Jobo developing machine

cowasaki

cowasaki

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Darren
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Well after the problems I've had with the chemicals I looked at a Jobo machine and they look like a good idea. There seems to be a wide range of models and prices. I am after something to help me develop 35mm B&W + C41 and also later medium format.

Anybody got any information, suggestions etc. What should I be looking for. I've put an advert in the wanted section :)
 
Okay, lets start from the beginning. What is your problem with your processing?
 
EdBray said:
Okay, lets start from the beginning. What is your problem with your processing?
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My hands have come out in blisters from the B&W chemicals after shaking the developer tank. I realise that I can just wear gloves but after doing a bit of research I came across these Jobo devices.

I like the idea of it doing all the agitation etc whilst I just do the timing and I also like the idea that it can keep the chemicals at the correct temperature so that C41 works properly. All the films I have developed have actually worked perfectly so far but it just seems easier. I do plan on buying a medium format camera too so would like it to deal with 120/220 film too.
 
Why are you touching the chemicals whilst agitating, are you implying that your tank leaks?

If so, you need to get a newer Paterson model developing tank with the sealing lid.

All the Jobo tanks I had leaked a little as did the older Patersons.

Temperature control can be carried out with a water bath (large bowl) and a tropical fish tank heater, if you want even better control throw in a fish tank recirculating pump to keep the water moving.

The Jobo is a good piece of kit, but it's a pain to set up and take down just to dev a couple of films. Leave the water in and it goes manky with the chemicals seeping out of the tank.
 
EdBray said:
Why are you touching the chemicals whilst agitating, are you implying that your tank leaks?

If so, you need to get a newer Paterson model developing tank with the sealing lid.

All the Jobo tanks I had leaked a little as did the older Patersons.

Temperature control can be carried out with a water bath (large bowl) and a tropical fish tank heater, if you want even better control throw in a fish tank recirculating pump to keep the water moving.

The Jobo is a good piece of kit, but it's a pain to set up and take down just to dev a couple of films. Leave the water in and it goes manky with the chemicals seeping out of the tank.
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I have 5 or 6 different developing tanks so I am sure that I can find one that does not leak. I hadn't thought about the tropical fish tank idea :)

I had just been looking for a CPE2 but not found one at a decent price. I did find a CPE but it did not seem very good for the money. Mrs_C offered to buy me the CPE2 for Christmas :)

To be honest setting up the fish tank etc would probably be as much of a chore but certainly a bit cheaper.
 
You've got a few options.

CPE Basic model rotary processor with temp control but no pump (to circulate the water in the bath.)
CPA Has a pump and more controllable temp control (you can also use expert drums)
CPP Same as CPA but with digital temp readout and temp controllable in 1/10ths of a degree.

I would look for a CPE with lift if you want to keep your hands well away from the chemicals. You will also need a drum (fitted with cog if you use a lift), spiral and dev bottles. They usually come with all these.

I've been rotary processing for the past few months, since I got a 5x4 and would never go back to the manual inversion method.
I can develop 6 sheets of C-41 5x4 in 300ml of chemicals :) Not sure how much you use for 120 but it's less than using a Paterson tank.

Ebay is worth watching, I got a CPA from the wanted section here, although I now use a CPP-2 as I wanted to use an expert drum.

Look to pay £100-180+ for a CPE depending on it's condition. Top tip is to look at ebay.de as there are loads of them there which don't show up on ebay.uk. I also think secondhand darkroom has one for sale, at a price!
 
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Edtog said:
You've got a few options.

CPE Basic model rotary processor with temp control but no pump (to circulate the water in the bath.)
CPA Has a pump and more controllable temp control (you can also use expert drums)
CPP Same as CPA but with digital temp readout and temp controllable in 1/10ths of a degree.

I would look for a CPE with lift if you want to keep your hands well away from the chemicals. You will also need a drum (fitted with cog if you use a lift), spiral and dev bottles. They usually come with all these.

I've been rotary processing for the past few months, since I got a 5x4 and would never go back to the manual inversion method.
I can develop 6 sheets of C-41 5x4 in 300ml of chemicals :) Not sure how much you use for 120 but it's less than using a Paterson tank.

Ebay is worth watching, I got a CPA from the wanted section here, although I now use a CPP-2 as I wanted to use an expert drum.

Look to pay £100-180+ for a CPE depending on it's condition. Top tip is to look at ebay.de as there are loads of them there which don't show up on ebay.uk. I also think secondhand darkroom has one for sale, at a price!
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Cheers, just looking on ebay.de and there are loads like you say. Shame I can't speak German though !

Just having a look now....
 
EdBray said:
Temperature control can be carried out with a water bath (large bowl) and a tropical fish tank heater, if you want even better control throw in a fish tank recirculating pump to keep the water moving.
QUOTE]

Genius idea..

