Input needed: Sheet film developing in Cibachrome tank

[Jimi]

Well, I know there are a lot of threads on this, but I would like some ideas on what I can do to make it easier. Somebody somewhere maybe has the solution to the issues I have.

I got an 8x10" Cibachrome tank for free yesterday and I did some tests. The reason is because I want to develop at least 2 5x7" sheets at a time, and sitting in the dark gets kind of boring.

So, I used what I had on hand. Rodinal 5 ml in 295 ml water, getting a total of 300 ml), stuck two sheets lengthwise along the inside of the drum. First time I did it with the emulsion side out and second time with it facing the drum wall. Processed for 10 minutes, constant agitation, rolling it in the sink.

Negatives came out okayish. Rodinal isn't the best for this I guess and I am going to try Xtol next. The two problems are that the sheets move and that I am unsure if the total volume is too much?

Does anyone use Cibachrome drums for this and if so, what sort of modifications have you done to it to ensure the sheets won't move?

Should I give up the Cibachrome and get something else?

[seabird]

I use a smaller ciba drum for processing sheets of 4x5 film one at a time. Emulsion side in (I think emulsion out would be asking for trouble - both in terms of chemicals not reaching the emulsion and scratches when inserting/removing the film from the drum). The only "problem" I have encountered is that the anti-halation layer sometimes does not come off the back of the film where it pushes against the drum wall. This is not really a problem: it comes off in the wash. I also use Rodinal and have gotten good (for me) results at 1+50.

You dont elaborate on the specific problems with your negs so it is hard to give advice but:

1. If the sheets are moving then try processing one sheet at a time.

2. Be mindful of minimum developer quantities: Is 5ml rodinal for two 5x7s sheets sailing a bit close to the wind?

Hope this helps

[Jimi]

Thanks Carey,

The biggest problem was that the sheets moved around. The dilution was 1:59, so I think it may be a bit too close to the limits for two sheets. I am going to try one sheet at a time. It is easy to dry the drum. It could be a decent trade-off compared to doing a sheet at a time in a tray (that's what I've done before). I wish there was a ready-made solution for this...

[Ron Marshall]

I wish there was a ready-made solution for this...

There is:

http://www.jobo.com/web/Expert_Drums.338.0.html

[Jimi]

Yep I know about the Jobos, but at something like $500 for a drum, I'll pass. :)

There was a french page (somewhere at http://www.galerie-photo.com/) about making an insert from plastic, to put into a drum, but I can't find it anymore, and my french is too lousy to figure out where it is.

[DJGainer]

I think many use the unicolor drums because they have ridges that keep the film off the drum wall and prevent it from sliding around. The cibachrome drums I own don't have these ridges, and this may explain why you are having problems with sliding.

[Ron Marshall]

[QUOTE=Jimi;454721]Yep I know about the Jobos, but at something like $500 for a drum, I'll pass. :)
QUOTE]

I just checked a vendor, what a price increase! I bought mine a few years ago for $300.

[Ginette]

Yep I know about the Jobos, but at something like $500 for a drum, I'll pass. :)

There was a french page (somewhere at http://www.galerie-photo.com/) about making an insert from plastic, to put into a drum, but I can't find it anymore, and my french is too lousy to figure out where it is.

The link is here http://www.galerie-photo.com/porte-film-jobo.html
If you need help with some parts of the text, I can help as French is my native language. Basictly they took a heavy polyethylene sheet, made a wood gabarit to drill holes and to cut the sheet and form the outside groove directly from the sheet, using a heat gun to do the outside groove and to curl the whole sheet. The middle track is a plastic profile, glued to the main sheet.

Maybe you can have some eneven development in film border with that method. For myself I use and I suggest individual 4x5 BTZS film tubes. Around 140$ for six tubes with the holding bath.

[Lynn Jones]

Hi Jimi,

I've used them with no trouble but not for a very long time. If you don't have a lot of drum experience you know that you have to reduce the developer time (only) by 15%.
However the most important thing is temperature. If your tank and reels aren't the same temperature as the developer, then it will change! When I do drum processing, which is my favorite, I fill the tank with water at the same temp as the developer and let it sit for 2 or so minutes, rotate it for a minute or two, dump it and immediately put the developer in it and run it.

Lynn

[Jimi]

I just wanted to report back a bit. I changed things around, did one sheet this time with a lesser dilution, using 5 ml R09 in 195 ml instead, total solution 200 ml and cutting back the time from 10 to 7 minutes. The neg looks much better, although maybe a bit on the thin side. Still having a bit of bother with the sheet moving in the drum, but no scratches on the sheet as far as I can see, so it shouldn't be a problem at this stage.