Developing B&W sheet film at home for a total beginner!

[mbodine]

Hi All,

I'm evaluating my options for developing film at home because it's so expensive to have done professionally. I have been shooting 9x12cm sheet film and don't have access to a completely dark room. I do have a changing bag to that I use to load the film. I've been looking at the options, and this tank seems like a good option: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...customerReview

Anybody have advice about using tanks like that? Or advice in getting started with developing in general?

Thanks,

Mike

[Lou Baleur]

In my experience, those tanks are hard to load, very cumbersome to use or agitate, and use a lot of chemistry. They work but will turn you off of home developing. For a beginner who wants to develop multiple sheets, I'd recommend getting a beseler motor base and tube with appropriate inserts for your size sheet film. You can use it in the daylight and they use considerably less chemistry--so little that you can use your chemicals as "one shot" and not think you're throwing good chemicals down the drain. The tubes are just as messy, but much easier and more consistent, in my experience. A small 8x10 tube will hold at least 4 of your sheets and will use maybe 4 oz--maybe 3--it's been a while since I've used an 8x10 tube.

or you can lightproof the bathroom with cardboard, tinfoil, tape, whatever, and tray develop. Very cheapest option. Or even try to tray develop in the changing bag. It's possible but will probably give you a big a mess problem inside the bag. Perhaps build a large plastic tray bottomed cardboard topped "processing box" to tray develop in daylight. You can use a cut up changing bag to make the arm sleeves for daylight processing.

[JeffBradford]

Try using an interior room at night with the door closed and all the lights in the house off. If there is a window, cover it. Maybe hang a blanket over the inside of the bathroom door and put plywood over the tub for a work surface. I was able to lay out four 8x10 trays on mine. I do one sheet at a time, continuous agitation by gently rocking the tray - alternating tipping up the front edge then the side edge 20 times each, repeating until the timer beeps.

[Doremus Scudder]

Tray processing is cheapest and the most low-tech. Years ago I built a small plywood sink that stood on legs over the tub in my bathroom. I could set it up and darken the window and door in just a few minutes. I still tray develop in 5x7 trays just like then in my U.S. darkroom and in my makeshift darkroom/bathroom in Vienna.
Really, setting out four or five 5x7 trays doesn't take much room. There is a learning curve to tray developing, but if you are moderately dexterous, you can master that with a little practice. The challenge, it seems to me, is finding a dark place to work.

If you really can't make a dark space to work in, you'll have to load a tank or tube in the changing bag and develop in daylight. There are lots of options, from the Beseler tubes mentioned above to the more expensive Jobo as well as tanks in all kinds of sizes. Many here have had success for small-volume processing with the SP-445 tank. The first generation had some problems with the filmholder-inserts, but I believe this has been corrected in the second generation.
Here's a link: https://www.freestylephoto.biz/44510...th-Two-Holders

Best,

Doremus

[Pere Casals]

I also consider tray development the straightest way, for that I use xtol 1:1 so it covers well the sheets without wasting developer (and one shot usage), I do development in darkness, then I move sheets to another tray with stop bath. Once sheets are in the stop bath for some 15 seconds you can open lights because development is stopped and later you can also fix also with lights open. By viewing the time fixer takes to clear the sheet you know how fresh fixer remains...

You can do that with 4x5 sized trays or use a 8x10 able tray to process 4 sheets at a time, in that case just use hot glue to place some sticks working as separators .





Of course if you want you can develop each of the 4 sheets with different time by dipping each particular sheet soon or later.

This would give you time to explore what daylight tank system you want (SP-445 looks nice), still that tray development is very flexible because you can process one sheet with N time and another one with N-2 time, because that I often use it, this is amazing ! Also you can process a TMX sheet at same time than an HP5 sheet because you may take off each sheet at the right time.

A problem with that is controlling times without throwing light on the sheets, I was using an old watch with phosphorescent clock hands.

A big improvement is using a "Doran" like "paper safe" as a tray, you can also glue the separator sticks there, and when you close the door you can open lights if you want.

[aclark]

I also consider tray development the straightest way, for that I use xtol 1:1 so it covers well the sheets without wasting developer (and one shot usage), I do development in darkness, then I move sheets to another tray with stop bath. Once sheets are in the stop bath for some 15 seconds you can open lights because development is stopped and later you can also fix also with lights open. By viewing the time fixer takes to clear the sheet you know how fresh fixer remains...

You can do that with 4x5 sized trays or use a 8x10 able tray to process 4 sheets at a time, in that case just use hot glue to place some sticks working as separators .





Of course if you want you can develop each of the 4 sheets with different time by dipping each particular sheet soon or later.

