Unicolor Discovery!

[John Kasaian]

OK maybe you all ready know this, but I didn't so for the benefit of those of us who don't:

If you use a Unicolor processor, the 8x10 paper drum---not the 11x14---has the stops arranged to accept two sheets of 5x7 film with the shorter ends inserted first.

I process nearly all of my 8x10 film in my Unicolor with the 11x14 paper drum, but I could never get the 5x7 film to fit. This morning I was exploring the 'cannibal box' and found an 8x10 drum and made my discovery! :D Now all I have to do is find a flange that will fit the threads on the :eek: aero ektar.

Cheers!

[Pat Kearns]

The Beseler 8x10 Color Drum will work with the 5x7 the same way. Along with my 4x5 I started shooting with a Premo Pony #3 using 5x7 film. I already had on Beseler drum so I started buying them off Ebay whenever I saw one. After the third one came in the mail the scowl on my wife's face gave me the message that if a fourth one came, it would be used as an urn for my ashes! :eek:

[Michael Graves]

Hey, John, what size is the flange on that lens? I have one that I was using as a collar on my wife's cat until it got so fat (the cat, not the flange) that it wouldn't fit any more. I wanted to just leave it on because I liked the way the cat looked with a calico body and a blue face...but you know how it is. Anyway, if you can estimate the diameter and thread pitch, I'll clean out the cat hair and see it this one comes close.

[John Kasaian]

Hey, John, what size is the flange on that lens? I have one that I was using as a collar on my wife's cat until it got so fat (the cat, not the flange) that it wouldn't fit any more. I wanted to just leave it on because I liked the way the cat looked with a calico body and a blue face...but you know how it is. Anyway, if you can estimate the diameter and thread pitch, I'll clean out the cat hair and see it this one comes close.

LOL!:D

[walter23]

Maybe the article on the main page should be updated to reflect this? In retrospect it's obvious - when you stick 4x5 sheets in, they go in in the "wide" orientation - the slots are fitted for 5" wide paper / film.

[Jan Pedersen]

To those of you developing film in the Unicolor drum, Aren't you getting overdevelopment in the end of the sheet?
I tried developing 8x10 sheets in the 8x10 drum and that does not work. I suspect that the raised edge to hold the paper in place is to high and the turbulence in the developer increase development on each side of that edge.

[tim atherton]

To those of you developing film in the Unicolor drum, Aren't you getting overdevelopment in the end of the sheet? .

no

I think it depends an awful lot on the film/dev combo.

in addition, lots of folks introduce some randomeness into the rotation, which prevents this

[walter23]

I haven't noticed this problem doing 4x5" sheets with the unicolour motor base.

[John Kasaian]

I haven't had an over development problem with 8x10 film in either the 8x10 or the 11x14 Unicolor paper drum.

[Jan Pedersen]

Good to know, just pulled a neg that i had suspected having this problem. Most likely is something else, each end of the neg is darker almost an inch into the film with a fairly sharpe edge and that just can't be overdevelpement.
Will do another test.
Thanks..

[Donald Qualls]

Jan, that *could* be overdevelopment, if you overfilled the internal catch basin in the drum and had the neg oriented so the ends were at the bottom of the drum; the stand time after adding chemical, but before starting rotation isn't normally significant because the developer sits in the trough inside the drum until you start to roll it, but if you had too much developer for the trough, it would pool in the bottom of the drum and could produce a pretty sharply defined area of greater development (same could happen if you have a drum without a trough and didn't start rolling it pretty promptly after adding the developer).

Now, having never used a drum, I lack some details to be sure this is what happened (like how the negative orients in the drum when it's waiting to be filled, how much the trough will hold, etc.), but from what I do know, it's something to think about, at least.

[John Kasaian]

Donald Qualls,

Unicolor paper drums have a trough. The drum sits on the base, you pour the pre-measured chems into the trough and flip the switch. The Unicolor trough dosen't hold the chemicals in a seperate chamber but funnels them directly into the drum when they're poured in, but as soon as the chemicals are in the film should be in motion.

Cheers!

[Jan Pedersen]

Donald, Get your point, this is more likely the scenario John is describing. What looks like overdevelopement is not at the bottom of the drum (When standing on the end) it is in each end of the neg facing down when the drum is in horizontal position.
Just for the reason of uneven developement i never dev any film for less than 10 minutes but use dilutions weak enough to extend the time in the developer.
So, it surprices me that a few seconds of stand still before rotation starts can make a clear line in the negative but that must be the explanation. Will try to move the drum as i fill in the dev next time. I currently use a 28XX Jobo print drum so the issue is not as important anymore.
Thanks again.

[tim atherton]

depending on the unicolor drum and film size, when it is standing in the horizontal position to be filled and the film is in place, there usually is an internal trough area which the edges of the film doesn't reach down to (the film doesn't go round the whole circumference of the drum)

If the volume of dev you use is less than it takes to fill this, then the dev won't touch the film until you start the rotations.

Otherwise you need to fill and rotate in quick succession

I think the article on here has the volumes for this for at least one of the drums