Hand-crank Plastic Home Developing Tank?

[nightwolf75]

hi! does anyone know if this kind of plastic (2 reel for 35mm and 120 format) developing tank is available locally? cos my own plastic tank's stirrer doesn't come with a hand-crank for easy agitation of the reels. my current tank is bought from Ruby and its very similar to the Paterson tank.



TIA!

[catchlights]

Originally Posted by nightwolf75 hi! does anyone know if this kind of plastic (2 reel for 35mm and 120 format) developing tank is available locally? cos my own plastic tank's stirrer doesn't come with a hand-crank for easy agitation of the reels. my current tank is bought from Ruby and its very similar to the Paterson tank. TIA!

This is the paterson dev tank sold by cathy, very simple and easy to use, I don't use the hand-crank for agitation. just turn the tank upside down, and turn in back, tap the tank once, for every 30 sec interval.

[nightwolf75]

Originally Posted by catchlights This is the paterson dev tank sold by cathy, very simple and easy to use, I don't use the hand-crank for agitation. just turn the tank upside down, and turn in back, tap the tank once, for every 30 sec interval.

i do. just dat for 2 rolls already, i get uneven/no developing on the film dats in the inner parts of the reel. the outer bits get developed when i do this method. dang... wasted 2 rolls of my baby's pics.

the rolls were reeled in properly. no kinks etc... so, i guess it was the way i agitated.

[catchlights]

How can it be?

The developer should cover the reel, I hardly process 35mm film, IIRC, one roll need 270cc of developer, so 2 rolls is X2, normally I use 600cc, so easier to measure.

agitation is make sure the developer will flow through the film , tap the tank is to prevent air blubber stay on the film, if you do it exactly whatever the book says, and uneven development shouldn't happen.

[kex]

i have a paterson tank as well,most likely is insufficient developer.

i use 700ml for 2 rolls of 35mm and 300 for 1 roll.

like catchlight,i dun use the "stick" to agitate,just swirling.

[nightwolf75]

Originally Posted by catchlights How can it be? The developer should cover the reel, I hardly process 35mm film, IIRC, one roll need 270cc of developer, so 2 rolls is X2, normally I use 600cc, so easier to measure. agitation is make sure the developer will flow through the film , tap the tank is to prevent air blubber stay on the film, if you do it exactly whatever the book says, and uneven development shouldn't happen.

i have no idea wat happened too. b4 putting the reels back into the tank, i used my fingers to feel ard inside the changing bag. seems okie b4 i put them in. but, come out...

my dad suggested it could be due to the agitation, when he saw my tank just now. haha... he couldn't believe it when i told him i had to go to classes to learn BnW developing. when he was a kid, he and his frens DIY and experimented in darken toilets, and din attend any formal lessons. then again, 30-40 years ago, everyone did their BnW developing at home cos colour negs were commonly used yet.

[catchlights]

Originally Posted by nightwolf75 i have no idea wat happened too. b4 putting the reels back into the tank, i used my fingers to feel ard inside the changing bag. seems okie b4 i put them in. but, come out... my dad suggested it could be due to the agitation, when he saw my tank just now. haha... he couldn't believe it when i told him i had to go to classes to learn BnW developing. when he was a kid, he and his frens DIY and experimented in darken toilets, and din attend any formal lessons. then again, 30-40 years ago, everyone did their BnW developing at home cos colour negs were commonly used yet.

1. do you push the reel all the way to the end of centre colume before you put it inside the tank?
2. loading the film with the plastic reel is so easy, almost fool proof, so that's how I say how can it be? unless you put the tanks side way to roll it for agaitaion.
3. if not enough developer, what will happen is bottom roll are fine, top roll half processed.

Anyway, just follow the books say are good eoungh.

[nightwolf75]

Originally Posted by catchlights 1. do you push the reel all the way to the end of centre colume before you put it inside the tank? 2. loading the film with the plastic reel is so easy, almost fool proof, so that's how I say how can it be? unless you put the tanks side way to roll it for agaitaion. 3. if not enough developer, what will happen is bottom roll are fine, top roll half processed. Anyway, just follow the books say are good eoungh.

yeah. i did all these. the tank recommendation is 375ml for 1 reel. since i develop 1 reel at a time, i normally put 400ml for easy calculation.

sigh.... need more practice...

[catchlights]

Originally Posted by nightwolf75 yeah. i did all these. the tank recommendation is 375ml for 1 reel. since i develop 1 reel at a time, i normally put 400ml for easy calculation. sigh.... need more practice...

than how come can be uneven developement leh?
what's the temp and the timing? 20 degree? 11 mins? did u recycle your developer?

[icarus]

I use the ruby tank... never used the crank to agitate, i do my 'icarus bartending' agitation method on my negatives (just turn upside down) heehee

[nightwolf75]

Originally Posted by icarus I use the ruby tank... never used the crank to agitate, i do my 'icarus bartending' agitation method on my negatives (just turn upside down) heehee

hmm... i prefer mine shaken, not stirred too. preferably on the rocks.

catchlights - i strictly went by the book and everything was fresh. guess its just one of those days lah. i dunno if its becos i use bulk roll film. oh well, try again...

[K3N]

hi,
could it be that you've been using another developer in the tanks and just changed developer?

[LittleWolf]

Originally Posted by nightwolf75 i do.

Do what? Use the crank?

Rotary agitation is problematic. The fast motion tends to generate turbulence in the developer, which results in uneven development. A commonly reported artefact are streaks along the film perforation or near protusions/holes in the film holding spiral. Also, since the linear speed of a rotary motion is larger on the periphery than near the axis of the tank, there's another source for unevenness.

How fast are you turning the crank? If you are too violent, you may pump the developer away from the centre by centrifugal force ...

From the literature I've read, if there is one universal recommendation for film development in spiral tanks, it is agitation by inversion (not shaking or stirring), usually something like the first few seconds continuous (to wet the film), then once every 30 seconds.

[ellery]

How did you agitate the drum ? vs How you were taught to agititate the drum. It's unusally that your only the part of the roll that is outter most gets developed and the back half does not. Stange because it mean no circulation of fresh chemicals to the inner part of the reel only the outter get redosed enough to develop. Does the inner part frame number show ? If they do then you could have been a faulty shutter or really bad metering - under exposed more than 3 to 4 stops.