This would give you time to explore what daylight tank system you want (SP-445 looks nice), still that tray development is very flexible because you can process one sheet with N time and another one with N-2 time, because that I often use it, this is amazing ! Also you can process a TMX sheet at same time than an HP5 sheet because you may take off each sheet at the right time.

A problem with that is controlling times without throwing light on the sheets, I was using an old watch with phosphorescent clock hands.

A big improvement is using a "Doran" like "paper safe" as a tray, you can also glue the separator sticks there, and when you close the door you can open lights if you want.

I used a tray with dividers like this for a number of years. My dividers were plastic rawlplugs. I didn't find it necessary to transfer the film to a different tray for stop bath and fixing. The sheets of film stick to the bottom of the tray by suction when you tip the tray up to pour the developer out. The stop bath is then poured into the same tray - in the dark of course - then this is poured out and the fixer poured in. Then, with the light on the fixer is poured out and the film is washed in the same tray. Before you start the whole process you prepare everything by having the developer, stop bath and fixer set out in three different containers. Three different sized jugs helps, so each can be distinguished in the dark. And it helps that each sheet of film is placed one at a time into a dry tray prior to the developer being poured in.

Alan

[Pere Casals]

I used a tray with dividers like this for a number of years. My dividers were plastic rawlplugs. I didn't find it necessary to transfer the film to a different tray for stop bath and fixing. The sheets of film stick to the bottom of the tray by suction when you tip the tray up to pour the developer out. The stop bath is then poured into the same tray - in the dark of course - then this is poured out and the fixer poured in. Then, with the light on the fixer is poured out and the film is washed in the same tray. Before you start the whole process you prepare everything by having the developer, stop bath and fixer set out in three different containers. Three different sized jugs helps, so each can be distinguished in the dark. And it helps that each sheet of film is placed one at a time into a dry tray prior to the developer being poured in.

Alan

It is true, not necessary at all to transfer the film. Anyway lights can be openned after few seconds of stop bath. Normally I dip all four sheets in the tray with developer at near the same time, then I transfer each individual sheet to the stop tray after its particular time is over, and when all sheets are in the stop bath I opne lights, never have seen additional fog because openning light, and this removes the need to manipulate liquids in the dark, just for convenience and for preventing spills. Your way is also good, but I prefer fixing lights open as I can realize the remaining fixer strength, and I can realize the necessary fixing time from the time it takes the sheet be cleared.

[aclark]

It is true, not necessary at all to transfer the film. Anyway lights can be openned after few seconds of stop bath. Normally I dip all four sheets in the tray with developer at near the same time, then I transfer each individual sheet to the stop tray after its particular time is over, and when all sheets are in the stop bath I opne lights, never have seen additional fog because openning light, and this removes the need to manipulate liquids in the dark, just for convenience and for preventing spills. Your way is also good, but I prefer fixing lights open as I can realize the remaining fixer strength, and I can realize the necessary fixing time from the time it takes the sheet be cleared.

Pere, yes, I see the advantage of your method of working. I didn't know you could subject the film to light before fixing...

Alan

[Pere Casals]

Pere, yes, I see the advantage of your method of working. I didn't know you could subject the film to light before fixing...

Alan

There is no problem, some say that if fixing with lights open it can take a little more to fix, but I find it takes the same time.

Once in the stop bath developer action stops completely, no hallide reacts any more to metallic. And the remaining (not developed) hallide is cleared by fixer in the same way.

Even if you open lights just before moving the sheet it is possible you see no additional fog because the newly exposed grains do not develop inmediately because necessary "induction time" before the new development starts. I made personal tests to be sure that no fog is induced by openning lights after 15s in the stop bath, I saw no additional fog after measuring with a precision densitometer...

[Pere Casals]

It is true, not necessary at all to transfer the film. Anyway lights can be openned after few seconds of stop bath. Normally I dip all four sheets in the tray with developer at near the same time, then I transfer each individual sheet to the stop tray after its particular time is over, and when all sheets are in the stop bath I opne lights, never have seen additional fog because openning light, and this removes the need to manipulate liquids in the dark, just for convenience and for preventing spills. Your way is also good, but I prefer fixing lights open as I can realize the remaining fixer strength, and I can realize the necessary fixing time from the time it takes the sheet be cleared.

Or course we can also dip each particular sheet sheet with some particular delay to obtain different development times and then using your way.

With trays I see too good things, one is that we can process sheets with different times easily, the other is that trays are less sensitive to bromide drags with low agitation patterns, as gravity does not help the drag. If using thanks we need two tanks. But with a 8x10 with 4 separations we can even use 4 different times... Once I did a N-1, a N-0, a N+2 and another sheet of a different film... but one has to be careful not to make mistakes...