E6 and the JOBO PROCESSOR
By Eric Weatherill (Area 11).
My JOBO processor has been in use for many years, giving no problems until the magnet dropped off last July! It is now re-fixed and ready for another twenty years.
E6 processing is quite simple because apart from the first developer, little harm can be done by `over-cooking` in the other chemicals. The outline below has been used for hundreds of films. It may bring a few `tut-tuts` from purists, but for me - it works.
TEST-STRIPS - Whenever I mix up a new batch of chemicals my first film for processing is a short test strip of a coloured test-card and half-a-dozen equally colourful shots. This not only demonstrates that I have mixed everything correctly, it also allows for an adjustment of time (or preferably temperature) if needed to tweak the slides to the density I prefer.
PREPARATION - To bring the temperatures of the bottles up to 38C, fill the water-bath with water at about 33C and let the heater warm them up to 38C. If you pour hotter water into the bath and the chemicals get too hot it can be quite a problem to cool them down quickly and evenly. Stand the loaded tank in the bath too, to warm it up.
The temperature of the tank itself will be around 1C below the temperature of the water bath. Make sure the level of water in the bath is high enough for an appreciable area of the tank`s surface to be immersed.
Using a chinagraph pencil, mark a measuring-jar at the volume of chemicals required for the tank in use. I fill the next chemicals up to this mark quite early and stand the jar in the water bath ready for use. This speeds up things considerably.
PROCESSING (Cont ag = Continuous agitation)
1. First Developer - this is the only one which must have the exact time/temp. combination. Cont Ag should speed up processing slightly when compared with half-minute inversions, but I work with standard times with no problems.
2. Wash - I do all washing and rinses off the processor. This first wash is given 4 mins in line with the latest thoughts. The tank lid stays on until the final wash.
3. Reversal - Use 2 mins cont ag when fresh. Increase to 3 mins in steps as it is used.
4. Brief rinses - Don`t open the tank, pour in enough water to fill it, then pour it straight out again.
5. Colour developer - 6 mins cont ag. Development is to saturation and cannot be over-done.
6. Wash - Brief rinse as above, then 3 baths at half-min intervals.
7. Conditioner - 2 mins cont ag.
8. Bleach - 7 mins cont ag. (Does the agitation aerate the bleach at the same time?). If you are in a rush, take the lid off after 5 mins and check that the film is in uniform blue. If not carry on.
9. After the bleach I give a double rinse.
10. Fix - 4 mins cont ag. Again there is a clear change of colour and time can be cut using inspection as with bleach.
11. Final wash and stabilising done off the processor.
Using the Jobo, with no problems about temperature and with standard agitation, takes all the worries out of E6 processing. It just gets boring. I watch TV.