Dumb question about film processing drums

[Andrea Gazzoni]

Hi all, maybe this one will be the "newbie of the year" question... :o
anyway, I'd like to try b/w film developing at home.
I'm shooting 4x5 and 5x7, so I've read that a Jobo 3006 is needed in order to do the job.
What else will I need, except chemicals?
doesn't one just fill the drum with chemicals and roll it by hands?

thanks,
andre

[Glenn Thoreson]

There are numerous ways to develop your film. The Jobo equipment is just one option. The expensive one. I use the old Unicolor print drum and motorized roller. You can do your film in trays, drums of various kinds, stainless hangers in deep tanks or you can make tubes out of ABS drain pipe and caps. I'm not familiar with the Jobo but you seem to have it right.

[Andrea Gazzoni]

From what I read here and there it seems that drums are the best money saving solution for chemical consumption, isn't it right?
It seems they are the most confortable also as you can work in daylight.

[Ron Marshall]

I hand-roll a Jobo 3006 on the $25 Jobo roller base. Besides the drum and base, all you need is a funnel. If you don't have a dark place to load the drum, you need a changing tent or bag.

[Dave Aharonian]

I use Jobo drums for all my film and I highly recommend the foot pump to remove the lid from the drum. I've read about other methods of prying off the lid, but I've never been able to do it without the pump. I also rotate the drums on an old Beseler motor base. This systems works perfectly.

[Scott Kathe]

I just started with the Jobo 3010 (thanks Don) and a Beseler motor base (thanks Jacob) and it works great but I've been spending some time figuring out my new development times. I used to develop in trays and I need less time in the drum. I like the drum a lot but the big drawback is that if I want to process for different times I have to do separate runs in the drum.

You might want to consider the 3010. It will do 10 sheets of 4x5 and even though it wasn't designed for 5x7 I've been told you can do 5 sheets of 5x7 at a time. So if you do a lot of 4x5 maybe the 3010 would be a better idea.

Scott

[John Kasaian]

There are a lot of advantages to using a drum, but drums can also be limiting since you can only develop a few sheets at a time (depending on the drum & format you use) I like my Unicolor processor---they go for a fraction of what a Jobo costs. As far a chemicals go, true it take less chemicals to soup film since the action of the drum will evenly cover the rotating film, BUT your volume of chemistry is only good for so many square inches of film before becoming exhausted. Also the aeration caused by the action of the processor might prematurely oxidize some chemicals. I get around this by using a generous "one shot" technique for chemicals and have never had a problem. This is for black and white work. I develop my 8x10 in the kitchen where it is closer to the cold beer(in the summer) and good red wine (in the winter)
Have fun! :)

[Nick_3536]

From what I read here and there it seems that drums are the best money saving solution for chemical consumption, isn't it right?
It seems they are the most confortable also as you can work in daylight.


For colour yes. For B&W it can be a problem not a help. Check what your favorite dilution is and compare it against the max capacity for the drum.

If your volume is small print drums [Like the Jobo 2800 type or others] will also do the job for far less money.

[Andrea Gazzoni]

If your volume is small print drums [Like the Jobo 2800 type or others] will also do the job for far less money.

i ignore the difference between print drums and film developing drums.
doesn't print drums request more dilution due to their shape?
how many sheets at a time can a 2800 process? do I need reels?

tnx

[Andrea Gazzoni]

I hand-roll a Jobo 3006 on the $25 Jobo roller base. Besides the drum and base, all you need is a funnel. If you don't have a dark place to load the drum, you need a changing tent or bag.

that's the scenario I have in mind.
my next doubt is: do one use the same drum for the developing bath, the stop bath and the fixing bath? if yes, how is this action performed? I've found no answer on http://www.jobousadarkroom.com/support.htm

thanks
andre

[Vaughn]

One uses the same tank -- there is a light trap that allows one to pour in and out the chemicals without opening the lid. So if you have developed roll film in the 8 or 16 oz tanks, the Jobo is the same -- only larger...and you pour in the chemicals while the drum is turning on the motor base (at least I do).

Vaughn

[Daniel_Buck]

I'm using the Uniroller and unicolor drums for 8x10 film. I use 300ml of solution (I believe the minimum suggested is 250ml?). The drum and roller cost me $45 shipped. I'm looking at getting a jobo drum that will hold two 4x5 reels so I can process 12 4x5s in one batch. That will be nice, and probably only takes about 400-500ml for that (just guessing). My rolling base has an automatic reverse built in (it rolls one direction, then reverses and rolls the other way, and back and forth). So far I have had no problems with uneven development. I run my mixture ratio thin though (to save $$ on developer!), so my develop times are longer than the regular mixture, I'm assuming that with a rolling base, this is probably advantageous for keeping skies evenly developed? Anyone know?