I saw ads for this device all the time and I appreciate seeing it in actual use! Wish you had shown us your developed film - how you took it out of the tank and dried it! Even so, this seems a wholey impractical way to develop film. Winding and winding and winding, just to get a negative? To do reversal B&W (nevermind color) would be SO MUCH WINDING! It seems your development time - 20 minutes - is about double what you'd use for a standard tank.
Thanks for sharing the video! I have a morse, haven't used it yet though. I have some exposed reversal film to develop but not quite sure what I'm doing yet.
It should be noted that the Arkay tank you have does not allow for second exposure to light after initial development to reverse the image and redevelop like the Morse tank. That's what the window on the Morse tank is for. So, negative process only on the Arkay tank. No reversal possible. Also, because reversal processing is possible in the Morse tank, emulsion needs to be wound facing out, ( on the initial spool up from daylight spool to left side reel, criss cross from right to left, place empty spool after spool up, thread film into empty spool on the right side, run film between roller and window, close tank, tilt tank down on right side, add 500 ml h2o and roll film onto right side reel through water bath for prewetting film, (critical), with lid still on drain water from tank and begin development. Remember the emulsion must face window for second exposure.)
Many thanks for this demo. I made a DIY spiral tank for processing some rolls of super 8 BW neg, but now I'm ready to process a 100ft roll of 16mm BW neg. I've been thinking of making a larger version of my spiral tank, but this Morse method seems like another option too. I have a few questions though... With the Morse tank, it seems the film is always in the developer, but most of the time tightly wound on the reels... So the film is only really exposed to the developer as it passes between the reels in motion. How does one calculate the correct development time for this? Thanks again Chris.
Hi Gerald , what’s your recommendations to dry the 100 feet roll ? As for 35 mm as it’s only 4/5 feet, they dry hanging, clipped on a string but how should I do for 100 feet . Also should I pass my squeegee like I do for 35mm to have less water marks ? Thanks so much. Looking forward to hear from you and start the process . Best C
I just purchased a Morse G3 from eBay recently and can not wait to use it. From what you are saying it is perfectly fine to to turn back on the lights once the film is in place and the lid back on? The one I have can do 35mm as well.
Hey there! Can u make a video showing ECN-2 proces? For color cine film. Im planning to buy a Morse G3 tank, and wanted to know thhe process of developing colour at home. Planning to make my own lab in the future. Thank u for this video mate.
I have used many drying systems and it always depends upon season, amount of film, and access to facilities. My favorite method is when I'm working in the summer during the day with a group. We take the film outside and lay it across large lawns in the sun. It dries in less than five minutes and can be wound up with minimum tangling. Surprisingly, most dirt and grass falls off quickly and easily as you wind with no problems. Otherwise, I seek ways to hand the film. If it above freezing outside and isn't raining or snowing (I am in Canada) I have clothes line and I clip it onto that so that it loops up and down, not touching the ground. Depending on weather, it can dry in 15-30 minutes. I also hang it up different places inside. I try to find ways to use clothes pin to pin it to the ceiling or to high up objects. This is not optimal as it can create a very chaotic room and can take a couple of hours to dry. A single roll might be able to hand in the bathroom, up and down over the shower. I have known people who use a clothes dryer to dry film. You must be careful not to use heat as it would melt the film. I think that the people who do this care even less about scratches than I do. Remember not to wind up the film wet as it will fuse together and the emulsion will peel off and be ruined. If you have multiple rolls but only room to hang one roll to dry, you can leave the others immersed in water until it is their turn. I've left film in water for a few days without problem (but a few weeks can be a disaster).
@@GeraldSaul Gerald, thank you for your response. I would like to share what I am about to fabricate for the drying process. I will be using a large hanging vinyl garment bag. Available here: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000TQF1Y/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I will cut a square hole on the bottom which will be covered from the inside with an air filter. I will place a nylon screen on top of that. Then I use a porcelain light socket with a 75Watt bulb. I will make a 'hat' out of aluminum foil and place it on top of the bulb to prevent it from bursting from liquid dripping on to it. The garment bag has a second hanging wire from which I will loop a 100' length of 16mm film. Doing the math there is just about enough side-to-side room on the hanger to accommodate 100' of 17.5mm width. This means it will not accommodate a 35mm width @ 100'. I will try to do a DYI video later. In the meant time do you have any developing formulas to share? I will be processing Double-X 7222 Neg probably use the standard D-96 unless you recommend otherwise? I also have some Plus-X Neg 7231 that have been kept in a freezer! The last of Greatest high silver motion picture film stock! I believe development times will be the same betwixt in 7222 and 7231? Any advice you have to offer? I will be eternally grateful!
The Restoration of Dr Who because the instructions for developer are literally written on the bottle, and you use different developers to get different results.
