Ilford Roll Film Processors

ILFORD LTD PHOTOFINISHING EQUIPMENT

The BJA for 1960 in the "New Goods" section illustrates and describes the "Ilford Roll Film Processor." The text and the photograph would have been created in 1959 or before. The machine illustrated differs from the machines I saw and operated in 1964 and 1965. I assume this processor is a proto type; there are no guards fitted. Compare it with the image bellow of the processor being used by a young woman. This machine had to used in total darkness and to use it without the guards fitted was very dangerous. A patent application was filed for the lifting and transfer mechanism of this machine in 1962 by George Martin Brown of Ilford Limited. These processors were badged as Ilford machines and were designed and made by Ilford Ltd. However in Jack Coote's "Photofinishing Techniques" he describes a later Ilford Dual Track Colour Processor as a Kennington. This  colour machine was a development of the original Ilford design by K&B, it used the same but scaled up lifting mechanism and the hanger bars are similar but much smaller only hold three films on each bar.

Here is the text from the BJA 1960 "New Goods" section. The machine cost £750 with 50 hanger bars and the recirculation and replenishment units. A big investment in 1960. I am not sure if the word "Photomation" has ever made it into the Oxford English Dictionary.

As well as the hanger bars the finisher needed film clips; a double clip at the top to carry the film and its identifying ticket and a weighted bottom clip. The top clip had to be an Ilford one but the bottom clip was not critical as long as it was of the weighted variety. Often a finisher would recycle the bottom clips that they had been used for deep tank processing and a variety of types would be in use. The "Kodak Self Draining Bottom Film Clip" along with the Kodak Double Clip had been around probably from before WW2. The double clip was a milestone in photofinishing history as it attempted to overcome the ticket-film crossovers that had plagued the industry. A W Richardson of Kodak Limited invented the double clip.

The Ilford Roll Film Processor needed a dedicated Ilford top clip with a single hole to attach it to the hanger bar. Ilford also supplied a weighted bottom clip of a crocodile type. Lead weights were clipped into the stainless steel clips when manufactured. I do not know who manufactured the Ilford clips but Kayfro Limited of Sheffield did manufacture stainless print tongs for Ilford in 1946 and may have made these clips.

These bottom clips made their way into the colour era through the continued recycling. With the Kodak C22 colour negative process the clips continued to give sterling service. However by the mid 1970s Kodak Process C41 had been introduced and although the Kodak clips continued to perform well the Ilford ones developed problems. The chemistry of C41 was corrosive to the lead weights and eventually the reduced in size weights would fall out.

For more information about film clips click here.

The Ilford Roll Film Processor was used in conjunction with a companion drying tunnel. Light traps allowed the films to drop out at the other end of the tunnel in daylight. The hanger bars would drop onto retaining arms and a bell would ring if more than  three bars were at the end of the tunnel.

The processor was reliable up to a point. At Chadwicks in Great Yarmouth in 1964 I used one of  these processors and the rule was not to put hanger bars onto every lift but to use alternate lifts to avoid hangers bumping into each other. In addition chemical could drip onto the side tracks and some times a rod would stick and lay at an angle. The lifting arms could then collide the offending bar and the arms would break. The arms breaking off was a safety device fitted to prevent severed limbs. At the time I was 15 and on reflection these machines were quite hazardous as they were operated in total darkness. Trying to sort out a jam with the machine still running was not recommended.