Is the Yankee tank the Antichrist?

[Jehu]

I've been trying for the last couple of months to figure out how to use the Yankee daylight tank. A quick search will yield a plethora of opinions on this critter. About 85% are strongly against but there are some that say that they've never had a problem.

Has anyone perfected a procedure with the Yankee tank?

I just read something that may help. I've never tried presoaking before. Maybe that will help. I'll try that this afternoon.

[Glenn Thoreson]

I've perfected a procedure but I'm not sure everyone would agree with it. I have a rather low opinion of those tanks but if you get three of them and only use one rack, they make a good dip-n-dunk setup. In the dark, of course. I would leave the lids in the cupboard. Forever. Since the rack holds so many sheets, you could load them all and really get a rhythm going to do a lot in one sitting. One man's opinion and worth about what you paid for it.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Take the two parts of the rack apart and shine a flashlight into the inside of the outer tube in the center of the rack to check for the sign of the beast. If you find the number "666," then indeed, the Yankee tank is the antichrist.

[vinny]

If you take the lid off I believe it'll work well as a desktop trash can.

[Michael Graves]

If you take the lid off I believe it'll work well as a desktop trash can.

I'm using mine as a planter. It looks great in the window holding a begonia...or whatever that thing is my wife planted in it. And no, it is NOT the Antichrist. Everyone knows that's Bill Gates.

[Jon Shiu]

What is the specific problem you are having with the tank?

Jon

[EdWorkman]

Hmmmm
47 years ago I took my Yankee and 2x3 speed off to collitch.
I made a few shots, mixed chemicals in jugs from the dining hall trash, loaded the Yankee in a closet and never looked back- Callow youth doesn't know it's hard to do.
I didn't have problems I could pin on the Yankee.
For the last 40 years tho' I've beeen a 120 kind of guy. I use the yankee as the last dip of 120 in photo-flo. How's that for faint praise?

[Jehu]

Hey, a serious response!

Thanks Jon. My problem is mottling.

Jon.

[Andrew Tymon]

Yankee tanks are really useful for washing your negs or using them as a bath for your final rinse. I too had the mottled negs and it's not worth risking all the hard work you put into shooting the negs. Get yourself a unicolor drum and agitator of ebay-beautiful evenly developed negs- the savior of film development sanity.

[W K Longcor]

I guess I am just different. Years ago, before I could afford the fancy automated equipment in my studio, I used several Yankee tanks for 4x5 sheet film. Though my fingers always got wet from chemical spashing out -- I never had any real problems.. I used them for B&W, color negative (I think back then it was C-22???) and E-3
(pre E-6). REsults were even and MORE THAN acceptable. I never had mottled negs or uneven processing. To those having those problems, I would guess they didn't read the instructions as to proper aggitation. But that was 40 years ago or more. Maybe they changed the design and added mottling to the tank.