How many developing tubes can you use at once?

[Oren Grad]

Jason -

It really, really depends on one's own temperament and manual dexterity. I have a couple of 8x10 BTZS tubes that I fiddled with for a while before I moved on to a Jobo, which I much prefer. Based on my experience with the tubes, I'd hesitate to run more than two or three at a time. I'm just not that adept at manipulating tubes bobbing around in a tray of water, especially when I'm tired or otherwise under the weather. I know others feel differently.

If you do go that route, though, having extra caps is extremely helpful - definitely worth the extra few dollars.

[Amund]

I bought four but did not try them yet. I notice that the inside walls of the tubes have ridges running the length of the tubes, this may help the liquid get at the back of the film??

Yep, just give the film a couple of minutes of presoak, and there is no problem with the antihaliation dyes.

[Amund]

Jason -

It really, really depends on one's own temperament and manual dexterity. I have a couple of 8x10 BTZS tubes that I fiddled with for a while before I moved on to a Jobo, which I much prefer. Based on my experience with the tubes, I'd hesitate to run more than two or three at a time. I'm just not that adept at manipulating tubes bobbing around in a tray of water, especially when I'm tired or otherwise under the weather. I know others feel differently.

If you do go that route, though, having extra caps is extremely helpful - definitely worth the extra few dollars.

Are the BTZS tubes ridged on the outside?

The JandC tubes are, and very easy to spin, so 4 or even 5 would be really easy to handle, as long your development times are not very short.
And extra caps sure is handy.

[noseoil]

Amund, my suggestion for the screen was aimed at the tubes I suggested making out of 1 1/2" black ABS plastic drain line. Since the inside surface is smooth, it is very difficult to get the film out after development due to its slippery surface. Without the screen as a backing surface, the anti-halation dye doesn't wet out very well some times. With the screens, you just leave a "tab" of longer screen at the mouth end and use it to pull out the film. I use a finger on the film's edge and the screen's tab to make things easier. Best, tim

[JHannon]

Are the BTZS tubes ridged on the outside?

The BTZS tubes are smooth like the homemade (black ABS Drain line). They are currently only available in 4X5.

[juan]

I've just gotten one of the J&C tubes and developed my first negatives with it over the weekend. Prior, I had been using open ended PVC tubes in a 5-gallon bucket.

For vertical stand (minimal agitation) development I don't see that the extra cap does any good. It's not large enough to hold enough solution to cover the negative. If you are using the tube in some form of rotary development (BTZS or Jobo or something) the extra caps would probably hold enough solution.

With the J&C tube, I pre-soak in a tray, put the developer in the tube, then slide in the wet negative. No sign of scratches and the anti-halation layer is removed.

I did, however, agitate one of the negatives too strongly and moved a bit of the negative above the top of the developer, so I got a half-inch or so of underdeveloped film.

juan

[Donald Qualls]

I use homemade, daylight fill ABS tubes for my 9x12 cm and 4x5. I didn't cement the caps on, so I'm able to join two tubes with a pipe coupler, and I have three fill tube tops; once (probably never again) I staggered the fill times while using a long agitation intervale and actually had all three double tubes processing at once, with two negatives in each.

If I could find big enough pipe in black (maybe 8" would work, but I think I need 9" or 10"), I might be tempted to try to fabricate something similar to the Jobo Expert drums, though it would require so much developer to fill for standing that it would force me to roll process, which would be a complete ground-up rewrite of my usual method. As things stand, I usually process one double tube at a time, serially.