I load wet with full tubes and only dry it when I'm through.
I load wet with full tubes and only dry it when I'm through.
Drying efficacy of the sponge rods depends on how old yours is. Early production used natural sponges, which are highly absorbent and, when starting with a dry sponge, leave the chambers perfectly dry. They even have enough capacity left to dry the top surface (where chamber tops connect.
Later production sponge rods use synthetic sponges. They are close to worthless, saturating after wiping out just a couple of chambers, even if the drum is inverted and all chambers drained of water to the maximum extent possible. Fortunately, I have a two early sponge rods to use with all my Expert drums.
If you don't get the chambers dry, the film can stick when inserting it.
When I use the sponges, I look into each tube and have to tilt the sponge in order to smear any water droplets. The sponge does not absorb all the water, but it can break the surface tension of the droplets so they evaporate much more quickly.
Paper towels are compressed dust. I know some people have good results, but I won't use them.
Not all blow driers have a setting with no heat. If I resort to a blow drier, I never use heat because of the delicate nature of the inner drums and because I don't want a heated drum when I am developing film.
For BTZS tubes, you can wrap a flour sack towel (no dust) around a dowel rod and jam it in there. I would never do that with a Jobo!
I roll up a cotton lint-free teatowel ("glass cloth"), stuff it in there and wind it around a bit. Or just stick the film in wet and do a prewash so that it's completely wet.
ex-Pic-A-Day (slowed after 2 years)
on flickr
Analogue Photo and Film FAQ (for APUG)
Open Source F/Stop Timer
Can I slightly hi-jack this topic and ask if caffenol developer will harm my Jobo 3005 drum?
Jon
Hmm,
Ok. Glad I asked.
Hello Tim.
I also have an ATL 2300, my question for you....you mentioned you use the expert drum, does it fit right on the 2300?? or is there some things you need to change??
thanks for the info !!
Ralph
www.ralphduke.com
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