A developers tale

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Well, I think I checked off all the boxes that could go wrong during development

First of all I purchased a Jobo tank off ebay for £20 - good price and came with no reel - no problem picked one up.

Came to develop my 120 and no issues onto the jobo reel and into the tank in a changing bag. All good. Opened the top rubber lid...hmmm why can I see the film reel. Turns out the jobo tank also didnt have an inner tube supplied with it and being a newb and not really checking I didnt think.

Well these film is ruined now so what use can I make of it. I know I'll practice loading my stainless steel reel and tank I bought ( GAS ) and see how I get on.

Spoiler alert - I did not get on. I used too much liquid and it was really hard to pour into the top of the tank. These stainless steel reels are tough!

Anyway no surprise what came out at the end was a big ball of wrong but I did manage to salvage one out of focus macro shot WOO

Lessons learnt are: Take your time, check everything twice

Any Stainless steel tips? Do you clip or not clip the film to the reel? Also it leaked a tiny bit with the plastic lid? Is this normal

I've read to begin you should drop the loaded reel into the tank then put the lid on but non of my rooms are dark enough for that

Here is the disaster:

https://imgur.com/a/jB6G1q6
View: https://imgur.com/a/jB6G1q6


Onto the next one!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I "liked" your post, but possibly that's inappropriate as it's liking a failure! :)

My first ever experience of developing was a total failure - no images zt all so you've done much better. I was too impatient to read the instructions for the tank, and instead of loading the film into the spiral as you're supposed to do, I simply wound it round the central part of the reel (Paterson Major II tank). The results were predictable: intermittent chemical contact with the film and an interesting multicoloured film. I will plead only one extenuating circumstance - was about 10 years old,
 
Hmmm... they do say as you learn from your mistakes!

acrobatic_Citron said:
Any Stainless steel tips? Do you clip or not clip the film to the reel? Also it leaked a tiny bit with the plastic lid? Is this normal
Click to expand...
My tip is to treat yourself to a Paterson System 4 (also to be found renamed as Jessops) tank and reel. I've been using these since they came out in 1968 and provided you make sure the reels are bone dry before you use them, they're basically foolproof.

There's more than you want to know about them here: https://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Paterson/Developing_Tanks.html
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
Hmmm... they do say as you learn from your mistakes!


My tip is to treat yourself to a Paterson System 4 (also to be found renamed as Jessops) tank and reel. I've been using these since they came out in 1968 and provided you make sure the reels are bone dry before you use them, they're basically foolproof.

There's more than you want to know about them here: https://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Paterson/Developing_Tanks.html
Click to expand...
Ha I also have one of these tanks - they have been great for 35mm but when I do 120mm my film is toucing itself on more than one occasion
https://imgur.com/a/uN5N1RI
View: https://imgur.com/a/uN5N1RI
 
I use an AP tank

www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk

AP Developing Tank Compact, Universal

The excellent range of AP Compact Developing Tanks has come top in past photographic reviews as being the preferred option over Jobo and Paterson. The main reason for this endorsement is that their tanks are so easy to load. They contain thumb grips on the wide film insert area on the spiral...
www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk

Have been doing 35mm as well as 120 with it, and never had any issues. Can't see the point of using much else really. Those fat lips on the reels really do help IME.
 
acrobatic_Citron said:
Ha I also have one of these tanks - they have been great for 35mm but when I do 120mm my film is toucing itself on more than one occasion
Click to expand...
The secret with 120, is always to back roll the film before starting to load it,..
  1. Slit the tape with your fingernail
  2. start rolling it the opposite way, as tightly as possible
  3. keep feeling for the end of the film and feed it into the reversed roll as soon as you find it
  4. when you have found the taped end, keep rolling for another couple of turns
  5. gently releas the tension and let the film unroll naturally
  6. find the untaped end and feed it into that very dry reel.
I've loaded many hundreds of films this way and never had a problem.
 
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