Can a JOBO 3005 Tank be used on JOBO manual rollers.

[J. P. Mose]

Well I finally decided to take the plunge and buy an 8x10 camera. I have been using the 1500 and 2500 series tanks on the Jobo manual rollers with great success. I even fill up the tanks completely with Rodinal and use the inversion method. Since Rodinal is inexpensive and a compensating developer, it works out fine. I then switch to the rotation method for stop bath, fixer and hypo clear. Can this be done with the 3005 Expert tank? I don't mind the manual rolling because I am not doing it daily. I would much rather develop film in light rather than fooling with trays in the dark (been there done that). I really notice a difference when using the inversion method with Rodinal and would like to stick with it.....I LOVE RODINAL!

If I have to resort to a used JOBO processing machine, I guess I will buy one used. I saw a question on Ebay regarding the serial number being higher than 22000. Does anyone know what this is about?

Please advise....thanks in advance.

J. P. Mose

[ronald moravec]

I would not. It is designed to be filled while rotating horizontally with the Jobo Lift. There is no way to duplicate this manually.

Tray development is best done in an 16/20 or larger trayfor 8x10. Lift the edges two inches left, right, top, then bottom. Allow the film to rotate and move. You will get perfect negs. I do 4x5 that way sometimes in 8x10 trays. They are as even as my expert drum makes them, although the process is slow. Use smaller trays for water stop and fix.

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

J.P.,

Regarding Jobo serial numbers: http://www.jobo-usa.com/bulletins/b019.htm

Note however that I use a 3006 tank with an older (2nd generation) Jobo, and have not had any problem. Of course, 3005 is probably heavier than 3006, so your mileage may vary...

Incidentally, there are many posts here and on photo.net about using the expert drums on non-Jobo bases: http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=003CtQ

Best of luck,

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

Yes you can, I have done it, but opening the lid is such a PITA that I quit doing it. You can go with manual rotation or use a Beseler/Unicolor base to rotate the drum. The trick is to go to a convinience store and get one of those funnels used for pouring oil. They have a long hose, so what you do is rig something to hold the funnel, place the hose in the mouth of the drum and rotate with one hand while you pour the developer with the other, or put the drum in the motor base and pour the developer while you hold the funnel. I would remove the cog wheel and use the lid that comes with your 2500 drum. I used this technique many times and the negatives came out fine, I just did not like the lid and having to use so much developer when all I had was one negative. Anyhow, good luck.

[Ken Lee]

I have had great success with my 3100 and a manual roller.

If your development times are too short, then the time taken to dump and pour the chemicals will become significant. Otherwise, it is not.

If you intend to do a lot of film, then it will become tedious to roll the roller. However, the same can be said for tray development.

I love the fact that I get zero scratches, completely even development, and can work in the light.

[Diane Maher]

I have used the 3005/3006 Jobo tanks on a Unicolor roller with great success. You do have to watch to make sure that they don't tip over and dump their contents.

As for opening the lid, I have found that I can put it on the floor, secure it with my feet and gently pry open the lid with my fingers. I only do this at the end after I've done my final water wash. During the processing, I don't open the lid at all. I dump out my chemicals and add the next ones and take it back to the roller. All done in daylight.

[J. P. Mose]

Thanks for the answers so far. On the 1500/2500 series tanks, there is a lid and a smaller red rubber lid (seal) that is secured to prevent the contents from spilling out. Does the 3005 tank have this? I would like to be able to fill the tank with Rodinal...in some cases diluted 1:100 and let it sit for long intervals between agitation. I agitate using inversion method...the red lid seals off liquid from spilling.

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

You have to remove the cog lid that comes with the 3010 if you want to use the red lid, didnt you read what I wrote just above????..... :-)

[J.L. Kennedy]

The questions on eBay regarding the serial number was someone who is aware of the various upgrades that Jobo has made to these processors, and wanted to know the serial number so they could tell which upgrade series the item was in. This link will tell you about it: http://www.jobo-usa.com/bulletins/b019.htm and you can see what I am talking about. If you are going to use the 3000 series Expert Drums it appears that you should stick with a machine that is the second upgrade or above. It appears that you can also perform upgrades on the older models to bring them up to current specs. I just held out for one with a serial number above 22000 but it took a while for one to come up on eBay. I was fortunate.

[J. P. Mose]

Thanks for all of the answers. I went ahead and ordered one from B&H yesterday.

Jorge...I must have been asleep at the helm when looking at your response!

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

Just giving you a hard time JP.... :-)