So... what happened with Jordan's dilemma?
So... what happened with Jordan's dilemma?
I had the same problem with my JOBO ATL process and all of my expert drums. I finally narrowed the problem down to a leveling problem. I is not good enough to level the machine. You must level the machine with a level on the drum and the drum in the machine.
However, before you can do any leveling, you must find the position of the drum cover installed on the drum such that there is no wabble when the drum rotates. This will require repeated trails of taking the cover off and on until the drum does not wabble. Once you have found the right position then use a magic marker to trace the position of the cover on/around the drum. This will allow you to correctly install the drum cover on the drum each time. Only when you have done this can you level the drum and the processor together.
Use a small level and place some small magnets of the same thickness on each end of the level. This allows you to place the level directly on the drum surface without the ribs of the drum getting in the way and insures an accurate level.
You will find that each drum type levels differently. That is, my 3010s use a different shim than my 3005s which uses a different shim then my 3006s. I have cut different strips of wood of different thicknesses that slip under one end of the processor for each type of drum. I have a crowbar I use to lift one end of the machine when it is full of water so that I can install different strips of wood under it when I switch to a different drum type.
Hope this helps...
I would 2nd your comment, Steve, that levelling is often the cause of uneven or weird effects on the film edge. I had a cpp-2 years ago and learned that lesson, but forgot it when I got another one recently and found an edge defect from my 3005 drum. Making the effort to do it right paid off, measuring on the drum itself.
Ok here's the update:
After having horrible results using a cpa2 processor with my 3005 drum I sold the processor and went back to my trusty Beseler motor base. After discovering uneven development in negs with large amounts of smooth sky I decided to tray process again after about 2 years. After some ok results tray processing one at a time I have decided to once again use my jobo 3005.
Now here I go again starting from scratch I feel like. So you guys say having completely level is vital..... you are probably right on with that assessment. I often eyeballed what I considered level. I never had that problem with my 3010 drum, but perhaps it being considerably smaller made a huge difference.
I want to continue using hc110. I tried xtol and find the tonal range to be not as nice as with hc110. However I know that hc110 is harder to control and need to come up with a suitable dilution that gives me enough development time and also enough developer per negative without weighing the motor base down and keeping it from rotating at enough rpms.
Any suggestions or add ons?
Jordon, I never had any problems with 3010 either. However, when I switched to the longer drums such as the 3005 and the 3006, then I started to have problems with uneven development in smooth skies. I have found that the longer drums need to be accurately leveled unlike the 3010. If you follow the procedure I noted above, then you will be fine.
I have tested the procedure with a densitometer and exposing an out of focus gray card up close and then actually measured the density variations after development. The variations I got were around +/- 0.03 density units which is about 100th of a stop in exposure units assuming 0.3 density units is equivalent to one stop of exposure. I doubt that small of a difference is possible to see with the human eye.
Hope this helps..
Steven, I'm glad to hear that you tested with the densitometer and it came out that close. I've been shooting some blue skies lately (Calif) and the development has been looking very good. I truly hate the uneven sky thing.
The 3005 seems more trouble to use in general. More chemistry, harder to dry out, more strain on the lift. I'm glad I got the 3010 for 4x5, but am keeping the 3005 for the 8x project down the road.
Jordan, I can't believe you decided to go back to a motor base after using the CPA. I guess a lot of guys are doing it, but after using one of those for color back in the 80's I don't have the patience anymore. But I do like the idea of minimalism, so go for it. You should be able to find a dilution with hc110 that affects the right combination of characteristics. I haven't used it for many years, but I used a nice plastic syringe that was good for measuring minute quantities of that stuff, and worked without using stock solutions.
JY
I really appreciate all the help you guys have offered. I will make sure to keep you updated. Thanks Stephen and Mandoman.
In case you haven't seen it here's a site with lots of info on Hc-110:
http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/hc110/index.html
Back to this again.........
So I have been using the jobo 3005 on the motor base lately with excellent results except when I have a perfectly even sky. have been using HC110 like always as I don't care for xtol. I've been diluting my hc110 1oz syrup to 90oz water getting my development time to between 7-8 minutes. No matter what though in my smooth skies there areas of more density in the prints and scans. How does one tray process successfully for one negative at a time? For my negatives with clouds in the sky my Jobo does great. Sorry to bring this thread back.
0.03 density units is actually 1/10th of a stop...Originally Posted by Stephen Willard
Kirk - www.keyesphoto.com
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