For Kodak B+W Negative 7222, labs use Kodak D-96. The main element is finding out how to compensate for reel to reel vs. spiral reel development times? The formula on Massive Dev Chart at Digitaltruth.com lists 5222 in D-96 Stock Solution 200 ISO is 6.5 minutes at 68°. How much to add for the rewind method has to be determined. Anyone? Here is a link to the Kodak datasheet: www.kodak.com/uploadedfiles/motion/US_plugins_acrobat_en_motion_support_processing_h2415_h2415.pdf
This is only valid for negative film, right ? I think if you want to process reversal stock, you have to reexpose it, which make things more difficult.
Yes. As double 8 is the same width as the 16mm so it would fit into this device without problem. There is no method of splitting the film within this device and I've never split my own film so I have no advice on that point.
You really should have complete darkness during the loading process. The loading can be done while everything is dry so you can usually create a make-shift black chamber with blankets that would suffice (with all lights off as well).
The problem with fast developers and this tank is contact time. Since the winding time is not well controlled and considering that film at the ends when the circumference of the roll is larger gives those parts some extra development time, the G3 gives a more even result with a less active developer. I love the spiral tanks but they take extra attention and practice and are not great for beginners.
@@GeraldSaul it is taking me some time to sneak up on how to use them. The starting loading groove on a Lomo Pro 30m was cleaned of a little debre at the corner this morning so film would lay flat on top. If you have one you know what that is.
Remjet is not present on Black & White Cine films. If you are planning to do ECN-2 chemistry on color negative stock then you will have to do a pre-soak and a Remjet removal bath. Sodium Bicarbonate usually.
My usual system is much sloppier and less structured and not a chore. This tank method requires greater attention to detail, but still not really a chore.
I'm curious about the nature of how the rolls were ruined. Most commonly I have seen rolls being under-developed, but in rare occasions there have been other types of even more catastrophic failure.
@@GeraldSaul That was in 1989; from what I can recollect from my memory, I followed the directions with respect to temperatures and time and for some unknown reason I was unable to see anything - not even a faint image. That was using B&W chemicals. If I had gotten a faint image, I would have kept trying.
I saw ads for this device all the time and I appreciate seeing it in actual use! Wish you had shown us your developed film - how you took it out of the tank and dried it!
Even so, this seems a wholey impractical way to develop film. Winding and winding and winding, just to get a negative? To do reversal B&W (nevermind color) would be SO MUCH WINDING! It seems your development time - 20 minutes - is about double what you'd use for a standard tank.
Very good tutorial. Got me to try to buy one of these tanks.
I have a same tank for years, I'll give it a try...
Thanks for sharing the video! I have a morse, haven't used it yet though. I have some exposed reversal film to develop but not quite sure what I'm doing yet.
It should be noted that the Arkay tank you have does not allow for second exposure to light after initial development to reverse the image and redevelop like the Morse tank. That's what the window on the Morse tank is for. So, negative process only on the Arkay tank. No reversal possible. Also, because reversal processing is possible in the Morse tank, emulsion needs to be wound facing out, ( on the initial spool up from daylight spool to left side reel, criss cross from right to left, place empty spool after spool up, thread film into empty spool on the right side, run film between roller and window, close tank, tilt tank down on right side, add 500 ml h2o and roll film onto right side reel through water bath for prewetting film, (critical), with lid still on drain water from tank and begin development. Remember the emulsion must face window for second exposure.)
Many thanks for this demo.
I made a DIY spiral tank for processing some rolls of super 8 BW neg, but now I'm ready to process a 100ft roll of 16mm BW neg. I've been thinking of making a larger version of my spiral tank, but this Morse method seems like another option too.
I have a few questions though... With the Morse tank, it seems the film is always in the developer, but most of the time tightly wound on the reels... So the film is only really exposed to the developer as it passes between the reels in motion.
How does one calculate the correct development time for this?
Thanks again Chris.
Really interesting.Thanks.
Hi Gerald , what’s your recommendations to dry the 100 feet roll ? As for 35 mm as it’s only 4/5 feet, they dry hanging, clipped on a string but how should I do for 100 feet . Also should I pass my squeegee like I do for 35mm to have less water marks ? Thanks so much. Looking forward to hear from you and start the process . Best C
I just purchased a Morse G3 from eBay recently and can not wait to use it. From what you are saying it is perfectly fine to to turn back on the lights once the film is in place and the lid back on? The one I have can do 35mm as well.
Hey there! Can u make a video showing ECN-2 proces? For color cine film.
Im planning to buy a Morse G3 tank, and wanted to know thhe process of developing colour at home.
Planning to make my own lab in the future.
Thank u for this video mate.
Thank you!
Does anyone know what the development times would be for 100ft of 16mm kodak vision 3 film would be,the ecn-2 chemistry.
GS, thanks for posting and sharing your knowledge. How do you dry 100' of film?
