Print Washer:  Jan 06 Thanks to the folks at Midwest Photo Exchange (see the links page), I got a Calumet 20 x 24 print washer at a great price.  Right now, it's in the sink, next to the new Jobo CPP_2 (see below).  There's room in the sink for both, with space between them large enough for a 20 x 24 tray for toning B&W prints.  I'm not sure it'll stay there or not.

7-20-06:  I found a shelf unit at a big box store that was almost exactly the size of the washer.  They had casters for it, too.  I cut the uprights down and used the short pieces & casters for the washer stand.  Used the remaining pieces of the uprights and remaining shelves for storage in another room.



Jobo CPP-2:   Jan 06  Why did I wait so long???  I've always wanted one, so when I found a CPP-2 with a good assortment of drums at a really good price, I bought it.  The first month I had it I totally fell in love with it.  Then it died.  The temperature display showed random numbers and the temperature control stopped working altogether.  I opened it up & discovered it had been repaired more than once.  A couple of the power semiconductors had wires soldered to them, replacing the foil on the pc board.  I also discovered it's a very old unit - all components were the original series, not the heavier duty ones.  I didn't go back to the seller, as it worked fine for a month.  So, rather than take a chance on another used one, I called around and found a new one at Freestyle Photo.  I really gritted my teeth at spending that much, but to me, it was worth it.  Bottom line, I love it.  I've developed B&W and color film (C-41), and made color and B&W prints with it.  I don't see myself going back to trays and tanks.  Jobo, and many people, don't recommend it for fiber based paper, but I haven't had any problems with it.  The drums haven't left any marks on the paper that don't come out when I flatten the prints in a dry mounting press.


Color Chemistry: Jan 06  In the equipment section I said I used Tetenal chemistry for C-41 and RA-4.  I recently ran out of C-41 and had some film to process.  Since it's winter, I was a bit concerned about the stuff freezing in shipment.  Chicago is closer to here than New York, so I ordered Kodak chemistry from Calumet, both C-41 and RA-4.  Ground shipping got it here the next day.  I really like it.  Colors seem cleaner than with Tetenal, and it's a bit cheaper as well.  So, as long as they make it, I'll use the Kodak from here on.

  7-20-06 Another plus for the Kodak RA-4 chemistry - In late Feb 06, I mixed a quart of it and made 5 8x10 prints.  In late june, I had to make some color contacts, and after seeing that the developer didn't look discolored, thought I'd try what I had mixed in Feb.  I really didn't have anything to lose except a few minutes and a sheet of paper.  Surprisingly, it worked fine!  I made 10 contact sheets, then in early July, made 25 8x10's, all with the chemistry I mixed in Feb.!  This stuff seems to be the RA-4 equivalent of Ansco 130!!

Measuring Graduates: In May of 06, I noticed that some of  my plastic measuring graduates were getting discolored and wondering if they were absorbing chemicals and could contaminate what I was mixing.  They were pretty old, so I decided to replace them.  I went to onlinesciencemall.com, and saw that their prices for glass labware were very reasonable, so I ordered glass replacements.  I got graduates from 10ml up to 1L, and beakers from 250ml to 4L.  The measuring marks on the graduates are probably more accurate that the old plastic stuff I was using, plus they look a LOT nicer.