Re: [Leica] back to back

[Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>]

Dan Post wrote:
> 
> Mark-
> The Beutler formula looks similar to the Tom Abrahamson posted- are metal
> tanks de rigueur? I have been using a plastic tack for most of my stuff.
> Dan
> dwpost@msn.com
I'm 47 and and plastic tanks were recommend for beginners (the problem
is its hard to switch) or people who were severely challenged in the
coordination department. I think those days they were also thought to
have contamination problems. I've taught quite a few people how to load
metal reels and none of them found it insurmountable,
Now there is Plastic with a capital P with great systems that will also
do your sheet film and your prints, spin with a motor, hold little shot
glasses of chemical pre heated all in a row. They require an incredibly
economical amount of chemical for prints but more for film than metal. I
had some experience with the Dev Tec system doing  8 by 10 Kodak direct
positive (directly from slides) in a Portland Community College in '76. 
But I would not dream of having a motor spin my film continuously but if
I ever start really liking TMax which eats Hypo I would get a motor to
help agitate the Hypo as something has to help.
There would seem to be people on this forum who have actually switched
from metal to Jobo systems and I can't speak from experience on it.
Myself and the pros I know wouldn't touch it. How much of that is chance
I don't know.
In the late '60s I read a Bill Pearce article in pop photo about loading
your film back to back; that is two rolls back to back on one reel. It
sounded dumb but at one point I tried it and have been doing it for
twenty years. I have two metal 64 once tanks which hold 8 35mm reels
each. In a tank with the film rolled back to back I (or my assistant)
have often developed 16 rolls at a time. I'm talking thousands of rolls
of film from twenty something years. This you can not do with plastic
tanks to my knowledge unless you have a system as big as a room. With
film the plastic tanks need more chemical, a metal tank needs 8 ounces
per reel, my guess that the plastic needs 12 ounces. I forgot to mention
that you could not go back to back with a plastic reel.
If Xtol works out I'm under the impression that it wont work back to back.
But why switch if it ain't broke?
I just remembered I may go find a plastic tank and adjustable reel to
develop 127 film (40by40) for my new Rollei Baby I'm planning for the
near future. But I don't want to go off topic with talk of Rollei's and babies.
Mark Rabiner





de rigueur