Jobo noob needs assistance/advice with Duolab

[nolan_lister]

Greetings!

Hope all is well.

I recently got a Jobo Duolab which I am very excited about although it is outdated. I am a complete noob to the Jobo world and in need of some assistance. There is very, very little info on the web with some of the questions I have. I had to mail a few Jobo suppliers to get the manual, which, is not very informative either.

Unfortunately, the Duolab did not come with chemical bottles and I would like to buy some. Which bottles can I buy to replace them? And are the chemical bottles universal or does the Duolab have specific bottles?

However, it did come with 3 small developing tanks (can't remember the model names) - 2 with cogs and 1 with a manual developing lid.
I would like to add an extension to it to develop more than 1 roll of film at a time. What should I get?

In the manual, I noticed that the bottles need to be screwed into the developing tank during the developing stage. Is this a necessity or can on pour the chemicals in and put some sort of lid on to prevent the chemicals from pouring out.


Your assistance would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks and have a great day/evening!


Nolan
South Africa

[ic-racer]

This is all I have:
172133

[tgtaylor]

From the catalog that came with my CPA-2 processor:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4558/24652967378_66c71c9be4_b.jpg

Thomas

[docw]

I have never even heard of this machine. Contact Omer at Catlabs. He is the most knowledgeable person I know on Jobo and he may have bottles that will work.

[nolan_lister]

Thank you ic-racer & tgtaylor!!

[nolan_lister]

Hi docw!

I have been in contact with him. He has been extremely helpful.

Thanks!

[nolan_lister]

Thanks to everyone that has assisted me!!!

I tested the Job over the weekend and it seems if the thermostat is not working so well.
Turned the dial to 2, set the temp to 38. Filled the bath with 24 degree celsius water... 3 hours later, it sat on 27 degrees celsius.
Will need to get it checked.

Thanks!

[DaveF]

I'm new to this too (not even having done it yet...!) but from what I understand they are not designed to heat up the water, only to keep it at a regular temperature once warmed at the tap. It seems to me therefore that you just need to add almost hot tapwater (ie. slightly above the 38º), and allow the Jobo to bring it down to a regular temperature before starting. I may be wrong, but this advice, which I've read elsewhere, sounds sensible to me.

[ic-racer]

If it won't warm the water it is broken and needs some inspection. Start by checking the thermal reset switch then check all the circuit boards, connectors, switches and potentiometers for corrosion.

[Duolab123]

These little babies heat up faster than any other Jobo. If it's slow to heat. Most likely an air bell in the heater line. . Use distilled water pouring it in the funnel marked 123. When the unit is empty pick it up and tilt it 90 degrees back and forth. Mine works great. The bottles are very hard to find, 300 ml. Any jobo bottle works, keeps liquids from running out during processing. I have a big Jobo CPP2, just a couple rolls I use the Duolab.
Mike

[Duolab123]

Apparently Jobousa is substituting Kaiser bottles for sale in place of the 1 liter Jobo bottle. Jobo in Germany still shows 6 1 liter bottles for 60 €. Plus shipping! Note: If you use the Kodak and Ilford 1 liter bottles in the big processor, make sure you get the label off. It could foul the pump if it comes loose.

[nbagno]

Apparently Jobousa is substituting Kaiser bottles for sale in place of the 1 liter Jobo bottle. Jobo in Germany still shows 6 1 liter bottles for 60 €. Plus shipping! Note: If you use the Kodak and Ilford 1 liter bottles in the big processor, make sure you get the label off. It could foul the pump if it comes loose.

Freestyle has them


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[Duolab123]

Freestyle has them


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Yes, I see that now. Sometime back, last year, Freestyle must have bought a bunch. They were selling the 1 liter Jobo bottle for something like 6 bucks each. I bought a dozen, I remember thinking, to hell with the money, I want some nice clean bottles. Now I'm scared to use them. I'm afraid of staining :eek: So funny. I have 4 of the 300ml bottles that came with the Duolab, those are impossible to find. Darkroom stuff is so much fun, way better than iPhones and apps!

[nolan_lister]

Thanks for the advice Duolab123 & nbagno!

Will the Kaiser bottles screw into the threaded lid?

Darkroom stuff is fun... when you can find what you're looking for and doesn't cost the Earth!!
Jobo gear here in South Africa is scarcer than hen's teeth haha

[Duolab123]

Thanks for the advice Duolab123 & nbagno!

Will the Kaiser bottles screw into the threaded lid?

Darkroom stuff is fun... when you can find what you're looking for and doesn't cost the Earth!!
Jobo gear here in South Africa is scarcer than hen's teeth haha

I am not sure if thread is the same. I doubt it is. The cog for the Duolab is shared with the Jobo Colorbase, a hand crank driven print drum. Looks like if you want bottles it's going to be expensive. The Duolab will work without a bottle, you may get a little bit of leakage. The fact is that if liquid runs back out of the drum, back into the bottle during processing, you've overfilled the tank. The way the Duolab is configured you can't use a 1500 series tank bigger than the 1520. Jobo designed it so. I made a special roller to permit longer 1500 series drums, it works but it puts too much of a load on the motor. Used as directed it works great. I have the 11 X14 Duolab print drum that I used a couple days ago to process an 11 X14 sheet of HP5 sheet film. If you develop sheets of film or paper use plenty of chemistry or you will get bromide drag, streaking the film. I bet someone in South Africa has some bottles, Jobo was everywhere. Check www.jobousa.com for all sorts of info, no Duolab manual last I checked.
Best Regards Mike