Jobo 3005 questions

[axs810]

I'm absolutely sick and tired of making my bathroom light tight every time I want to develop 8x10 film so I'm looking into buying a Jobo 3005 before I do though I have a few questions


1) If I were to use this on manual rollers what would be the best way to change chemicals? Do I just treat it like it's a Paterson developing tank or do I have to make a funnel to pour the chemicals in while it's on its side spinning? Is there a specific way I have to do it?
2) On a manual roller: how fast do you spin/agitate the tank?
3) If I were to buy an agitator base for the Jobo 3005 which would be best? I read that some don't completely agitate the 3005
4) For a newbie is there anything else I should know about using the tank? Any particular etiquette?

[Vaughn]

I'm absolutely sick and tired of making my bathroom light tight every time I want to develop 8x10 film so I'm looking into buying a Jobo 3005 before I do though I have a few questions


1) If I were to use this on manual rollers what would be the best way to change chemicals? For on a motor base, I use a funnel with a curved plastic hose -- fits right in as the drum is turning as I pour in the chemicals. I never rolled manually -- I am curious about the answers you get


2) On a manual roller: how fast do you spin/agitate the tank?
3) If I were to buy an agitator base for the Jobo 3005 which would be best? I read that some don't completely agitate the 3005

The two brands of roller bases I have (Beseler and Unicolor), the speed seems about the same. Since the 3005 is a fatty, it takes some time to complete a rev compared to a smaller dia drum. Rotation speed seems to be 4 revs per minute (every 15 seconds) -- pretty slow, so manual rolling would be pretty mellow.

Most motor bases are set up for changing direction of rotation. Some have a switch, I believe, that you can set so it reverses the direction every so often -- or stay in one direction. Some have this feature is built in -- I had to take mine apart and diasble the reversing mechanism. The problem is that the units reverse too soon -- one does not get a full rotation of the 3005 drum before it reverses again. So mine is set in one direction and I pick up the drum and turn it around so that the drum is rotating the opposite way...every 30 to 60 seconds when developing, every minute with washes and fix.


4) For a newbie is there anything else I should know about using the tank? Any particular etiquette?

Don't forget to put the top on before turning on the lights.
Don't put on the top too tight.
The mininium amount of solution written on the tank is the operational limit...you might need more depending on the exhaustion rate of the developer and the number of sheets in the tank.
Don't blow-dry the drum - or be really really careful about not warping the plastic.
I recommend a non-hardening fix.
Have a blast!

[Pali K]

Make sure you know that you will need a pump to open the lid because it seals extremely tight when in use. I made mine from a common balloon pump and it works great and there are many DIY for it.

Pali

[vinny]

Check out Youtube

[axs810]

I have checked out youtube and I don't have a Jobo Processor so I don't know what I would do.

There was another thread I found that linked to this video of Michael Gordon using the Jobo Expert drum but it seems to not be there anymore (https://michaelegordon.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/how-to-video-daylight-sheet-film-4x5-development-2/)

[Lachlan 717]

You do not NEED the pump. You can use water to do it. YouTube shows this technique.

Additionally, the air pump can cause rapid release of the lid, with potential for damage to equipment and/or front teeth!

FWIW, I do not need any additional equipment to release any of the 3 Expert lids I have.

[jeroldharter]

The Beseler roller base is generally better than the Unicolor for the 3005. I had both and preferred the Beseler. The Unicolors would automatically change direction too son for the the circumference of a 3005 so you would have to take it apart and hack the gears. I did that and it was not too bad if you have a dremel but the Beseler saves you the problem.

Both brands of roller bases have just one speed and it seems to work just fine.

For getting started, don't fret about changing the chemicals. I kept the developer in a beaker in a water bath to regulate the temperature. I would load the drum, then start the timer. I would dump the chemicals with ~ 10 seconds to go on the clock and then add the next. I would re-use stop bath and fixer if I was doing multiple runs of film (I had 5 x 3005 drums). The DIY devises to hold the drum in place on the rollers and add the solutions while the drum is spinning are nice if you are handy but not necessary. It is nice to have something to hold the drum in position while it spins on the rollers so it does not move around too much. I used galvanized steel fence components - a flange for the base and a short piece of fence in the flange. I would use two of these as goal posts on either side of the drum so it could not wobble too far in either direction while on the drum.

A Jobo air pump is the easiest way to remove the lid but the water method works too. Just don't over-tighten the lid.

[aluncrockford]

The Beseler roller base is generally better than the Unicolor for the 3005. I had both and preferred the Beseler. The Unicolors would automatically change direction too son for the the circumference of a 3005 so you would have to take it apart and hack the gears. I did that and it was not too bad if you have a dremel but the Beseler saves you the problem.

Both brands of roller bases have just one speed and it seems to work just fine.

For getting started, don't fret about changing the chemicals. I kept the developer in a beaker in a water bath to regulate the temperature. I would load the drum, then start the timer. I would dump the chemicals with ~ 10 seconds to go on the clock and then add the next. I would re-use stop bath and fixer if I was doing multiple runs of film (I had 5 x 3005 drums). The DIY devises to hold the drum in place on the rollers and add the solutions while the drum is spinning are nice if you are handy but not necessary. It is nice to have something to hold the drum in position while it spins on the rollers so it does not move around too much. I used galvanized steel fence components - a flange for the base and a short piece of fence in the flange. I would use two of these as goal posts on either side of the drum so it could not wobble too far in either direction while on the drum.

A Jobo air pump is the easiest way to remove the lid but the water method works too. Just don't over-tighten the lid.

I used the jobo 3005 with the jobo manual roller and it worked perfectly, just a little tedious hand rolling the drum, pouring the chemicals was fairly straight forward I just used the standard jobo measuring jugs and allowed 10 seconds to pour and empty the drum. the other thing I would recommend if you are having a tricky time blacking out your work space is a fuji dark box, they can be tracked down on ebay and they work perfectly for loading film

[Ari]

A Beseler works better because it is larger, as Vaughn said; the Unicolor is a bit small for the 3005.
If you roll manually, just keep a nice even rhythm, don't worry too much about speed; having a motorized base do it for you is much better, that way you can leave it for intervals of a few minutes at a time.
You can make a funnel out of a plastic water bottle top and plastic hose, maybe add an L-joint from the plumbing section; it will cost you a dollar or two, and I find it develops the film a little more evenly.
To open the lid, you need only a solid piece of wood, a 2x4 does the trick; just tap the lip of the lid upwards, gently and all around the base. In a few seconds it will loosen.
Don't use a wetting agent inside the 3005, use a separate tray for that.
Finally, if you don't have an 8x10 film washer, you can fill the tank with water, let it stand for 10 minutes, empty, fill the tank again, and repeat for a few cycles.

[Erik Larsen]

Here's how I solved your question. A few bucks and your on your way. 137888