developing film in the cassette

Indeed in the garbage.

 

After developing for over 50 years in several tank systems I will stick at the Jobo tanks, they are system tanks so they are also suitable on any Jobo rotary processor, I have the CPA-2 with elevator (or recently on the Heiland inverse TAS robot, which I also have).

 

Believe me any good B&W film processing is consisting of a 5 stage development:

1. B&W developer

2. Stop bath

3. Acid fixer

4. Water flush

5. Wetting agent

Not sure why anyone would believe for a second that this could work!

 

Developing needs space between the layers of film for the chemicals to penetrate and evenly coat the emulsion. This obviously can't happen in the tight confines of a cassette, so the idea is a complete non-starter.

 

Developer will also react with, and lose power when exposed to the metals that a film cassette is made from.

 

It's just a lunatic idea on several counts!

During the 60's as I recall there were prototype film loading systems that Kodak played with where film was developed in the cartridge (not cassette), but I'm pretty sure it was a motion picture type system much like studios used before magnetic videotape took over. Also, the film had a take up system like 126 / 110 did where it was rolled to one side, and then back. This was how the agitation occurred. I don't recall details of the whole system, but have seen pictures of it from time to time.

Why the hell would you want to do that and risk loosing images? It can be done but it's stupid.

Porters Camera Store used to sell a special tank for developing film still in the cassette/magazine as recently as the

past 10 years, along with the appropriate chemical, and may still sell it..

 

I remember an article in Popular Science, likely in the 1960's, about one like that, along with the unibath developer.

 

I suspect that with a 12 or 20 exposure roll, and with appropriate wind/unwind of the spool.

(Not too much, or too little.) It might almost work.

I believe that there was a roll film system from maybe the 1930's that would unroll the paper and film inside a box, and somehow get it into the chemistry.

There was a "Rondinax" daylight loading tank. It loaded the development spiral directly from the cassette inside a rectangular shaped tank. The developing reel stood upright with its cheeks vertical. Not the same as dunking the whole cassette though!

 

There were also 'apron' tanks that wrapped the film between a dimpled celluloid separator.

 

Never used one, so I can't say how effective, reliable or easy to use they were. A changing bag and conventional tank never seemed like a problem to me.

Edited April 21, 2018 by rodeo_joe|1

The Rondinax are suffering for the minimum amount of concentrate for your film developer and you can have very easily scratches on the film. Further they are antique now.

Either stainless steel or the easy loading plastic. Practice loading in room light with a strip of exposed film. Theoretically, developing in the cassette could work, but as others have said, why take chances? I'd process in open trays in total darkness before I'd try developing in the cassette. Back in the 70's I processed a few rolls of 110 Verichrome Pan in open tray because I didn't want to buy a reel to fit it.