I got a brand new Jobo CPA-2 today. The owner bought it but never used it once. It also came with many drums, reels, etc. I already have a new Expert 3010 drum for it. Anyway, it came with five things (see attachment) and I have no idea what they are. They are not shown in any of the manuals that came with the processor nor can I find them on the Jobo or Omega/Satter website. I'm sure that someone here will know instantly what they are but I'll describe it anyway. They look like big reels but they have no spirals so I don't know how they could be loaded. They are 5" in diameter and one side is black and the other side is clear plastic. The outer sides of the spokes are smooth but the inner side has notches or teeth. There are no spiral channels and it's not a sheet film reel. It can be set to two widths which pretty much match 35mm and 120/220 film widths but, again, there are no spirals. Are these some kind of spacers? If not, what are they? They fit in a print drum that came with the processor.

Congratulations, you are the proud owner of a JoBo 2501 Ro-Set reel which _requires_ a loader called the Ro-Lader (laden is German for "load"). JoBo purists will tell you that they provided the highest possible processing quality with superb edge to edge development and no surge marks at the edges. The reels and the loader were waaay overpriced, so not a lot of people bought them. If your find a Ro-Lader, make sure it has guides for 35mm and 120/220 if you want to do both. I can walk you through using the loader if you get one.

I have a ro-loader and about 5 of these reels. They are excellent, once you learn how to use them - IN THE DARK.

PE

Thanks guys! I would be really curious to see one of these things loaded since they don't have spirals.

They do have spirals. Look closely!

PE

Yes, Photo Engineer, I see what you mean. It's just that there are only small sections of the spirals. I did manage to find pictures of the loader and it appears that the idea is to eliminate as much of the reel as possible to avoid uneven development caused by turbulence patterns, i.e., keep the edges of the film as clear of any obstructions as possible. I rarely shoot roll film anyway so I'll probably just put these away and keep an eye out for a loader. I found one for sale in Italy but the price was out of this world. On the rare occasions that I shoot roll film, I will develop b&w just as I always have - by hand. But I will do E6 in the Jobo and, for now, that means using the regular Jobo reels. I will have to get used to them. I have used regular stainless steel reels for forty years. I am aware, however, that there are stainless steel reels available for Jobo tanks. I may look into that. I can see that the 2501 reels that I have should do a good job if I ever do find a loader. That appears to be a big "if."

Thanks for the help guys! Mystery solved.