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Photo Forum / Film Photography / Darkroom / March 2008Drum for use on Unicolor motorized base?
Hi, I wish I had searched the archives about the gasket problem with unicolor drums _before_ I bought two drums (8 x 10, 11 x 14) and motorized base on e-bay. I've been using the 8 x 10 drum for a short while and it started leaking rather severely. I've begun the process of experimentation with the gasket (as described in previous discussions on the topic) with little success so far. Needless to say: I am not happy. Life is too short to be dealing with this kind of problem. I just want to be printing pictures!!! So I'm thinking of just getting a different drum. I see for example that there are some inexpensive Premier drums on B&H. The question is: will I be able to use other mfctr's drums on the unicolor motor base? Moreoer, are their any particular brands that are better suited to the Unicolor base? And do all drums have this gasket problem, or is this problem unique to unicolor (perhaps explaining why they stopped selling them?). Someone could probably make a handy profit providing replacement gasketts for the Unicolor drums. But that doesn't seem to be in the cards. Thanks for the advice. --Phil > So I'm thinking of just getting a different drum. I see for example > that there are some inexpensive Premier drums on B&H. The question is: > will I be able to use other mfctr's drums on the unicolor motor base? If the drum is big enough to span the two wheels then it should be just fine. > Moreoer, are their any particular brands that are better suited to the > Unicolor base? What are you using the drums for? Film or paper? > And do all drums have this gasket problem, or is this problem unique > to unicolor (perhaps explaining why they stopped selling them?). I use various Jobo 2500 tanks on likely the exact same motorbase. I could check the model number but my motorbases are black. You can't use the smallest tanks but the mid size tanks or bigger will work just fine. I've used the 2551 [5 35mm reels or any other mix of reels that fit] and the 2581 [actually this is a small tank and an extension] both work just fine. The 2800 paper tanks are basically the same. They have a different insert in the lid and no centre column. The model numbers are different but the same rule applies. Avoid the smallest tank. The Jobo 1500 tanks won't fit without some sort of sleeve for the tank. Don't pay more for the tanks with cog lids. The motorbase works best with the cheaper tanks without the cog. No need for the base magnet so if you get a good deal on a tank with a cog lid just take the lid off and buy a new lid. Used on Ebay these tanks are fairly cheap. Really not much more money then the unicolors once you add in shipping. New the film tanks [2500 series] are pricey. The paper tanks [2800 series] aren't too bad new. The very biggest tank 2591 might not work. The problem would be the join between the extension and the base tank sitting in the middle of the motorbase. But that's only an issue if you really need 12 rolls of 35mm at once. They don't leak if you take any care closing the lid. I think that's it. If you go to the Jobo USA website just click until you find either the 2500 tanks or the 2800 tanks. Seeing the pictures will make it clear why you can't use the smallest tanks. Nick Nick Zentena <zentena@hophead.dyndns.org> wrote in message > What are you using the drums for? Film or paper? This is for paper only. > I use various Jobo 2500 tanks on likely the exact same motorbase. I could > check the model number but my motorbases are black. Mine is the Unicolor 352, also black. > You can't use the > smallest tanks but the mid size tanks or bigger will work just fine. Yeah, I've looked @ the web site and I see what you mean. > Don't pay more for the tanks with cog > lids. The motorbase works best with the cheaper tanks without the cog. No > need for the base magnet so if you get a good deal on a tank with a cog lid > just take the lid off and buy a new lid. Do you mean to say that the ones with the cog won't work at all on the Unicolor base. So far all I see on e-bay is the ones with the cog. Moreover, I checked B&H and don't see any plain lids for sale. Do you know where I would get the plain lid to replace the cog lid? > They don't leak if you take any care closing the lid. > Ah, that sounds like a joy. Thanks for sharing your experience -- it's a huge help! --Phil > Do you mean to say that the ones with the cog won't work at all on the > Unicolor base. So far all I see on e-bay is the ones with the cog. > Moreover, I checked B&H and don't see any plain lids for sale. Do you > know where I would get the plain lid to replace the cog lid? You'll need to close the cog hole. That doesn't sound right-)) I've heard of stuffing a rubber cork in the lid but getting the right lid is the best idea. I think with prints you might be using so little chemicals that it might not be an issue. http://www.jobo-usa.com/faq/drums_on_motorbase.htm I haven't tried it with the cog lid. I have a very vague memory that it might not be light tight if you don't block the hole. If you try Jobo USA tech support they should be able to tell you the part number for the lid and if