Running the Jobo

In mid-January I set up my Jobo Processor in my darkroom.  This is a semi-automated processor.  It includes a temperature controlled water bath with a circulating pump.  The temperature is not critically important with black and white film, but for color processes it is.  The drums are very convenient for processing large format film.  Sheet film has to be loaded into the drums in total darkness.  But once the lid is on the drum, you can work in room light.  The drum is mechanically rotated back and forth in the water bath.  There is a water jacket within the drum that keeps the temperature consistent.  You can fill and drain the various chemicals, i.e. developer, stop bath, fixer, clearing agent, etc., without opening the drum.  I have an accessory on my processor called a lift, that allows the drum to be disengaged from the agitation mechanism and lifted up to drain.  Once emptied it is lowered back into place and the next chemical can be poured in.  I find the processor particularly useful for PMK developer.  This is a staining pyro developer that requires vigorous, continuous agitation to prevent uneven development.  It also works very well with color processes to maintain the fairly high [37C] process temperature.

I processed around 200 sheets of 4x5 film, mostly on the Jobo, since Christmas.  I've also run around 40 sheets of 8x10 film.  The Expert drums for 4x5 hold ten sheets at a time.  The Expert drum for 8x10 holds five sheets.  In the snapshots below you can see the processor up and running with the drum fo 8x10 film.  To the right is my homemade white ABS plastic film washer.  The second snapshot shows some of the brown stained 8x10 pyro negatives hanging up to dry.

I've now finished up pretty much all of the black and white film that I need to run on the Jobo.  The next time I set up and run it, will be to process some color negative film in C-41 chemistry, and some color transparency film in E-6 chemistry.