ben_hutcherson Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 My local lab recently went out of business, and, as part of their going away celebration, I was able to score a stainless tank along with a few reels plus a few other unrelated goodies. Anyway, I'm having a bit of a problem with the tank. It's an Omega brand tank with a stainless lid and a stainless cap that fits over the pour spout at the top of the tank. Occasionally, the small stainless cap over the pour spout will get stuck and will refuse to come off unless it is pried off. I've not had this happen yet while I had chemicals in the tank, just after storing for a little while. I realize that the easy solution to that is to store with the cap detached, however I'm also afraid that at some point it will get stuck while I have chemicals in the tank. This little stainless cap bears the same Omega logo as the bottom of the tank, so I don't think that it's an issue of a mis-matched part. Does anyone have any suggestions for what I can do to prevent the cap from getting stuck? By the way, I'm really enjoying my first experience with stainless steel. I was able to load the 120 reel on my first try-I found it much easier than I ever did loading 120 on plastic reels. I'm still a little uneasy on 35mm, but haven't messed up a roll yet. It's great to not have to wait overnight for the plastic reels to dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echang24 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 I had the same problem with an old tank like yours. I have both Omega and Nikkor tanks. I went to a local photo store (Calumet Photo - national chain) and bought a plastic lid that works with both brands. The lids are nice and snug - no leaks and fairly cheap. http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/CP90791/ Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conrad_hoffman Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 I have the same tank and just keep a pocket knife with a screwdriver blade handy. Rarely have to use it, but you should always have a plan for "what if...". Same reason I keep a wind up timer and a flashlight on the shelf, in case the power goes out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles_Webster Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Yep, I've had the same problem. Maybe it's time to get new tanks instead of these 20+ year old relics. I know they never wear out but ... <Chas> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_kaplan1 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 The older Nikkor tanks supposedly had individually fitted caps and lids. The Kinderman, Accura, Spiratone, and Omega tanks don't, and they do seem to vary a bit. Perhaps another cap would be a better fit? My tanks, lids, and caps are all color coded with Dymo tape. That's been on them since perhaps 1970! Have you tried lightly sanding the inside of the offending cap with some emory cloth? Or put a little valve grinding compound between the cap and lid and turn them back and forth by hand. This should lap them so they have a better fit. Another possibility is to wax them with automobile wax. That shouldn't readily disolve into your chemicals, if at all, and unless you wash your tanks with hot soapy water should last about forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy_johnson3 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Make sure you dry the lid off the tank and keep it very clean. After it's dry you can attach them lightly. That should help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_marvin Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Try going over the lip on which the capfits with a pencil. The graphite should provided just enough lubrication to prevent the cap sticking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnance Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 I find the tight fit keeps the leakage down. While stainless seems to last forever, seepage can be a problem. I keep a set of ss spoons in the darkroom (for moving chems) and always have one near when developing, for prying the cap off if it sticks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick_gainer Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 A combination of the sanding or grinding with a layer of candle or canning wax might be good. The sloppy fit caused by the grinding would be corrected by the wax, which you can rub on before each use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben_hutcherson Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. As it so happens, I have a few sheets of very fine sandpaper lying around that I might just try to see if I can get things fitting a bit more smoothly. Failing that, I will try to see if I can get some grease or graphite onto it. By the way, I might also add that despite the apparent age of the tank, I haven't yet had a bit of trouble others have reported with seepage and so forth. In fact, the other day, I even made a point of wiping the outside of the tank with a towel to get it completely dry, and there still wasn't a drop of water anywhere on the outside of it afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene_e._mccluney Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Getting the cap off may require having a screwdriver handy, but getting the whole lid off is easy. Just fill the tank up to overflowing with water (after your fixing step), and the water will help you pull off the lid. Also, as mentioned above, you can get generic plastic lids and caps that fit, even though the tank was designed for a stainless steel lid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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