you really need it. They likely can sell you the part to but ordering from B&H might be cheaper. I wouldn't say no to a tank with a cog lid. Two of mine started out like that and I picked up spare lids for them from the local distubutor. The lids I got came without the rubber cap or the beaker. You need to get the rubber cap but can take the beaker from the cog lid and use it on the non-cog lid. http://groups.google.ca/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&c2coff=1&frame=right& th=4165e3ebf7cca2de&seekm=1998052601234300.VAA23654%40ladder01.news.aol.com#link 2 That one is about the 3000 drums but addresses the cog lid a bit. There is some discussion of this in the google archives. Look for postings by KHOwen. Always good info. > Ah, that sounds like a joy. It's nice having one set of tanks that can handle everything from film to paper. One of these days I'll find a deal on a processor then the tanks will get used for that. But I think the unicolor base is actually better for B&W film then the processors. Nick > So I'm thinking of just getting a different drum. I see for example > that there are some inexpensive Premier drums on B&H. The question is: > will I be able to use other mfctr's drums on the unicolor motor base? I bought a couple of Beseler drums on eBay that I use with a Unicolor base. They work just fine. On 4/27/2004 5:37 PM Phil Glaser spake thus: > I wish I had searched the archives about the gasket problem with > unicolor drums _before_ I bought two drums (8 x 10, 11 x 14) and [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > And do all drums have this gasket problem, or is this problem unique > to unicolor (perhaps explaining why they stopped selling them?). My drum (8x10) says "Color by Beseler" and it doesn't leak. Is this a Unicolor drum or not? My base says "Unicolor Uniroller" and they came together as a set, so I'm guessing it is.  SignatureI was quickly apprised that an "RSS feed" was not, as I had naively imagined, some new and unspeakable form of sexual debauchery practised by young persons of dubious morality, but a way of providing news articles to the cybernetic publishing moguls of the World Wide Wait so they can fill the airwaves with even more useless drivel. - Cynical shop talk from comp.publish.prepress > My drum (8x10) says "Color by Beseler" and it doesn't leak. Is this a Unicolor > drum or not? My base says "Unicolor Uniroller" and they came together as a > set, so I'm guessing it is. Beseler and Unicolor are two different animals altogether. So, as others here have suggested, the Uniroller/other-brand-of-drum synchretism does indeed work. How many years of leak-free usage have you had from your Beseler drum? I accept what others are saying, that the leak problem is unique to Uniroller, but I want to hear directly from from a Beseler user (there's one on e-bay as I type). I want to be saved!!! I wanna believe!!! No more leaks!!! Thanks! --Phil On 4/28/2004 11:32 AM Phil Glaser spake thus: >> My drum (8x10) says "Color by Beseler" and it doesn't leak. Is this a Unicolor >> drum or not? My base says "Unicolor Uniroller" and they came together as a [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > (there's one on e-bay as I type). I want to be saved!!! I wanna > believe!!! No more leaks!!! Maybe I shouldn't have typed so fast: I forgot that my drum is a paper drum, not a film drum (which I assume yours is). But in any case, I've had almost a year of leak-free usage, plus the whole thing was used, so it probably has several/many years of being leak-free. SignatureI was quickly apprised that an "RSS feed" was not, as I had naively imagined, some new and unspeakable form of sexual debauchery practised by young persons of dubious morality, but a way of providing news articles to the cybernetic publishing moguls of the World Wide Wait so they can fill the airwaves with even more useless drivel. - Cynical shop talk from comp.publish.prepress My $0.25 to this discussion... Regarding the gasket of that unicolor 8x10 print drum (which I use for developing 4x5 sheet film): don't leave the drum in long term storage with the cap torqued/fastened down. Doing so will over time lead to the plastic gasket to crack. Leave the cap loose and that gasket will last for a long time. > On 4/28/2004 11:32 AM Phil Glaser spake thus: > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > year of leak-free usage, plus the whole thing was used, so it probably has > several/many years of being leak-free. > How many years of leak-free usage have you had from your Beseler drum? > I accept what others are saying, that the leak problem is unique to [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > --Phil Hi, Silly question, but did you put the cap on the end of the tube? I forgot to do that the first time (with the Beseler), but quickly learned the source of the "leaks". Also, I have used both types for years (film only) and have never had any problems, except of course for the aformentioned boneheaded mistake. Just try another tube. You can get them all day long at used photo stores/garage sales/ebay. And don't overfill! Most drums use a force fit, the Unicolor drum is unique (in my experience) in that it uses a screw on top. Gaskets used to be available from PSI (bought out Unicolor). Sorry, no longer have their address and phone number in Outlook. But Google has www.photosys.com (no longer active) and they have an eBay store http://stores.ebay.com/Photo-Systems-Inc-Store (and a phone number! 