You can pick up an 18x10x10 aquarium quite cheaply as well. With squares sides and a flat base it's probably more useful than a bowl.
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cowasaki said:
I have 5 or 6 different developing tanks so I am sure that I can find one that does not leak. I hadn't thought about the tropical fish tank idea :)

I had just been looking for a CPE2 but not found one at a decent price. I did find a CPE but it did not seem very good for the money. Mrs_C offered to buy me the CPE2 for Christmas :)

To be honest setting up the fish tank etc would probably be as much of a chore but certainly a bit cheaper.
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You would be surprised, I have had a CPE2 and a CPP2 and they were both a pain, they take a lot more water than you realise and you then have to find somewhere to store it, they are not easy to put on small areas as the base is not flat across the whole bottom.

A large poly tank or plastic storage box will be fine, a decent 100w heater/thermostat will cost about a tenner, a pump to move the water around is £8. You can even use 50% less chemicals by floating the developing tank on its side and rotating it during the processing time. You will have to deduct about 15-20% off the stated time due to the constant agitation. Works a treat and should cost less than £40 to set up.
 
EdBray said:
You would be surprised, I have had a CPE2 and a CPP2 and they were both a pain, they take a lot more water than you realise and you then have to find somewhere to store it, they are not easy to put on small areas as the base is not flat across the whole bottom.

A large poly tank or plastic storage box will be fine, a decent 100w heater/thermostat will cost about a tenner, a pump to move the water around is £8. You can even use 50% less chemicals by floating the developing tank on its side and rotating it during the processing time. You will have to deduct about 15-20% off the stated time due to the constant agitation. Works a treat and should cost less than £40 to set up.
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This sounds really good. Do you use less chemicals too?

Oh and for C41 I have seen the developer for about £20. Do they normally come with fix and stop or do you use the same fix and stop as B&W.
 
cowasaki said:
This sounds really good. Do you use less chemicals too?

Oh and for C41 I have seen the developer for about £20. Do they normally come with fix and stop or do you use the same fix and stop as B&W.
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Yes you can use less chemicals but you must make sure there is enough to fully cover the film, but it does make it more economical.

As for C41 chemicals I used to do a water pre wash/warm, developer, 1 min stop bath (paterson or ilford is fine), 30 sec water wash, 30 sec water wash, Bleach Fix (C41 chemical, do not use a HYPO version), then about 10 minutes of water washing with constant agitation and many tank changes, finish with a 2 minute soak in water with a wetting agent.

The bowl/bowl/box needs to be large enough to take your chemical bottles as well as a large bottle of water at the same temperature.
 
I am just trying to work out how I could suspend a patterson 3 or 4 spiral tank in a small fish tank so that it will rotate. I could direct the output of the pump to run over the tank to make it rotate. Sticking some small fins on the side might do it. The tank has an indentation on the bottom which would take a small shaft.........

I might be able to get it rotating automatically and keep the temperature constant :)

Ideas ideas.......
 
Further to my last, just grabbed a food cooler box and filled it 1/4 full with water. Placed a patterson 3 spool dev tank with 300ml of water in it in the water and held a nozzle off a sealant tube against the side of the cooler box. The Patterson tank has a small round indentation in the middle of the bottom which I lined up with the end of the nozzle. This would hold the tank so that it rotates freely in the bottom of the box after the addition on one upright.......

So the tank spins freely and in half submerged. The cooler box should hold the water temp and makes a handy storage container for everything later.....

All I need now is some sealant to use as adhesive, a pump, a heater and something to make the fins from and this could be doable. :)
 
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I've got a Jobo motor you can have if you want to PM your address. I think it runs off a 12-18 volt DC supply. You would need to mount it in some sort of watertight box with the shaft poking out.

I bought the motor to make a gem stone grinder for my daughter and never got around to making it.
 
EdBray said:
I've got a Jobo motor you can have if you want to PM your address. I think it runs off a 12-18 volt DC supply. You would need to mount it in some sort of watertight box with the shaft poking out.

I bought the motor to make a gem stone grinder for my daughter and never got around to making it.
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That is most generous, thanks. I like this heath robinson thing :)

I have been looking around and the tropical tank heaters seem to go to 32 degrees but apparently you can do C41 at that temp but it takes longer do should be able to keep the temp constant.

Will PM you now.
 
I had a Jobo for a while - brilliant bit of kit I thought, though no use to me after the switch to digital - I sold that puppy and a bunch of extra drums and spirals for £2,500 back in 2004...
 
Arkady said:
I had a Jobo for a while - brilliant bit of kit I thought, though no use to me after the switch to digital - I sold that puppy and a bunch of extra drums and spirals for £2,500 back in 2004...
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I'm loving the use of film and after Christmas getting my first MF film camera so want to get the developing process as simple as possible. I have seen the kit I would like but the cost is astronomical and this might just do it for well under £100 :)

Using 2 food cooler boxes, one for the rotator and one to store the chemicals at the right temperature with a couple of pumps and thermostats would give me plenty of space etc and once emptied of water the two boxes would store all the kit neatly away bar the chemicals which are stored in a secure cupboard.
 
The lid of the Patterson tank in 8cm in diameter so I need to find a semi circular piece about 8.5-9cm in diameter for it to sit in now.........
 
