Stainless steel tank -- stuck lid

[xwhatsit]

I got fed up with my beloved Efke KB25 jamming on my plastic reels when loading. The reels have to be absolutely dry and the slightest bit of humidity from my hands or even the atmosphere can have things pretty touch-and-go. No other film I use is like that, just the KB25.

So I saw a tank come up for sale, an Omega two-reel stainless tank with reels. Loading the reels seems to be quite straightforward, I'm not sure why people say it's so hard compared to plastic reels, just different that's all. I'm worried about dropping them though! Maybe 120 is a little more difficult.

I like how compact the tank is and how it uses much less solution.

My only gripes:

- Takes a long time to fill with that tiny cap

- There's almost no "head room" in the tank, so you can't just splash some wash or fix in otherwise you'll overflow. Less head room in the tank means for the first time I can understand how people get too little agitation

- The lids seem to get stuck on! Although the main lid getting stuck isn't the end of the world (can try and wrench it off later with a towel or something), getting the filler cap off can be a real nightmare, especially with time pressure! I developed my two rolls about 30 seconds longer than I intended too because I couldn't get the sodding lid off

Any tips for the filler cap not wanting to come off? I can only push it on gently but then solution leaks out a little during inversion which isn't ideal.

 

[ruby.monkey]

My advice? Throw away the tank and buy a modern Kindermann steel tank. Comes with a plastic lid and cap that makes it water-tight and quick to fill and empty.

And then ditch the reels in favour of a couple of Hewes jobbies. 😉

 

[Keith]

I've discovered with these sorts of things a little nose oil smeared on the sticking surfaces does the trick ... yes, that stuff that gets all over the back of black cameras and M8 LCD screens.

I do have pretty oily skin though! 😀

 

[xwhatsit]

Ah, cheers. I'll give that a go.

Those Kindermann tanks look nice but you can't beat $NZ9.50. I'll keep my eyes out though 🙂

 

[Rob-F]

With my Nikor stainless steel tanks, I do the following:

Tilt the tank when pouring. As it gets close to full, I can see the liquid at the edge of the opening;

Pour a measured amount from a small container, such as a pint water bottle;

I slow down the rate of pouring as the tank gets heavier.

I keep a bottle cap opener in the darkroom. It's useful for prying the tank apart if it sticks.