Insulated developing tube plans

Here is a plan to build a 4x5 sheet film developing tube that will

maintain temperatures during processing for the sum of $15.00 This

one I have proven to work beautiful. Before you use it make sure it

is cleaned and dried throughly. The negatives come out beautiful.

I have been processing T-Max 400 with Microdol-x 1:3 for 15 minutes

then wash, stop, wash, fix for 5 min. I thought of selling mine but

no way would I depart from mine. Going to go buy 3 more jugs. Wal-

Mart sells these for $15.00 and they are not the coffee mugs. They

are for soup etc. Try it you'll like it.

No thanks--I spent $15 on a Unicolor Unidrum and motor instead. Was running that night...

 

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/unicolor/

I use Unicolor too, but mine isn't insulated. Hmm And I don't think Walmart sells unicolor. It took me quite a while to put together my Unicolor set in the used market. DIY (Do-it-yourself) is great for something this simple. I'm also playing with some film sizes that exceed the 14" max of my unicolor and will be building my own from pvc pipe. Anything that works.....

 

"Before you use it make sure it is cleaned and dried thoroughly"

I've gotten tired of drying drums before reusing them during a single developing session so I've accumulated enough drums to develop either; 16 4x5s; 12 5x7s; 8 8x10s; 4 11x14s, without cleaning a drum. I clean everything at the end.

 

By the way there's a guy, tcamera, that has a lot of the large Unicolor tanks available on eBay right now. A couple others sold with the motor units. They will do everything from 4x5 to 11x14. Always make sure the three removable rails are with the unit. It CAN'T be used without them.

Bet you Unicolor guys aren't doing E-6. I use Unicolor E-6 & that stuff want a preferred 100F temperature. Your Unicolor drums won't keep that temperature for any length of time. For this, the insulated drum looks attractive. I myself use a pair of high intensity lights about 2" from the drum when it's on the motor base, and have adjusted development for 80F. It maintains temperature even for the long (16 minute) develop at that temperature. I actually like the slight color shift on Velvia & Provia (my staple chromes).

Hello Walt,

 

Actually I have been doing E-6 quite successfully in my Unidrum for a few years now. A bit of patience and the correct procedure works just fine. Check Jon's link to see it for yourself.

 

Kind Regards,

Nice work, Ron! I can't walk through Walmart, or any other place for that matter, without looking for beneficial mutations like yours. Thanks for posting.

>Walt Donovan , nov 26, 2003; 12:38 p.m.

>Bet you Unicolor guys aren't doing E-6.

 

Bet you haven't done your research. Again:

 

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/unicolor/

If you really want consistency, this is not the way, IMHO.

 

The chemical process of development is exothermic if I recall. In a highly insulated tube, the temperature of the system inside the tube would rise as development took place, probably not linearly, but based on the images and their exposures. In other words, based on how much work the developer had to do.

 

This may or may not matter to you, of course. But I thought you might want to know about it.