Developing Tank

[Ollokot]

Hi Folks, in the market for a Developing Tank for 35mm film and was wondering if anyone had any experience with a brand know as Samigon.
Regards.
Pat

[Steaphany]

I am not familiar with Samigon myself, but a quick search found their products being carried by B&H, you didn't say which tank you were considering but I have seen the Samigon Stainless Steel Tank with Plastic Lid for 2x35mm or 1x120 Reel has a customer rating of 4.3 out of 5.0 from 9 reviews and their Samigon Stainless Steel Tank with Plastic Lid and Rod for 4x35mm or 2x120 Reels is rated at 4.8 with 4 reviews.

I see they also have some tanks that are completely Stainless Steel.

Looks like you can't go wrong and I may need to check them out myself

[Manfred M]

I don't know the brand but was never someone who like metal developing tanks. Unless you are planning to sit your tanks in a water bath, metal is a good conductor and this is an advantage in that situation. If you are developing at ambient temperatures, plastic tanks and their inherent insulating properties are a better choice.

[Steaphany]

True, but I'm looking to get back into home darkroom E6 and C41 processing which is best when using a water bath to control the Color Developer temperature.

[Manfred M]

True, but I'm looking to get back into home darkroom E6 and C41 processing which is best when using a water bath to control the Color Developer temperature.

Totally agree.

I found I preferred the ratchet load on the Patterson system to the bend and wind on some of the metal reel systems, though.

[Ollokot]

Thank you Steaphany and Manfred for your reply.
It is a single tank for 35mm(135) that I am interested in, and as you say Steaphany it looks like I can't go wrong with these.

Pat

[benm]

It's been a very long time since I did any film developing. I liked the stainless steel tanks better than the plastic but make sure you get plastic covers. The stainless steel covers tended to get stuck, always at the wrong time.

There is also a learning curve for winding the film on to the reel. Make sure you practice with an old roll of film. You'll need to practice it first in daylight and then in total darkness. Once you get the knack it is very fast and simple.

[Ollokot]

Hi Ben.
Thanks for that,
Pat

[jcuknz]

I found that if I kept my eyes open, even though in total darkness, things always went better .
Never used a metal tank only plastic ones where the reel top and bottom move separately so the film is pulled into the grooves with alternating finger pressure.
I never did myself but the very precise guy at school maintained his temperatures to half a degree fahrenheit and that was with B&W let alone colour .... rather you than me

The tank you seem to refer to at B&H is a dual purpose 120/35mm tank and you would need containers holding enough for 'half' a tank of liquid if you are only processing a single 35mm film.

[John 2]

Pat, I have a Patterson series 4 tank in good condition that has been saved from disposal only because I can't bring myself to bin it. If you would like it (gratis) it's yours. Just send me an address by PM.

[rpcrowe]

Although I used stainless steel developing tanks for both 120 roll film and 35mm film for 30-years of so, I cannot remember the brand of tank I used (although I think they were mainly Honeywell-Nikkor models). Samigon was not available at those times and I have no idea of the quality of the Samigon product.

I first began with tanks that had stainless tops but, later gravitated to those with plastic tops. The steel tops were often hard to get off and they sometimes let chemicals leak out as I rotated the tanks...

I had no problem with heat from my hands being transferred to the chemicals when using metal tanks because I most often held the tank with a towel.

The reels on the Nikkor tanks took experience to use but, after learning to use them, it was like riding a bicycle. You never forget how. I suspect that thirty or 35 years after I last used a Nikkor reel, that I could efficiently load one today...

[Ollokot]

Thank you all for your thoughts and comments.
John PM sent.

Pat.