Jobo 2509 reel issues

[Noah B]

Hey guys, had a couple questions about the older Jobo 2509 reels without the black "wing" inserts. I've tried developing 6 sheets in a multitank 5 using 1000mL of chemistry on a chromega electric roller base. The main problem I'm running into is that the left and right sides of the negative are getting overdeveloped. Some turn out fine, but most of them have a line running through the left and right sides that are much darker than the rest. I'm thinking that the chemistry is trapping itself where the film meets the reel during the rotary processing. I've also had problems loading the film and some get loaded in the same slot. I read that people recommend using 4 per reel for the 2509 (not the N model). Do you think I would have the same problem with overdeveloped left and right sides by using 4? I'm also concerned with the roller base. It runs fairly fast and only in one direction. I think speed might be an issue with this roller base but am not sure. Any help is appreciated!

[djhopscotch]

I use a similar set up. I presoak the film for 5 mins and rotate the drum every 20 seconds. This solved the areas of uneven development was getting. I processes 6 sheets per reel.

[George Pappas]

Noah,

I used the 2509 reels very successfully with a Jobo CPE-2 for several years in the same multitank you are using. I did use the 1000ml of chemistry.

From your description, I don't believe reel capacity is the issue. I successfully did six sheets with no problems - I always did a 5 minute pre-soak and the agitation was always bi-directional and as slow as possible.

Are you using a 5 minute pre-soak? Is is possible to test with bi-directional agitation and at slower speed? Perhaps you can test manually rolling the tank if your roller is fixed in its rotation speed/direction. I think you will find the answer here. The tanks/reels work very well.

Regards,
George

[Ari]

I use the same set-up as you, two reels, 12 sheets in a multitank 5, but I only use 640mL of chemistry.
I believe the recommended amount of chems is 560mL.
I'd suggest a pre-soak, like the others suggest, and reducing your chemistry amount.