jobo 3005 uneven development

[Jordan]

I took a lot of photographs in the seconds half of the last year. Because of the uneveness I was getting in the smooth sky areas I resorted to either only photographing when clouds were present or eliminating skies from my photographs all together. A number of those photographs are totally boring and nothing I am interested in printing any further. There were a few gems when the sky was cloudy though. This has lead me back to this thread once again. When I used the 3010 4x5 jobo on a beseler motor base that DIDN'T reverse I never had any issues with smooth skies at all. The 3005 8x10 on the same non-reversing motor base has been a totally different story. Not only have I been experiencing blotchy smooth skies but also what one would call bromide drag in areas where a tree and sky meet. Everything is level with the drum, capacities are good, so could these inconsistencies be a direct result of the drum only rotating in one direction? Thanks guys.

[largeformat apt]

I use a full litre of dev in the 3005

[Greg Blank]

I am going to offer to look at the problem. I have done lots of photo testing and use to test Forte papers. I also wrote a few film testing articles for View camera magazine. If you send me a link to an image that scanned and posted to your site of choice I think I'll probably be able to resolve the over all problem. If you would rather not post the link here send the link to my work email at gblank@omegasatter.com

I am also interested in this because I try to support Jobo stuff, and Omega sells the Jobo line products.

I took a lot of photographs in the seconds half of the last year. Because of the uneveness I was getting in the smooth sky areas I resorted to either only photographing when clouds were present or eliminating skies from my photographs all together. A number of those photographs are totally boring and nothing I am interested in printing any further. There were a few gems when the sky was cloudy though. This has lead me back to this thread once again. When I used the 3010 4x5 jobo on a beseler motor base that DIDN'T reverse I never had any issues with smooth skies at all. The 3005 8x10 on the same non-reversing motor base has been a totally different story. Not only have I been experiencing blotchy smooth skies but also what one would call bromide drag in areas where a tree and sky meet. Everything is level with the drum, capacities are good, so could these inconsistencies be a direct result of the drum only rotating in one direction? Thanks guys.

[Chuck Pere]

Why not try a test reversing the drum by hand every so often. Maybe every 60s for longer developing times.

[Stephen Willard]

I am going to offer to look at the problem. I have done lots of photo testing and use to test Forte papers. I also wrote a few film testing articles for View camera magazine. If you send me a link to an image that scanned and posted to your site of choice I think I'll probably be able to resolve the over all problem. If you would rather not post the link here send the link to my work email at gblank@omegasatter.com

I am also interested in this because I try to support Jobo stuff, and Omega sells the Jobo line products.

Hi Greg, you probably do not remember me, but I had problems with both my JOBO ATL 2 Plus and my CP-51. You were of great service and help with a fix for both machines. Glad to see you on this site. If any body can help, Greg can.

I have had problems with both the 3005 and 3006 drums and completely solved the problem of uneven development in clear skies with very accurate leveling of the drums as described above. I found using more chemistry did little to help the uneven development. To throw more chemistry at the problem will only serve to wear out the motor and lift arm sooner. I only use the chemistry JOBO recommends in its directions.

In all cases, I used reverse processing. I have never done otherwise, so I cannot speak of my own personal experiences. But I have heard that if you do not use reverse processing, then you can get streaking and irregular development.

There is something else that just occurred to me that I forgot about. The procedure for loading the 3010 with film is different then the other drums. With the 3010, the film is loaded into the separate tubes until it is flush with the top of the tube. With the other drums, the film is pushed all the way into the tubes. I initially was loading all drums like you are suppose to load the 3010 drum. I cannot remember when I made the change if it had any effect on the problem or not, but it is something to consider.

Greg, it would be great if you could post the results of your investigation on this site so others can benefit.

[dng88]

Just bought a CPA and now bidding and trying to get a 3005. This thread starts to worry me a bit. Any update on this?

I already got ATL1500 and CPE+. I only get this CPA and 3005 for 8x10 E6 processing. Cannot avoid cloud or sky I think. (The CPE is okish to develop 8x10 E6; just done 16 in 2 days and ruin only 4.) Looking forward forthe CPA/3005 ...

[Rui Morais de Sousa]

Hi,
I also use a CPP2, but NEVER turn it in only one direction! I can't remember where or when, but when I lived in Germany I recall reading in some Jobo literature that you should ALWAYS use the automatic reverse direction, if you wanted consistent results... Maybe you should try it, while you also maybe try to reduce the turning speed to F... I think that the main reason to exactly level the drum has mainly to do with the possibility to use very few chemicals, as it can happen with E-6 development, so that you are assured that the film is totally covered.
I sometimes use over one liter solution (with Rodinal 1+50 for instance) and don't think that it produces unevenness, maybe only motor strain (Jobo also claimed that the reverse rotation doesn't allow for a pattern to take place...). I have been using my Jobo for about 23 years now - I bought it used then, I made a lot of E-6 and BW developement with it, and I treasure it (with all the tanks that you mentioned). Of course, nothing is perfect, but I would try reverse rotation. I also don't/can't understand why you should not want to...
Greetings

[dng88]

For HC110, I think it is a minimum of 6ml per 8x10 sheet. Someone in this forum goes down to 4ml but I think 6ml is the minimum. Is the chemical amount a factor here?