Developing 6x9cm & 9x12cm Sheet Film?

[Nokton48]

One very serious consideration for me, is how does one develop a lot of 6x9cm and 9x12cm sheet film?
I have used the Unicolor Print Tank and Uniroller so far, with varying degrees of success. I have even
tried modifying the Unicolor Print Drum to properly hold 9x12cm film. I have given up on this idea.

What I do have presently, are some homemade BZTS film tubes, and a rack, which will hold eight film tubes.
I have used this once, and it worked great. Film was fixed by hand in a tray. Not so good for FOMAPAN, I am thinking.
Also, for 6x9cm and 2X3" I have an old Nikor Tank with sheet film rack, which I have used with success.

After alot of studying and internal debating, I have decided to bite the bullet, and have settled on the JOBO 2500 system.
I have acquired a JOBO Multi Tank 5 with two 9x12cm reels, and a Multi Tank 6 with Extension Tank. Also I am planning
to acquire a Multi Tank 2, with 9x12cm reel. So with this system, I should be able to process six, twelve, or eighteen sheets
of 6x9cm or 9x12cm film. And it is good it also works with 4x5" as I have alot of that, as well as 2x3". Not sure if I can process
2x3" in the JOBO, but I will know that soon as I get it. From what I have read on the internet, the Unicolor Uniroller works great
with the 2500 larger tanks. The one reel tank will be great for inversion and stand development of this film.
I'm also after the JOBO Cascade Film Washer.

What is working well for you Guys?

Shown left: Homemade BZTS Film Tubes with Rack.
Shown Right: Nikor Tank with Sheet Film Rack for 6x9cm or 2x3".

 

[Beemermark]

The easiest and fastest is tray processing. Very simple and you can do 6 or more sheets at a time. Trays are cheap too.

BTW, I have a Jobo (had for at least 20 years). Works great for color. Never had any satisfactory results with B&W.

 

[Nokton48]

The easiest and fastest is tray processing. Very simple and you can do 6 or more sheets at a time. Trays are cheap too.
/QUOTE]

An excellent suggestion. Certainly the time honored way to do it.
My only concern with trays is scratching the delicate FOMA film.
For HP5+ it would of course be fine. Not sure about some of these
other films I have acquired.




Also,

I have this FR Tank, which will do 9x12cm. I repaired the chipped-off corner and it is complete
and totally usuable. Have yet to try it, some say uneven development.

 

[taskoni]

Sometimes, when do exposure tests at night I process my 4x6 film sheets at home in a Patterson 2 reel tank. I take out the reels and put the sheet inside with emulsion facing the column. Fill the tank with at least 600ml developer or to the top. Works well but won't recommend it as you can get the sheet unevenly developed occasionally or worse. Tray processing works best for me, but if you are in a hurry or experimenting with stuff you can do it in a tank too.

Regards,
Boris

 

[John E Earley]

I have a hard rubber Kodak tank for 4x5 and found a few SS 9x12 film holders. I haven't tried it though because of the aforementioned issues of possible uneven developing.

 

[NY_Dan]

I agree with the tray development technique -- back in the day I worked for a still photographer -- and we developed by tray all the time. You have to be gentle -- code notch in upper left indicates emulsion is facing you.

 

[RWaldron]

For 6x9 sheet film I use a Nikor adapter that fits into a standard ss tank. Works but is tricky to load.

 

[Nokton48]

For 6x9 sheet film I use a Nikor adapter that fits into a standard ss tank. Works but is tricky to load.

Yes I agree. Have the same and it is VERY tricky to load. But it does the job. If I already had the 4x5 Nikor I might not have considered and bought into JOBO. And yes I know the Honeywell Nikor is adjustable to 9x12cm. They tend to be very expensive, as much as JOBO. Also tricky to load. I tend to use ADOX Borax Developer which is a D-76 derivitive I mix myself and it works very well in all these tanks. But it is not the only developer I use, it is my go-to.

Trays work great too but FOMA is very prone to scratches from what I've read; it is just -very- soft when wet! Might not respond well to even gentle development in trays? HP5+ is a favorite of mine and would not be a bit of trouble in trays for me, I just need the capacity to develop more sheets in a run.

The Multitank 2 will be great for stand development, will do six sheets at a time. I can run 18 sheets of 6x9cm or 9x12cm in the Multitank 6 on a go, even more if I add on the 2560 Tank Extension and extra 2509n LF reels. Really high capacity. Hopefully smooth and even, I've read a lot of good about this system.

 

[Nokton48]

All of my JOBO stuff has arrived and ready to use. I purchased a Multitank 2, good for six 6x9cm or 9x12 films, particularly useful for stand developing or small inversion processing runs. The Multitank 5 will hold 12 6x9cm or 9x12 films, for rotary processing on a Unicolor Unidrum. The Mutitank 6 will hold eighteen 6x9cm films for rotary processing, good for when I shoot a lot of cut film.

I have fifty three Plaubel Makina 6x9cm single shot film holders, and over 800 sheets of 6x9cm film in my deep freeze. I have six hundred sheets of 9x12cm FOMA 100 & 200 films also in the deep freeze, and these are very soft and fragile when wet, and I will not tray process them. Also got quite a few different other kinds of 9x12cm film.

A rotary system (JOBO) is the only answer for my needs. And it is designed to carry the metric-sized films.

 

[rjbuzzclick]

-- code notch in upper left indicates emulsion is facing you.

Just to clarify, the notch codes are on the short edge of the film. The emulsion will be facing you when the notches are in the upper RIGHT corner with the film in portrait orientation. If you hold the film in landscape orientation, the notch codes will be in the upper left corner, but on the side edge of the sheet. Apologies if I've misunderstood Dan's post.