2 120 reels in a stainless steel tank 32 oz

[aurora_ua]

<p>Is it possible or risky (getting uneven development) to use a 32 oz stainless steel tank to develop 2 rolls of 120 film, I don´t have a rod and use a darkroom bag, so I can´t pour in the liquid first and then the film.<br>

I have to pour in the developer in the tank, which I guess takes about 20 seconds.<br>

Would it be safer with a patterson plastic tank?</p>

[stephen t]

<p>Get the correctly sized Paterson tank, by all means. Don't worry about getting one that doesn't have the little twister piece - agitate by inversion.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

Should be okay. For taller multi-reel tanks I usually prefer developer solutions that take around 10 minutes.

That helps minimize variations with longer pour times, both filling and emptying the tank. Pour times are more

critical with very short developing times; less so with longer developing. So, HC-110 at dilution H and D-76 (or

ID-11) at 1+1 are good for 9-10 minutes with Tri-X at EI 400. Much less hurried than HC-110 dilution B.

[AJG]

<p>+1 for Lex's advice--I've developed lots of 120 film in 32 ounce tanks by pouring developer, etc. through the lid. The best tanks/lids I have found are the (discontinued) Kinderman ones, and in my experience the chemistry pours in a little faster with them than with the cheap knock-offs that are common now. My Kinderman tanks and lids are nearly 30 years old and still work like new, despite having a lot of film run through them.</p>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>With a 16 oz tank having a capacity of one ss 120 reel, then two should be just right for a 32 oz tank. That's what I use when I have two rolls of 120 to process. Unless the developing time is short the time required to fill and drain the tank shouldn't be a problem.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>Two rolls of 120 or four rolls of 35mm in a 32 ounce tank is standard pratice. No problem at all. I've developed literally thousands of rolls this way. I use D-76 at normal times, pouring in the developer through the cap just as with a smaller tank. Fill time is slightly longer than a 16 ounce tank but I've never worried about it and never had a problem -- maybe the top roll is getting 10 seconds less than the bottom roll? Not enough to matter over the course of six minutes of so of developing time. Even less of a difference at times Lex recommends, but I've been just fine at shorter times. I rarely develop with anything smaller than a 32 ounce tank since it's more efficient to develop multiple rolls at a time.</p>

[Rick Helmke]

<p>Developing two 120 rolls in a 32 oz. tank presents no problem at all. If you are concerned about pouring time put the developer in the tank first and then drop both rolls in the tank together and put the top on. If you pre soak use another tank full of water to pre soak and then move on to the developer tank. Pretty straight forward.</p>

<p>Rick H.</p>

[mark_davidson1]

<p>I agree about using a 32 oz tank. Should be no problem. I always pre-soak my film for about 30 seconds to ensure even wetting by the developer and the minimization of air bells.<br>

The concern about a few seconds out of a 6+minute developing time is unwarranted.</p>

[john_shriver]

<p>Sure, it's always "optimal" to drop the reel of film into the filled tank. But I've only ever done it when processing Technical Pan in Technidol, and I did that step (<em>very carefully</em>) in a changing bag. But it wasn't my best Burke & James bag, it was a cheap Chinese one. <br>

But consider that Nikor reels were made for up the 122 film size, which is 3.5" wide film, which I process in a Q30 Nikor tank. Just tilt the tank at the optimal angle so that the developer can pour in as fast as possible.<br>

No question that the Paterson tanks fill and drain much faster than a Nikor tank. They are very well engineered. But they also require about 25% more chemistry than a Nikor tank.</p>

[Fotohuis RoVo]

<p>Standard Jobo 1520 tanks have an internal minimum volume of 485ml and it can be loaded with 2x 120 roll films seperated by the <em>Red clip</em> which should be on the 1501 reel. You only have to take care of the minimum available concentrate of the developer for each film surface. 135-36 and 120 roll films have approx. the same surface area. For e.g. R09/Rodinal the real minimum amount of concentrate is 5ml-5,5ml for each film. So if you're filling the 1520 tank to 550ml (about 600ml is the maximum filling volume) with one film you can do a 1+100 dilution. For two films the maximum will be a 1+50 dilution.</p>

[george_hazelton1]

<p>Back in the day I processed 100 feet of home-loaded Ektachrome 4 35mm rolls at a time in SS tanks with no problems. I'd suggest a dry run with empty reels and plain water to get an idea of filling and emptying times, and you can find the best angle to minimize fill time. As an earlier poster suggested, really short times are a problem since the fill/empty time becomes a sizable fraction of the processing time. </p>