EdBray said:
What MF camera are you getting?
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I bought the book "Medium Format Manual" which has just about all of them in it and I'm still not sure. I was going to ask on here about which one would be best. It will be for black and whites in the studio mainly but also some colour and maybe some colour landscapes. There are a few models I seem to be drawn to but I have not even looked at how they compare in prices etc yet. A Hassy 500CM, Mamiya RB67 or RZ67, Rolleiflex 6006 and a Bronica. Like I said the manual does not give prices so these might all be out of my price range.
 
cowasaki said:
Cheers, no price on it though.

First job is to get it rotating I think :)
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No, because you can rotate it yourself with the tank just floating in the water bath. temperature control is much more important.
 
EdBray said:
No, because you can rotate it yourself with the tank just floating in the water bath. temperature control is much more important.
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I think I have it mostly sorted now, will be interesting to see how it works :)
 
SparkUK said:
How's this going Darren? I'm intrigued!!
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I'm working on it tomorrow but Mrs Cowasaki is thinking of getting me the Jobo machine for Christmas if I am good :) I think I will probably build the machine just for fun though....
 
The Jobo has a magnet to drive the drum then it sits the end of the tank on a roller so it's pretty much horizontal, you've not got much fluid in the tank so it'll try to float if you try to get it to go too deep.
 
SparkUK said:
The Jobo has a magnet to drive the drum then it sits the end of the tank on a roller so it's pretty much horizontal, you've not got much fluid in the tank so it'll try to float if you try to get it to go too deep.
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I am relying on the tank wanting to float :)

The dev tank has an indentation at the bottom which I will use to fit an axle to spin the tank on. At the other end the lid will be the other end.

Like that you can easily spin the tank using your fingers so now I need to spin the tank using the pump or motor.
 
Sorry Darren, I have not had chance to dig the motor out yet, I will have a look over the weekend.
 
EdBray said:
Sorry Darren, I have not had chance to dig the motor out yet, I will have a look over the weekend.
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If you do Ed, can you take a couple of pictures and give me any serial or part numbers that are on it please? There is a rumour that it is a BMW wiper motor, mine's not working but I've not had chance to get at it and open it up yet.
 
SparkUK said:
If you do Ed, can you take a couple of pictures and give me any serial or part numbers that are on it please? There is a rumour that it is a BMW wiper motor, mine's not working but I've not had chance to get at it and open it up yet.
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Will do.
 
SparkUK said:
If you do Ed, can you take a couple of pictures and give me any serial or part numbers that are on it please? There is a rumour that it is a BMW wiper motor, mine's not working but I've not had chance to get at it and open it up yet.
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Found it.

On one side of the housing there is some raised writing says SWF GERMANY.

Printed on the flange that side is R63

Printed on the rear is 402 448 24V

Pictures to follow, I will post it out on Monday.
 
Thanks Ed and everyone else.

Looking forward to having a mess.
 
SparkUK said:
If you do Ed, can you take a couple of pictures and give me any serial or part numbers that are on it please? There is a rumour that it is a BMW wiper motor, mine's not working but I've not had chance to get at it and open it up yet.
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Think that's an urban myth as I've never seen any proof, although it been mentioned on several forums...Would love to have it proved wrong so I've got possible spares for mine.

Only problem I see spinning it yourself is that you have to keep the drum perfectly horizontal, so the developer always covers the film. You could get some Jobo rollers on the bottom of the tank to overcome this.
 
Edtog said:
Think that's an urban myth as I've never seen any proof, although it been mentioned on several forums...Would love to have it proved wrong so I've got possible spares for mine.

Only problem I see spinning it yourself is that you have to keep the drum perfectly horizontal, so the developer always covers the film. You could get some Jobo rollers on the bottom of the tank to overcome this.
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It will be held horizontally by the inverted arch arrangement cupping the lid of the dev tank at one end and the bath sealant nozzle going into the indentation in the bottom of the dev tank at the other. The water should keep the temp right and the rotation is a work in progress. I am thinking of adding fins to the dev tank and pointing the nozzle of the pump at the fins so turning it by water power and the water movement keeping the temperature constant too.
 
Edtog said:
Think that's an urban myth as I've never seen any proof, although it been mentioned on several forums...Would love to have it proved wrong so I've got possible spares for mine.
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I'll know as soon as I get mine apart, I was an autoelectrician in a former life for my sins. :)
 
Here Tis'

Motorrearwhite.jpg


Motorfrontwhite.jpg
 
Well it's like a wiper motor but it's not got any park switches or anything in it, the shaft is a bit oddball too. Thanks for that.
 
Ed, would you mind if I posted your pics on APUG so they can have a look and someone may know what sort of motor it is?
Which Jobo is it from?
 
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Edtog said:
Ed, would you mind if I posted your pics on APUG so they can have a look and someone may know what sort of motor it is?
Which Jobo is it from?
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Well they are hardly going to be award winners, :lol: so help yourself :thumbs:

To be honest I can't remember, but I suspect it was the CPP rather than the CPE2.

Oh, the white cable is actually green, when I took out the Chromakey it took the colour out of the lead too.
 
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