by this! This could make sheet film logistics so much simpler/more efficient, while still allowing me a range of choices for agitation scenarios (stand, semi-stand, minimal, constant, or whatever).

Noting the above reference to relatively frequent (once per 15sec) agitation cycles...my biggest concern would be the efficacy of this tank for minimal agitation (5x7 sheets in Pyrocat HD)...with a further question regarding the possibility that, during the initial wetting period at the beginning of a given run, and/or during periods of rest in between agitation cycles, and/or during the agitation cycles, there might be a chance that what looks like a mid-section support bar in each film channel might leave some kind of mark on the base(s) of the film(s). Any comments? Thanks!

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You load emulsion side facing in and if there's contact, it's on the other side from what I can see. Even snapping behind the vertical bars the contact is on the back. That said, while I use PMK exclusively, I've seen zero indication of any ill effects due to the mid section guides. I've put upwards of 12 sheets through now, without issue.

B&W KING 4x5' Format Stainless Steel Film Developing Tank

BWG01 For 4x5 Inches specifications of film,It will hold up to 10 sheets at a time .
height: 170 mm
diameter: Ø110mm
capacity: 1050ml
weight: 1280 g

Attachment 144910

Attachment 144911

B&W KING 5X7' Format Stainless Steel Film Developing Tank tank series

BWG06 For 5x7 Inches specifications of film,It will hold up to 6 sheets at a time
height: 195 mm
diameter: Ø110 mm
capacity: 1350 ml
weight: 1320 g

Attachment 144912

Attachment 144913

Anybody else think it a little odd that the bw-king.com website domain expired a few days ago? Based on this thread, I was starting to warmup to the idea of this tank, but not if the manufacturer is going away! I looked on eBay, too, and only 2 4x5 tanks available. Maybe stock is running low? Maybe cost of the website was just to expensive based on minimal sales? Thoughts?

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Originally Posted by Alan9940

Anybody else think it a little odd that the bw-king.com website domain expired a few days ago? Based on this thread, I was starting to warmup to the idea of this tank, but not if the manufacturer is going away! I looked on eBay, too, and only 2 4x5 tanks available. Maybe stock is running low? Maybe cost of the website was just to expensive based on minimal sales? Thoughts?

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Well, the website was really challenging on many counts. So, perhaps they've pulled it down to revamp? I sure hope that they're not having difficulties.