The Lomo Film Tank

Here is my lovely UPB-1A Lomo motion film development tank. It holds 50ft of 35mm and 100ft (2x 50ft reels) of 16 or 8mm film.

100ft tanks exist but apparently they are very rare. 50ft tanks can be found easily on the internet try EBay. They are perfect for Super 8 (50ft) and Double 8mm (25ft (split in half to make 50ft of Standard 8)), Make sure that you are buying a full set however, tanks do get advertised with missing parts. 16mm is compromised by the fact that the 100ft reel needs dividing into two (in the middle of your best shot!). I imported mine from the Ukraine and it is in mint condition. There are a number of processing tanks out there but Lomo seems to have the reputation of being the best. If you are interested in playing with motion film development but don’t wish to invest in a tank, there are options available to you. There is an interesting project to build a tank with things found at the local DIY store at: http://www.peaceman.de/blog/index.php/inexpensive-super-8-home-processing-tank

Here is a method that I found a reference to but little else about that was used during the war,  apron development. If you have access to waste film stock of the gauge and length you wish to process, preferably with sprocket holes on both sides (you could buy some film leader), then you can use this along with some thread and a tin. I’d probably use nylon fishing line. Thread this in and out of the sprocket holes from end to end on both sides, this is your apron. Load the apron and the exposed film onto an appropriate gauge film reel side by side, the apron sandwiches the film with a gap all the way around the reel where the image cells will be, due to the thread. This enables your chemicals to come into contact with and develop them. place this reel in a close fitting tin and develop in the normal way.

The Lomo tank reels work due to an interference fit between the reel and the film being loaded. The film access between the two halves when assembled is just smaller than the width of the film to be loaded. It is the same width as the film, at the bottom of the spiral. The film must be twisted slightly to enter the two halfs of the Lomo reel when being fed off from the exposed film reel being loaded. Once the film is fastened into place at the centre and the reel is spun, the tugging of the rotation on to the film pulls it into the groove allowing the film to sit unbent which is how it naturally wants to be.

Tuning the Lomo tank
The Lomo tank has two reels that can be loaded into the tank at the same time. It is worth noting that the second spiral rarely loads flawlessly out of the box and requires ‘tuning’ to work properly. I have not tuned mine and it does snag if you try to load it. I may make a demo video of it being tuned in the future.

Loading the reels
I have now performed many test loads of the tank reel with 8 and 16mm film in order to build some muscle memory and become familiar with the process steps, to be prepared for when it comes to performing it in the dark. I have also done 35mm several times however I can’t imagine ever getting the opportunity to use the tank to process it. The 35mm did though load up easily and flawlessly every time. I think due to the wider film width allowing it to bend easier and more along its width surface.
There is a technique to the loading the reels but it is quick to pick up. Spinning of the reel should be smooth and the hand holding the film needs to release it under a little tension and at an angle. The angle is less pronounced with the 35mm and the film can feed off the camera cassette almost parallel to the spiral reel with Super 8. You can gently feel through the holes in the top frame half of the reel to make sure its loading properly and get some idea of how far you are on. You can generally feel if it is not loading correctly (snags etc.).
I have recorded demonstrations of loading all three into the tank which I shall edit and post in the near future.

Filling the tank with Fluid
All advice from users is to fill the tank from the drain tube and never the built funnel, as it is quicker to fill through the tube and less messy. I did try to fill with the built in funnel with my first fill of the tank with the borax as an experiment and can only agree with them. I carried on the process filling through the tube with a funnel attached that I had got specifically for that job

Tank modification
Users also recommended blocking the drain hole in the built in funnel with a piece of gaffer tape or similar as the hole allows a spot of light to enter the tank. If it is being filled through the tube it shouldn’t be getting full with liquid anyway.
I made a semi-permanent fix. I took a small piece of rubber and sanded it to a long cone shape, so the end would fit through the hole and then pulled it through with pliers until no more would pull through. This corks the hole nicely. I sliced off the protruding ends and made it neat. This can easily be picked out if necessary, but it stops you having to replace tape constantly.