800-521-4042). Other paper drums work, if you're using a film drum, just screw the top on as tight as you can (I contemplate gluing mine on) and load the film reels through the other end and then put the piston in. Signaturedarkroommike ---------- > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > --Phil > Gaskets used to be available from PSI > (bought out Unicolor). I'll share for the sake of posterity that PSI does not have any more gaskets left. I called today and the woman on the phone said they had them until a year ago but they're all gone. I pleaded with her that they could make decent money selling them because there is a huge number of them being traded on ebay and the like, but she said they no longer have the machinery to make them. I _hate_ wasting a perfectly good drum, but the situation is hopeless. PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BUY THESE UNICOLOR DRUMS!!! --Phil >> Gaskets used to be available from PSI >> (bought out Unicolor). [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > good drum, but the situation is hopeless. PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BUY THESE > UNICOLOR DRUMS!!! Ridiculous. A gasket can be cut from easily available material. Someone mentioned that a gasket from an oil filter on a specific diesel fit perfectly. I see if I can find the post. Occasionally, drums come up on ePay with several extra gaskets. I have no intention of stopping the use of these drums. If the gaskets fail, I'll get something that replaces it. Then again, maybe you are trying to corner the market? :) Jon Several have scrove: > > > Gaskets used to be available from PSI > > > (bought out Unicolor). [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >A gasket can be cut from easily available material. Is the gasket a simple shape: O-ring or flat disk or the like? If so, can anyone post the size of the required gasket? A standard gasket may be available somewhere out in gasket-land. SignatureNicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. Remove spaces etc. to reply: n o lindan at net com dot com psst.. want to buy an f-stop timer? nolindan.com/da/fstop/ Nope, the external circumference of the gasket is round but the inner circumference has "fingers" that interface with protrusions on the lid. The material would seem to be polyethylene. Some drums use a second gasket made of "rubber" and very standard looking. Signaturedarkroommike ---------- > Several have scrove: > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > If so, can anyone post the size of the required gasket? A standard > gasket may be available somewhere out in gasket-land. > Nope, the external circumference of the gasket is round but the inner > circumference has "fingers" that interface with protrusions on the lid. Nope is right, doesn't sound very standard to me. > Some drums use a second gasket made > of "rubber" and very standard looking. Now here there is hope SignatureNicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics. Remove spaces etc. to reply: n o lindan at net com dot com psst.. want to buy an f-stop timer? nolindan.com/da/fstop/ > Nope, the external circumference of the gasket is round but the inner > circumference has "fingers" that interface with protrusions on the lid. The [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > -- > darkroommike If whoever started this discussion, meaning the person who is actually looking for drum gaskets for a Unicolor drum, wants to contact me directly, I can put him onto a photo store which has a number of Unicolor drum parts and gaskets of several sizes. They consider them "next to junk" and would be happy to sell them for a modest price, or at least that was the story when I refitted my Filmdrum last month. >> Nope, the external circumference of the gasket is round but the inner >> circumference has "fingers" that interface with protrusions on the lid. The [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >be happy to sell them for a modest price, or at least that was the story >when I refitted my Filmdrum last month. I know this is an old thread and I am not the original poster. However, I would still like to know which photo store may have parts for the Unicolor drums, and the Unicolor Filmdrum in particular, as my large O-ring on the adjustable end cap literally disintegrated into powder on an otherwise perfect Filmdrum. I can also confirm that PSI has absolutely no interest in supporting their discontinued products as they simply told me in an email to watch for used items on eBay. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help with locating a functional spare or an alternative for this O-Ring. Silver-and-Silicon Personally I like the Beseler drums the best. Unicolor blows chunks as you and I found. I have a 16x20 and an 8x10 Beseler drum that I've been using for about 10 years and they haven't let me down yet. > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > --Phil |
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