Jobo 3004 expert tank for 4x5 using CPE2 plus processor?

I just bought a Jobo CPE2 plus lift (with a 1526 "combo" tank included). I read that a Jobo 3004 expert tank might fit a CPE2, and had to wonder if I might be able to process black & white 4x5 in this manner. Beyond that, I was fantasizing that I might be able to process 8 sheets of 4x5 at a time in a 3004 tank. I prefer the expert-tank loading-design over the older spiral-type reels as the latter seem to require great mojo. Frankly I never liked spiral reels.

If you are a Jobo guru and have ventured into the forum from your darkroom lair (now that the sun has set), let me know your thoughts on my scheme to use a 3004 tank for 4x5 B&W film.

Wishing you great light!
Paul

1. No expert tanks can be used on the CPE2.
2. It is very risky running more then 4 sheets of film in the 3004, as they have a tendency to slip and overlap

If you want to use an Expert drum for 4X5 you should consider the 3010 (up to ten sheets at a time), but you will not be able to use your CPE2 for that.
You will need either a CPA2 or CPP2 of the very latest version, or a CPP3 to do that.

If you want to use your CPE2, you will need the 2509n reels with any of the 2500 system tanks.

good luck.

The loading base for the 2509n spiral takes the guesswork out of loading 4x5 sheets. I found it worth the investment.

Do you have a 3004 Expert Drum? Beyond the facts that it won't work on your CPE2 Plus processor and placing more than four sheets of film in one risks overlapping and scratching, those drums are rare as hen's teeth. The 3004, with its large-diameter chambers, is most valuable for 8x10, where it provides even more reliable results than does the 3005.

I've tried 4x5 in a 2509n reel on a CPE2 Plus and not been satisfied with evenness. In my opinion, the best 4x5 results come from development in a 3006 Expert Drum on a CPA2 or CPP2 running at roughly 45 rpm. Seek a 3006, not a 3004. And, if you've already got a 3004, it should fund your entire adventure. :)

I'm doing 10 sheets at a time in my 3005

I just tape two sheets together along the long side, on the back

after fixing..I pull them out of the tank, take the tape off, and put them into a tray of fixer to remove the backing covered by the tape - then finish in trays

this way..I can do a whole grafmatic plus two 5x7's or 8x10s at one time

Quote:

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Originally Posted by koh303

1. No expert tanks can be used on the CPE2.
2. It is very risky running more then 4 sheets of film in the 3004, as they have a tendency to slip and overlap

If you want to use an Expert drum for 4X5 you should consider the 3010 (up to ten sheets at a time), but you will not be able to use your CPE2 for that.
You will need either a CPA2 or CPP2 of the very latest version, or a CPP3 to do that.

If you want to use your CPE2, you will need the 2509n reels with any of the 2500 system tanks.

good luck.

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I see. I read that someone had used a 3004 on a CPE2+ and it worked. Must be scuttlebug?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sal Santamaura

Do you have a 3004 Expert Drum? Beyond the facts that it won't work on your CPE2 Plus processor and placing more than four sheets of film in one risks overlapping and scratching, those drums are rare as hen's teeth. The 3004, with its large-diameter chambers, is most valuable for 8x10, where it provides even more reliable results than does the 3005.

I've tried 4x5 in a 2509n reel on a CPE2 Plus and not been satisfied with evenness. In my opinion, the best 4x5 results come from development in a 3006 Expert Drum on a CPA2 or CPP2 running at roughly 45 rpm. Seek a 3006, not a 3004. And, if you've already got a 3004, it should fund your entire adventure. :)

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No I do not have a 3004--my interest in that tank was motivated by a report that there WAS an expert tank that would work on a CPE2+ and it was the 3004 tank.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DrTang

I'm doing 10 sheets at a time in my 3005

I just tape two sheets together along the long side, on the back

after fixing..I pull them out of the tank, take the tape off, and put them into a tray of fixer to remove the backing covered by the tape - then finish in trays

this way..I can do a whole grafmatic plus two 5x7's or 8x10s at one time

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The taping method might work for me. I even wonder if I could experiment with this with my 1526 Jobo tank?

The 3010 tank will process 10 sheets per run. Taping film in the dark is only good if you want to do that, i dont.
There is no expert drum that can be used on a CPE2, its physically impossible due to the size of the tank and the machine.

You might go back and check where you read that, it might have been a CPA2?

I bet it'd fit if you had a hammer on hand.