Help with jobo and e-6

[John Brady]

Hi, I have been processing B&W for many many years and am now going to attempt to process my first e-6. I have been searching for information and have found some but I still have questions. I will also be using a newly acquired jobo cpp2 with lift for the first time so this should be exciting. I have played with the jobo, mounting the expert drum initially for 4x5 velvia 50, and I am comfortable with filling chemicals dumping etc.
So here are some questions, I am sure there are more I should ask but obviously I don't even know what I don't know.

1. I have purchased the kodak 5L e-6 kit. Can I mix just what I need as I need it or will the remaining chemicals go bad once opened?
2. If so, is there a formula any of you have for mixing small batches like 500ml?
3. Is 500 ml sufficient for ten sheets of 4x5 in a 3010 drum?
4. I have read there is a chemical similar to photo flo that should not be used in an expert drum because it won't clean out and therefore will damage the drum. Is this chemical in the kit and if so how should it be used?
5. What are the little beakers in the jobo tempering area for? They appear to be to small to use with 4x5 or larger, and there are only 4.
6. There are six larger bottles, but it seams the kit requires 7 steps. How do you handle this.
7. What speed do you set the rotation at for e-6?
8. When I set the rotation to the lowest speed, what looks like it should be off the drum continues to rotate slowly. Is this normal or do I need to fix it, and if so how?
9. I have also heard that early cpp2 motors cannot handle expert drums well. I am not sure how old mine is, but it is in very nice low use condition. Do I need to worry about this?

Sorry so many questions. If you can answer any of them I would greatly appreciate it. I don't have a manual and have searched for books on e-6 process, but have not seen any. Thanks in advance. jb
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[eric black]

1. I have purchased the kodak 5L e-6 kit. Can I mix just what I need as I need it or will the remaining chemicals go bad once opened?
I mix as little as 250 mL at a time to process 10 sheets of film in a 3010 drum- never had a problem and that includes processing about 400 sheets to this date- If Im not going to be using a bottle for a while I gas it with argon spray which is availble at wine stores and used for wine preservation-the gas is heavier than air so it displaces it in the bottles
2. If so, is there a formula any of you have for mixing small batches like 500ml? I scaled down the kodak recommendations to that level and use pipettes/grad cylinders to measure the smaller amounts
3. Is 500 ml sufficient for ten sheets of 4x5 in a 3010 drum? yes, or for 20, see above
4. I have read there is a chemical similar to photo flo that should not be used in an expert drum because it won't clean out and therefore will damage the drum. Is this chemical in the kit and if so how should it be used? I dont know on this one
5. What are the little beakers in the jobo tempering area for? They appear to be to small to use with 4x5 or larger, and there are only 4. I use them to hold my first wash steps and to measure the amounts Im using for processing- they hold 250 mL easily.
6. There are six larger bottles, but it seams the kit requires 7 steps. How do you handle this. You will not be using step 7 in the processor or you will get uncontrollable foaming- use it as a final step in a dunking bath type mode when the film has been removed from the drum- that leaves 6 bottles for the first 6 steps
7. What speed do you set the rotation at for e-6? depends on drum size, a 3000 series drum gets speed 4.
8. When I set the rotation to the lowest speed, what looks like it should be off the drum continues to rotate slowly. Is this normal or do I need to fix it, and if so how? The off setting on mine is not marked but is opposite the speed settings on the dial
9. I have also heard that early cpp2 motors cannot handle expert drums well. I am not sure how old mine is, but it is in very nice low use condition. Do I need to worry about this? I havent had a problem and that is all I use on my CPP2

hope this helps

[John Brady]

Thank you Eric!

[Juergen Sattler]

4. I have read there is a chemical similar to photo flo that should not be used in an expert drum because it won't clean out and therefore will damage the drum. Is this chemical in the kit and if so how should it be used?

John, what you are referring to is the final rinse process of the Kodak kit. There should be a small plastic bottle in the package. Do NOT use this in the tanks or even on any reels - this stuff is very difficult to clean out and sticks to anything plastic.

As an aside - I also have scaled down the quantities of the 5L kit for my purposes and it works just fine. I made a cheat sheat that hangs next to my darkroom sink for all the various quantities I might want to mix.

Good luck with your first batch - it'll be fine!