Unicolor Drum People - What's your "process"

[sully75]

Hey out there Unicolor People. Even the Bessler People.

I've been using drums since I started LF and I'm still not 100% convinced about the results. I end up with some weird scratches on the back of the film, not sure what's up with that as they tend to be vertical. Sometimes I get weird edge effects, and not sure if that's from chemicals rushing into the drum.

Anyway, I've read the article on LFF.info but would like to hear how other people are using the drum. I'm doing 5x7 in an 11x14 drum and 4x5 in an 8x10 drum.

What are you using to separate the negatives, for one thing?

[jnantz]

i don't use the drums much anymore but i was using 4x5-5x7 and 8x10
in a ribbed 8x10 print drum, and roll films in one of those drums with a plunger.
i would smear vasoline on the gasket and cover to get a good seal
and it never really leaked after i learned about that trick ..
i have one of those rubber rectangles to keep my film in place.

maybe your film is getting scratched because it is flopping around if you don't
have one of those rubber stops, or you are using a film drum, instead of a ribbed print drum.

[johnielvis]

if you don't have the stock 'eraser" type separators, what I've been using is plastic clothespins---you take out the metal spring and replace it with the tip of the bic pen for the pivot portion (the round portion of the spring)--use the shell--front that comes off on the bic click pens---then you put a rubberband around the OUTSIDE to keep it clamped together pivoting on the pen part--now there's no reactive metal and you got a nice non-reactive clamp that you can use with not problems

that being said--if you're not doing any NASTY chemicals like reversal bleach, you can probably just use regular clothespins WITH the reactive metal---the reaction is not too violent with regular developer and you can probably get away with it with no corroded particles getting on your film--just make sure you keep wiping off the black crap off the metal springs or it will get on your film when it builds up after a while

[yeknom02]

I just got a beseler print drum... is there supposed to be a cap that keeps the chemicals in? It looks like all I have is a spout. Is the theory that you use such little chemistry that it shouldn't spill out the top?

[sully75]

Just found a Chromega drum on ebay! I'll give it a shot.

I was doing the tipping thing for a while, I'll have to get back to that.

What developer are you using? I've been using D76. I'm thinking about trying XTOL, mostly because I have some.

And yeknom, the cap/spout keeps the chemicals in. You use a minimal amount of chemicals in a drum, the film moves in and out of the chemicals continually. I've been using about 400ml in an 11x14 drum, it's probably overkill.

Paul

[sully75]

The weird thing is that the scratches are going vertically on the film. Which leads me to think it's something to do with my film holder technique? I really don't know what I'm doing wrong. They are thin scratches and don't show up in scans at all but are still really annoying.

[sully75]

Dann! That's a good idea. $2 of film lost but days of pondering also lost!

I remembered another drum question I had. Do you ever load the drums wet? Or...recently wet? I think that's causing me some problems but I don't have enough drums now to do a bunch of batches.