I have used many drying systems and it always depends upon season, amount of film, and access to facilities. My favorite method is when I'm working in the summer during the day with a group. We take the film outside and lay it across large lawns in the sun. It dries in less than five minutes and can be wound up with minimum tangling. Surprisingly, most dirt and grass falls off quickly and easily as you wind with no problems. Otherwise, I seek ways to hand the film. If it above freezing outside and isn't raining or snowing (I am in Canada) I have clothes line and I clip it onto that so that it loops up and down, not touching the ground. Depending on weather, it can dry in 15-30 minutes. I also hang it up different places inside. I try to find ways to use clothes pin to pin it to the ceiling or to high up objects. This is not optimal as it can create a very chaotic room and can take a couple of hours to dry. A single roll might be able to hand in the bathroom, up and down over the shower.
I have known people who use a clothes dryer to dry film. You must be careful not to use heat as it would melt the film. I think that the people who do this care even less about scratches than I do.
Remember not to wind up the film wet as it will fuse together and the emulsion will peel off and be ruined.
If you have multiple rolls but only room to hang one roll to dry, you can leave the others immersed in water until it is their turn. I've left film in water for a few days without problem (but a few weeks can be a disaster).
@@GeraldSaul Gerald, thank you for your response. I would like to share what I am about to fabricate for the drying process. I will be using a large hanging vinyl garment bag. Available here: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000TQF1Y/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I will cut a square hole on the bottom which will be covered from the inside with an air filter. I will place a nylon screen on top of that. Then I use a porcelain light socket with a 75Watt bulb. I will make a 'hat' out of aluminum foil and place it on top of the bulb to prevent it from bursting from liquid dripping on to it. The garment bag has a second hanging wire from which I will loop a 100' length of 16mm film. Doing the math there is just about enough side-to-side room on the hanger to accommodate 100' of 17.5mm width. This means it will not accommodate a 35mm width @ 100'. I will try to do a DYI video later. In the meant time do you have any developing formulas to share? I will be processing Double-X 7222 Neg probably use the standard D-96 unless you recommend otherwise? I also have some Plus-X Neg 7231 that have been kept in a freezer! The last of Greatest high silver motion picture film stock! I believe development times will be the same betwixt in 7222 and 7231? Any advice you have to offer? I will be eternally grateful!
Why does everyone always give half the developing info? What type of developer do you use? What ratio?
because the instructions are all on the developers and they vary.
Nick M But this clearly works so why go through the pain of figuring out that your own ratio and developer doesn’t work?
The Restoration of Dr Who because the instructions for developer are literally written on the bottle, and you use different developers to get different results.
For Kodak B+W Negative 7222, labs use Kodak D-96. The main element is finding out how to compensate for reel to reel vs. spiral reel development times? The formula on Massive Dev Chart at Digitaltruth.com lists 5222 in D-96 Stock Solution 200 ISO is 6.5 minutes at 68°. How much to add for the rewind method has to be determined. Anyone? Here is a link to the Kodak datasheet: www.kodak.com/uploadedfiles/motion/US_plugins_acrobat_en_motion_support_processing_h2415_h2415.pdf
@@imageminister this is what I would like to know, did you find an answer to this?
This is only valid for negative film, right ? I think if you want to process reversal stock, you have to reexpose it, which make things more difficult.
There is also a Morse tank with a window for re-exposure.
Did I hear right that you CAN use the G3 for double 8?
Yes. As double 8 is the same width as the 16mm so it would fit into this device without problem. There is no method of splitting the film within this device and I've never split my own film so I have no advice on that point.
Hi , thanks for the video. Do you have to be in complete darkness or you can do that at night with really low light ? Thanks
You really should have complete darkness during the loading process. The loading can be done while everything is dry so you can usually create a make-shift black chamber with blankets that would suffice (with all lights off as well).
2 minuets on a spiral in D-94 is enough to develop it. I wonder how many passes it would take in a rewind tank.
The problem with fast developers and this tank is contact time. Since the winding time is not well controlled and considering that film at the ends when the circumference of the roll is larger gives those parts some extra development time, the G3 gives a more even result with a less active developer. I love the spiral tanks but they take extra attention and practice and are not great for beginners.
@@GeraldSaul it is taking me some time to sneak up on how to use them. The starting loading groove on a Lomo Pro 30m was cleaned of a little debre at the corner this morning so film would lay flat on top. If you have one you know what that is.
Hello there... what kind of developer and fix did you use and the quantity? and what abou the film remjet?
Remjet is not present on Black & White Cine films. If you are planning to do ECN-2 chemistry on color negative stock then you will have to do a pre-soak and a Remjet removal bath. Sodium Bicarbonate usually.
Is it worth anything
I never knew developing 16mm film was a chore
My usual system is much sloppier and less structured and not a chore. This tank method requires greater attention to detail, but still not really a chore.
Is there a bigger tank you can use to develop 35mm film?
Hi, Can i use a super 8 in this tank?
I tried that twice when I was in college and ruined two rolls of film.
I'm curious about the nature of how the rolls were ruined. Most commonly I have seen rolls being under-developed, but in rare occasions there have been other types of even more catastrophic failure.
@@GeraldSaul That was in 1989; from what I can recollect from my memory, I followed the directions with respect to temperatures and time and for some unknown reason I was unable to see anything - not even a faint image. That was using B&W chemicals. If I had gotten a faint image, I would have kept trying.