Developing Reel for Minox B, C, LX, EC (8x11, Paterson & Jobo)

Film from these cameras:

• Minox Riga, A, B, C, BL
• Minox LX, TLX, CLX
• Minox EC, ECX, AX
• Acmel MD and variants
• Sharan replicas

Developing tanks:

• Paterson (Super System 4)
• Jobo (1500 series)
• AP

• Paterson / AP / Kaiser: 1x developing reel for 8x11 film (9.2mm wide)
• Jobo 15xx: 1x developing reel for 8x11 film (9.2mm wide)

• Film format: 9.2mm (Minox 8x11)
• Fit: standard center column diameter (Paterson / AP / Jobo 1500)
• Colour: black
• Material: engineering plastic, chemical-resistant
• Made in Germany quality
• SKU: 1505

This developing reel takes 9.2 mm wide Minox 8x11 film, for example from the Minox B, C, BL, LX, EC or AX. Depending on the version you choose, it fits the center column of Paterson tanks (Super System 4), AP and Kaiser tanks, or Jobo 1500 series tanks.

Developing reels for 8x11 film are hard to find these days, and standard reels can’t hold the narrow strip from your Minox. With this reel, you can develop 8x11 film in the daylight developing tank you already own.

The reel slides onto the center column of your tank, holds the film in place and lets the chemistry flow evenly around it. Its chemical-resistant construction stands up to contact with developer and fixer. Besides Paterson, AP and Jobo (1500 series), the reel also fits the center column of Kaiser tanks. Made in-house in Germany.

Before loading the strip onto the reel, trim both corners at the leading end at a 45-degree angle. This gives the film a pointed tip that feeds in smoothly without snagging. As with Paterson reels for 35mm and 120, you twist the two flanges back and forth against each other. Unlike those reels, though, this one has no ball-bearing feed: guide the film at the entry slot with your thumb, or it will slip back out as you turn. The reel must be completely dry. If the film catches, pull it back a little and start again. Practicing once in daylight with a scrap strip makes loading in the dark much easier.

Is loading difficult? It’s harder than with 35mm or 120, and we’d rather tell you up front. The reel is too small for the steel ball that pulls the film in on self-loading reels, and the ribs that guide the film along its edges have to stay thin: beside the 8x11 frame, the film has only about 0.6 mm of margin, and thicker ribs would shade the edge of the image. As a result, one side of the film can jump into the adjacent turn of the spiral as you rotate the reel. Where it rests against it, the chemistry can’t reach, leaving an undeveloped patch on the negative. So practice loading in the light first, as described in the practical tip. Thin rubber gloves also help, because they give your fingers a better grip on the film.

Which version do I need? For Paterson (Super System 4), AP and Kaiser tanks, choose the Paterson / AP / Kaiser version; for Jobo 1500 series tanks, choose the Jobo 15xx version.

How many reels fit in one tank? Up to six, stacked on top of each other, in a standard tank that would otherwise hold two rolls of 35mm film.

Which Minox films can I develop with it? 9.2 mm wide 8x11 film from the Minox Riga, A, B, C, BL, LX, TLX, CLX, EC, ECX and AX, as well as from the Acmel MD and the Sharan replicas.

This reel is part of the Minox 8x11 System: cutting film, loading cassettes, developing and scanning, all from a single source. Find out more in the system overview and the Minox 8x11 Guide.