George:
Yes, George I also now place a bottle with water on the end that "walks" just in case. I figure the beseler motor bases would burn up, but is better than a buying the JObo set up, besides a new motor for the Jobo is like $500, I can buy 25 motor bases with that..lol..
Gary:
Great idea!! I should have thought of that. Ah well, the foot pump is the only cheap thing Jobo has, so no big deal!
My drum also walks. I made a u shaped wood base to sit it on. The ends keep the drum from walking enough to fall off the base.
I'm not sure why you would want to remove the cog. I just got an 810 Expert drum and was experimenting with it on a Unicolor roller base (until I get a Jobo processor - I will use it to process E6 film). Because I might use it temporarily without a processor, I would only use it on the roller base when filling it and then transfer the drum to a tempered water bath for manual rolling. (I have a commmercial water heater/recyler.) Because doing that could possibly allow some water to enter the drums hole, I could see that it would be a good idea to plug the hole. I immediately figured out that all I needed to plug the hole was a regular rubber stopper available at any hardware store. So I just went to my local hardware store and got one for 50 cents. In fact, I got two of them - one regular rubber stopper and a second with a hole bored through it. I will enlarge the hole in the second stopper and insert a short piece of thin brass pipe into it. I will then connect that to one of the hoses that I have in my darkroom sink and use it to remove the top of the Expert Drum. Even without the rubber stopper, I was able to gently lift the top off the drum off just buy inserting the hose and cupping my hand around it. I have read where people insist that you need the pump to remove an Expert drum top. Not only is that not true, but it isn't even the best way to remove the top. I have also read some horror stories about the top blowing off and even knocking a tooth out when it hits someone in the mouth or that it actually damaged drums. But it should be obvious that that can happen because air compresses. Pressure builds up and when the top finally breaks free, the compressed air can blow the lid off with force. But water doesn't compress - at least not to any practical degree so there is no sudden release of pressure. It simply lifts the top of gently once the drum is filled.
Anyway, back to the cog. Why take it off when a readily available rubber stopper will do the job just as well? Mine fits and seals perfectly and I can put it on the drum as fast or faster than a cap. An Expert drum doesn't need any modification at all to allow the end to be plugged. And doing it with a plug allows you to process either in a Jobo processor or manually.
This tip seems almost too basic to mention, but nobody seems to have addressed it so I will.Originally Posted by Chuck_1686
I am using 5x7 expert drum on a Beseler base (for B&W processing.) I found that the Beseler base's reversing mode reverses too quickly. In fact it reversed before the drum completed a single revolution. I just switched off the reversing mode and manually swap ends of the drum (e.g., North for South) periodically during development. I swap ends every 15 seconds or so during the first minute or two and every 30 seconds or minute until development is complete. This means that I am always present to catch any excessive walking. I have been very happy with the results compared to my tray development experience.
I never considered pouring the chemicals in while rotating, but it sounds like a worthy enhancement.
- Alan
I really do not understand about the need to change the cog lid part. When my Expert 2005 comes in, might have to investigate. Also, as I cannot get the pump and want to preserve my tooth, I think I would try the water method.
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