Stainless tanks that don't leak

[bud_gray]

I've just suffered through my frist experience with processing color negative

film. I tried to use the same single-reel stainless tank that I use for B&W

processing, but at 100 degrees Farenheit the thermal expansion of the tank and

lid cause the setup to leak pretty badly. I've lost as much as 30-50 ml of

chemistry at each stage. I've read here and elsewhere that all tanks leak. If

this is so, is there any viable stainless tank? Should I switch to plastic tanks?

 

Any information at all would be appreciated.

 

Also, please forgive me if this question has been posted already. I couldn't

find it despite my best efforts at searching.

 

Regards,

 

Bud

[leicaglow]

Plastic lids should help. The more rubbery, the better.

[randall ellis]

I find the tanks with plastic lids to be less prone to leaking than the ones with metal lids. You should be able to get a plastic replacement lid for your existing tank from one of the online retailers.

 

- Randy

[ronald_moravec1]

My Nikor tanks leak no more than at 68, ie very minimal.

 

I would think Kinderman would be perfect, but I will stay with my Nikors for 40 more more years.

[User_502260]

Go to Staples (or you nearest office supply store) and get a bag of wide rubber bands. As long as your cap fits properly the rubber band will hold back any leaking from the top.

[gene_e._mccluney]

Or you could just tape the lid on with cheap vinyl plastic electrical tape, or cut down duct

tape, etc. The first two steps....developer and bleach could be done, then the tape

removed for washing, or your could just fill and dump wash water several times for the

time duration of the wash cycle, then go into the fix, then remove the tape. Stainless steel

tanks and lids are prone to a little leaking, it has never bothered me.

[Fotohuis RoVo]

With the right handling the Jobo tanks will not leak. There is a red plastic cap which will expand during the dev. process, especially when the blix is comming in. This will prevent that the tank is going to leak.

http://shop.fotohuisrovo.nl/index.php?cPath=44&osCsid=ac3d29ee84e7f7eb31d9c92c3cf1e9fb

 

In time the red cap replacement will fix a small leaking problem in the future.

[g._armour_van_horn]

I don't recall any significant leakage from any of my stainless tanks, all of which were bought dirt cheap off eBay and most of which have stainless lids. (I have moved to a more automated system and haven't used them for a while, but I remember them well enough.)

 

There should be no issue with thermal expansion as a source of leaks. When the first liquid goes in the tank, the tank should already be at 38C, and the liquid should be at 38C, and your tempering bath should keep both at 38C through most of the process, so there would be no expansion at all.

 

That said, I remember a fumble-finger moment and ended up dropping a tank and causing the lid to pop off. The next day I went to the tire store, tank in hand, and bought an innertube for five bucks that was the right size. I cut myself a bunch of super-size rubber bands, at least an inch wide, from the tube. That not only meant the lid wasn't going to come off accidentally, it made it easier to grip the wet tank.

 

Van

[randall ellis]

The only real problem that I had with the metal lids was that they were easy to deform, and once bent they always leaked. The plastic lids seem to take the random spot of abuse with less problem, at least in my experience, hence my comments above.

 

- Randy

[bud_gray]

I'd like to thank everyone for your thoughtful responses and the very practical ideas you've presented. I had a few giant rubber bands in my kitchen junk drawer and I've run a test with the rubber band gasket idea. Voila--no leakage whatsoever!

 

All the suggestions are terrific and I will file them for future reference, since I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to try out a few others as I continue to learn about developing color film. Thanks once again!

 

Kind regards,

 

Bud

[Gary Naka]

In high school we used masking tape to seal the top to the bottom of the tanks. Also took care of those that were a bit nervous about the top coming off.