Developing 8x10 negs using a JOBO print drum

[Muggs]

Hello All,

OK I have seen many threads that include something like the following:
"I use a JOBO print drum to develop my 8x10 (or insert your size here) negs".
But I have yet to see a thread on any specifics.
SO...
I have a JOBO CPE-2 and I do develop my 4x5 negs in it using a 2551 drum and the 4x5 reels. It works great and I love it. I also have a 2830 print drum and I love to here some specifics on how to develop 8x10 negs in the 2830 drum from some peeps who have done it (are doing it).

TIA,
Muggs

[Nick_3536]

Have you ever done prints in the drum?

Same idea. Instead of putting paper and paper chemicals in you put film and film chemicals. Outside of that not much difference.

[Paul Metcalf]

Ok, here's specifics. I use the same drum and reel you use for 4x5s, using six sheets when doing E-6 and four sheets when doing B&W with pyro (PMK - yes, PMK. I use two baths, dumping halfway through, and Sodium Metaborate as the staining bath, not used developer. Patrick Gainer wrote about this many moons ago in Darkroom Techniques). For 5x7, I do sheets in the 2830 print drums, emulsion facing in, film major axis perpendicular to drum major axis, using the groves in the drum to "hold" the two sheets in place (there are three ribs on one side, and a single rib on the other, so one sheet sits between the single rib and three-rib side on one side, and the other sheet sits on the other side). The trick with this setup is to add the pre-rinse water (if you use that, otherwise the developer) very slowly at first so the sheets don't float off their position and end up on top of each other (yes, that is based on experience:eek:). After the rinse, the sheets are pretty well stuck in place (if I'm really anal, I'll even stop the processor and open the drum and feel down in the drum to make sure a sheet hasn't floated on top of the other - in the dark, of course:o). For 8x10 film, I use a single sheet (I'm keeping the film area roughly constant - 4 sheets of 4x5 = 2 sheets of 5x7 = 1 sheet of 8x10), and it slides into the drum much like an 8x10 print. After developing and fully rinsing (necessary to clear chemcials for next run), pull the film out and hang it in my print washer using wooden clothes pins and continue to wash (and for pyro, stain) for another 30 minutes or so. I rinse the drums between runs and dry (I have several drums). Not a speedy process, but very consistent, and if you saw the size of my darkroom (dark "closet"), you'd understand why I standardized this process for my work. Good luck, hope this helps.

[Ole Tjugen]

I've been fortunate enough to get the little "winged spacer thingies" with my (old second-hand) print drums, so i can afford to be less "anal retentive": The sheets don't move once I've got them in place.

Apart from that it's just "standard processing": Prewash (because I always do it), developer (often Ilfotec-HC because I got a good deal on a LOT of it), water wash, fix (usually Ilford Rapid) - or sometimes just a dash of 60% ammonium thiosulfate poured straight into the spent developer, in which case there's no stop/wash either) - and then a good wash.

[Denis Pleic]

Paul provided a rather complete answer.

However, I do not just "stick" my 5x7 negs in the drum (5x7 is the largest I do) - I use a "blanket" to hold the negs. Jobo used to have so-called "format holders" for just this purpose - I have an original one - it was used for print test strips, etc. in the print drums. (Google "jobo format holder" or "JOBO fotmathalter" and you might catch some photos on ebay...)

I made my own following these instructions:

http://www.galerie-photo.com/porte-film-jobo.html
(it's in French, but rather self-explanatory, with photos illustrating the making of the "blanket").

So, this is another option for "fastening" the negatives in a print drum - you don't have to worry about negs overlapping and "falling" in the drum that way.

I've described the procedure (with photos) on apug:
http://www.apug.org/forums/forum43/23456-5x7-film-processing-jobo-print-drum.html

HTH,

Denis

[Denis Pleic]

Well, Ole mentioned another helpful bit tha tI forgot - the plastic spacers... I have those, too... But I prefer my "blanket thingy" :) It's less fussy - I just insert the borders of the negs under the "blanket" retainers, roll the "blanket" and insert it in the drum.
I tried just the spacers, but it took a lot more fiddling about...

Denis

[Paul Metcalf]

"blanket thingy"
Cool. On my list of things to make. Thanks Denis.

[Muggs]

Thanks All!

Nick, well yeah, I guess it is, thanks.
Paul, great tips! Thank you!
Ole, clips but no wings:( , so I'll have to be careful.
Denis, Very good idea (the French website) I think I'll try one of those "Blanket thingies".
What did you use for your clips? maybe it says in the other thread (I just browsed it).

Thanks again,
Muggs

[Ole Tjugen]

Muggs, the winged clips are nice when I do four 5x7" in a 2830 tank - if I do four 13x18cm they're more trouble than they're worth (the films are 2mm longer). wingless clips should work just as well (and be less hassle), which I guess is why they stopped making the wing-things.

[Nick_3536]

I've never used clips for paper or film. But I've loaded quite a few sheets of RA-4 paper into the drum before trying film.

[Denis Pleic]

Denis, Very good idea (the French website) I think I'll try one of those "Blanket thingies".
What did you use for your clips? maybe it says in the other thread (I just browsed it).


For clips I use anything that's on hand... as long as it's plastic :)

Generally some kind of plastic rivet is enough to hold the negs in place. Once the "blanket" is rolled, the rivet slightly squeezes the negative - just enough to keep it from falling down.

The "blanket" itself is made of plastic foil (bought at the local equivalent of Home Depot, construction department, so I guess it must be used in construction somewhere - it's designated as "UV foil"). You could even use a plastic soda bottle, as long as it's straight-walled.

I make the "dimples" which keep the negatives from getting "glued" to the blanket using the hot air gun, like shown on that French site.

In short, it's easy to do, and so far I've been more than happy with the results. Never had a negative fall off dring processing, and the "dimples" prevent the negatives from sticking to the "blanket".

Denis