Help identifying these spirals and tanks

[philipus]

Hi all

Does anyone know which brand these spirals and tanks are? The seller isn't sure if they're Kindermann, Hewes or something else.

Thanks very much in advance
Philip

 

[MISH]

i don't know if it is just me but I am not seeing any pictures

 

[philipus]

Ah thanks for letting me know. Strange, they show up on my computer.

Does it work now?

 

[MISH]

Ok I can see them now................ all those with the plastic core are Kindermann and the tank with the plastic lid is also

I can highly recommend those 120 reels as I have been using mine for 20+ years and would never give them up.... perfect loading every time. I also picked up a couple of the 35 reels
at one time but could never love them like I do the 120 ( now have Hewes for 35 and they are the answer for me)

 

[philipus]

Thank you very much for your help. Why do you prefer Hewes for 35? And would Hewes 35mm spirals fit in this Kindermann tank?

Lastly, and this may be a dumb question, is it a bad idea to buy a tank that fits more than two 35mm spirals if one only uses two?

 

[clayne]

Thank you very much for your help. Why do you prefer Hewes for 35? And would Hewes 35mm spirals fit in this Kindermann tank?

Lastly, and this may be a dumb question, is it a bad idea to buy a tank that fits more than two 35mm spirals if one only uses two?

Hewes 135 reels are the best due to build quality and the sprocket tabs. The latter will functionally reduce time and mistakes per roll.

Yes there is no point in using a 3 or 4 reel tank if you only ever use 2 reels. The only use would be in high dilution developing scenarios where you wouldn't meet the minimum amount of developer needed per roll with a 2-reel tank (e.g. XTOL 1+4).

 

[philipus]

Thanks Christopher, much appreciated info.

Ok I understand there's no point in using a bigger tank if one only uses 2 reels but is it possible to do so? I am having trouble finding metal tanks here in Europe - this is the only one I've seen so far unfortunately.

Alternatively I could get more reels and just not load all with film, but perhaps that would be wasteful of developer etc. I'm a bit of a developing noob (sorry).

 

[sevo]

Ok I understand there's no point in using a bigger tank if one only uses 2 reels but is it possible to do so?

Yes. You must fill them at least to the top of the uppermost populated reel, or could fill then to their nominal liquid capacity. In Kindermann type metal tanks you will need the full stack of reels to avoid the reels moving about. Jobo and Paterson plastic tanks have a central column that keeps the reels in position even if you use less reels than the tank capacity.

By the way, Fotoimpex, Monochrom and several other German online stores sell (nameless Japanese) copies of the Kindermann tanks - at a lower price than some of the used tanks on ebay go away for!

 

[philipus]

Thanks for the info and the suggestions!

So for a 4 or 5 reel tank like the one on the picture, I'd need to fill liquids up to two reels if I have loaded two films, right? I'm not sure about the nominal capacity of that tank.

I guess you mean for instance this tank and this tank - are they really of the same build quality, thinking predominantly about the lid here?

 

[sevo]

So for a 4 or 5 reel tank like the one on the picture, I'd need to fill liquids up to two reels if I have loaded two films, right?

Sort of. If you don't want to have the reels move about, you'd have to put in the remaining two or three empty reels on top.

I guess you mean for instance this tank and this tank - are they really of the same build quality, thinking predominantly about the lid here?

I don't think there is a difference one way or another, at least none beyond the ageing issues of the original. While the plastics lids weren't quite as awful as the earlier all-steel variety (which apparently never were intended for inversion development, being too leak prone), old lids tend to be either well worn, loose and leaky, or have never been used so that they shrivelled up and won't fit.

 

[philipus]

While the plastics lids weren't quite as awful as the earlier all-steel variety (which apparently never were intended for inversion development, being too leak prone), old lids tend to be either well worn, loose and leaky, or have never been used so that they shrivelled up and won't fit.

Ah good point, sevo, thanks. I think I may just go for new steel ones then but get reels from the seller I have found.