Fredrick,
I use to process C-41 every day this way.
The key was a small aquarium pump to circulate the water in the tub holding the tanks.
Works very well once you get use to it.
Allen
Fredrick,
I use to process C-41 every day this way.
The key was a small aquarium pump to circulate the water in the tub holding the tanks.
Works very well once you get use to it.
Allen
Thank you Allen! I see that this might seem expensive in the short run, but I'll save that money on developing costs. They want 10 USD per sheet of film here in Norway, quite an expensive country this is.Originally Posted by Allen in Montreal
Just got an e-mail from the company who supplies the heaters.
Well... They cannot holde 37 centigrades, so I guess I'll have to save up for a JOBO processor.
Fredrick,
Keep your eye on E bay for a heater called a DevTek.
It was made for portable darkrooms and all the wire services and big newspapers used them back in the days of film.
They hold a steady 100 degrees and combined with a small pump, they work perfectly for C-41.
Good luck,
Allen
I use cheap aquarium ones in my kitchen sink. The thermostats on most can go past the setting they're rated for. Usually just a matter of removing the screw for the knob so it can be taken off once it hits the stopper, and placed back on the other side to keep turning.
Though some are more complicated and requiring breaking the seal. Which I found is basically a rubber bung. Pull on the cord, and everything comes out of the glass vial. Then you trim off a plastic stop tab with a razor or side cutters.
Recently built a PID temperature controller myself as well. Haven't gotten around to tuning it yet though with my aquarium heaters.
Hi Fredrick,
I was given a brand new Paterson Autocolourtherm in it's box. I have no need for it, if you like I can find out how much it would cost to ship to Norway and if not too expensive you can have it for the price of shipping.
Hi Ed,
That would be great. PM me with the details. Thank you very much!
-Fredrick.
Actually got around to tuning my PID controller today with one of my heaters.Have a colour processing marathon coming up tonight.
So for those of you wanting to use aquarium heaters to temper your water / chemistry, I have come across several different types that require different methods to adjust beyond their "maximum" temperature.
These heaters are all goverened by a thermostat that prevents them from heating water past a safe temperature for your fish. Which is always around 32C.
But the thermostat is capable of going above, or when using a PID controlled thermostat, disabled altogether.
In each case, the thermostat appears to be set with a screw on the end of the heater where the cord comes in. Turn one way and a plastic rod screws in to decrease the max temperature, screw the other way and the rod is pullup in the opposite direction.
They all use some sort of plastic limiter tab that prevents the knob from turning too much either way.
Sometimes they are built into the knob. So you remove the screw from inside the knob so it can be pulled off when it can't turn any more. And brought to the lowest temperature indicator, and you do that over and over again until you can't move it any more.
Others use a pointer on the knob that hits a plastic block. You can cut the block off or the pointer so there is nothing to stop it from turning all the way around.
Two other methods had internal blocks. One required pulling up on the knob once it reached the maximum and wiggle it to get past the block.
The other required the removal of the insides to cut out the plastic block. On that particular one, the insides are not epoxied or anything. Just set into a rubber bung to seal everything. Carefull pulling on the cord and knob slowly eased the bung out.
They're in a glass tube so don't put a knife or anything in it to pry it out or you'll just end up breaking the glass. Small $10 loss as that's all these things cost on eBay. But you can often be waiting for up to a month for them to come across on the slow boat.
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