My first Minox dev tank, this. Bought in 1997, heavily used (and I mean really used, not abused though), repaired at some point (glued a crack in the upper lip of the thing, and reinforced with a band of aluminium), gloss gone a long time ago, but by Jove, what a marvellous piece of Minox kit this is.
The design of this tank is a true feat of imagination, which is the case with most of the things Zapp had invented. A grooved spiral, etched on a bakelite cylinder, for holding the film. A tank head, designed in such a way that allows a 8×11 cassette to be inserted in, then one puts the head of the tank on, closing it.
Then, in full day light, all one has to do is to turn the tank core clockwise, and this movement of the core takes the film out of the cassette and wind it onto the grooved spiral. When the film is completely out of cassette and wound onto the said spiral, one stops. For more information on how to load film into a Minox dev tank, please see this article here.
Pour in the chemicals (62-65ml), agitate (or not) with various implements, and this is where the Minox thermometer comes handy, for some. While it is not mandatory to use this thermometer, it is advisable to use it at least for measuring the temp inside the tank. I do understand and appreciate that many choose not to pump the solution in the tank for agitation, but I do, although not always. The thermometer shape is perfect for creating a sort of pressure in the tank well and so to agitate the chemicals inside (think Rodinal 1+100).
This is the old version of the Minox daylight dev tank, it takes film strips up to 50 exp length. The later ones, which are mentioned elsewhere on this site accept 15 or 36 exp exp film only, with the use of an adapter. But for the sake of explanation, these models function in exactly the same way, no difference.
One word of advice though, if I may: take care of this tank, because the material it is made from can easily break. The bakelite is known to react funny to high temperatures, and if you drop it on a hard surface, bad news.
Although using this piece of kit does not really requires a manual for it, one can be found here.
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