Expert Drum

[Joan Girdler]

Am new to all of this, but just purchased a Shadow Box
film tent, a Jobo 3005 expert drum and a Jobo roller manual roller base for my 8x10 negs. There are at least five found holes in the tank. Does one roll up the negative and place in these holes? How does the chemistry cover the film when it is rolled? If you do roll the film, and I don't see any other way by looking at the drum, do you roll with the emulsion side in or out? Help? Also how long after shooting can one keep the neg without developing? Thank you to anyone and everyone for your input.

[Bruce Watson]

Am new to all of this, but just purchased a Shadow Box film tent, a Jobo 3005 expert drum and a Jobo roller manual roller base for my 8x10 negs. There are at least five found holes in the tank. Does one roll up the negative and place in these holes? How does the chemistry cover the film when it is rolled? If you do roll the film, and I don't see any other way by looking at the drum, do you roll with the emulsion side in or out? Help? Also how long after shooting can one keep the neg without developing? Thank you to anyone and everyone for your input.

Cut a piece of paper down to 10x8 size and try loading this in the drum in the light first so you can see how it fits. You roll the sheet emulsion side in and slide it into the tube. Then you put the top on the drum. In use the drum is on it's side and rolled. The chemistry just covers the film at the bottom of the rolling cycle, which is why you have to keep rolling the drum (somewhere between 30-50 rpm is often best, reversing direction every couple of full revolutions).

You can't do anything but continuous agitation with a Jobo drum. Actually, you probably could but there are easier ways to accomplish agitations like stand and semi-stand which require the film to be fully covered in chemistry between agitations (this would work better in trays for example).

Modern B&W films can be exposed and stored for years and will look fine when finally processed. What I normally do is store my exposed film until I have enough to fill a drum (I'm using 5x4 film and a 3010 drum -- ten sheets) unless I'm in a hurry. A few minutes to a few years isn't normally a problem as long as you keep the film cool and dry while it waits for processing. And light-tight of course

[Bruce Watson]

Something else. You'll almost certainly want the foot pump that Jobo sells to help you get the top off the drum when you are done processing. This works by pumping air into the drum to "pop" the top so you can lift it off. Makes getting the film out a much less arduous process. Just a thought.

[Vaughn]

I roll up a sheet of 8x10 and stick it down the hole, leaving about a half inch sticking up...just to let me know in the dark which holes I have loaded. Then after I load the last one, I go around and push all the sheets all the way down.

You will need to work out how much chemistry is needed to develop 5 sheets of 8x10. At my dilution of developer, I use a liter...stronger dilutions/developers can easily use less. The minimum required of any solution (as per Jobo's instructions) is 270ml.

The drum must be dry before loading film. Don't use water over 120F when washing it out after use.

If you have problems with the anti-halation layer not being completely removed during processing (it is against the walls of the drum), try a fixer without any hardener. You will also want to do a pre-soak with water before adding the developer...it gets everything up to temperature and allows for a more even developing.

The pump mentioned would be nice to have. I just gently tap the lid on the edge of the counter, working around the lid. At 53 years of age, I will die before the lid is damaged from opening it this way.

And last but not least...once you are ready to remove the film from the drum, it is easier to remove the film when the drum is filled with water -- but don't run a hose into the drum at high pressure as it could dislodge the film and cause the corners of the film to scratch the film. I have done this...but only once! I actually hold the two upper corners of the film in place with a finger as I fill the hole up with water, just in case.

Vaughn

[Diane Maher]

You put the film into the holes (short side first) with the emulsion of the film facing the center of the hole. You don't roll the negative such that it touches itself. Do you have the directions which came with the Jobo tank? They have a chart which gives suggested volumes for number of sheets of film.

[Ron Marshall]

Check the manufacturers recommendation for the minimum volume of undiluted deleloper that is required per 8x10 sheet, for whatever developer you plan to use.

Which developer do you plan to use?

[MenacingTourist]

Vaugh,

Great idea on leaving part of the sheet out of the tube. I always had to feel inside each cylinder to make sure I didn't load two at a time. Kind of sad that I've been doing this for a couple of years...Can you see the light bulb over my head?

Alan.

[Tom Perkins]

Alan,
I've been doing it your way for eight years, and I doubled one up last month.

[Jim Noel]

It is possible to load a wet drum. You just can not load a damp one.

Fill each tube completely with water. Load the film as described, leaving about an inch sticking out until all tubes are loaded. Push them all the way down, put on the lid then dump the water. The drum is too heavy to put on the motorized base with the water in it.

My students do this almost every night because it is not possible to get the drums completely dry from one student to another.

[Michael Alpert]

Joan,

You are receiving advice piecemeal. I suggest that you contact Jobo for a manual. The information in the Jobo manual is accurate. After reading it carefully, you will have a good overview of what is needed. I've always used Expert tanks with a motorized base, so I cannot offer advice on using them without that kind of base.


I think exposed negatives will not degrade for a very long time (months, if not years), but I don't know exactly how long (I do not linger when it comes to processing film). The maximum storage time may depend on the speed of the emulsion.