coffee developer

[draggingtheshutter]

has anyone tried using this procedure in developing negatives? soaking the negative in lukewarm coffee for between 30-40 minutes and a rough image will appear on the negative. not sure about the whole process, but wondering if anyone here has tried it.

[David A. Goldfarb]

You need to add an alkali to the coffee to get it to work, but yes, coffee and other things will develop film. Google "caffenol," and you'll turn up threads on photo.net and apug.org and a few other places.

[Daniel Grenier]

but do you need de-caff to de-velop ?

[CG]

There are a few coffee based developers at:

www.digitaltruth.com/techdata/caffenol.php

Have fun,

C

[Brian Bullen]

Here is a link to my portraits page, http://www.brianbullen.com/being/being.html . All, except the last, are 8x10 x-ray film developed in caffenol as well as the prints developed in caffenol leftovers with a little dektol thrown in to speed up developing time.

[Capocheny]

Brian,

Very nice images... loved some of the portraits and landscape ones! :)

Cheers

[jnantz]

most of my film i process in caffenol c
these days, i throw a bit of ansco 130 in to boost
the contrast ...

its good stuff, too bad it doesnt' smell better!

[Brian Bullen]

Brian,

Very nice images... loved some of the portraits and landscape ones! :)

Cheers

Thank you very much! It's always great to hear a compliment.

[draggingtheshutter]

thank you everyone for the information. this is a wonderful forum. i would never get so many replies and answers anywhere else this quickly. has anyone found that a certain film works better than another in using this type of development?

[jnantz]

i've used a lot of different films in coffee.
trix, plusx, tmx,tmy,tmz, ilford fp..,
forte, foma, efke/adox ...
they all seem to like it ..
i don't enlarge these negatives much,
or i make contact prints with them
because the grain and stain are kind of funky ..

-- john

[bobwysiwyg]

I know I'm resurrecting a pretty old thread, but...

I've been playing around with Caffenol and find it pretty interesting. Lots of formula info but I've found little info on why certain ingredients. I've developed a number of things in coffee and soda, but wondered just what role Vitamin-C plays in those formulas that contain it. :confused:

[David Aimone]

I tried to develop a couple of sheets in Caffenol C a couple weeks ago. Followed the instructions but nothing came out. :(

I'll probably try again when I have some spare time.

Have you looked at these sites:

http://www.caffenol.org/

http://caffenol.blogspot.com/

[bobwysiwyg]

David, I had not yet found the .org site. I will have a look. My first attempt turned out the same way. I had used the wrong washing aid. We had something here at home that I "thought" was the right ingredient, but it wasn't true washing soda. After acquiring the correct stuff, always got pretty good negatives provided I remember to increase the exposure 2 stops, but have yet to try anything with the vitamin-c and was just curious as to its purpose since I get pretty good negs without it.

[Jay DeFehr]

The ascorbic acid might help control general (non-image) stain, and since ascorbic acid is also a developer, it might produce some kind of additivity with the caffeic acid and speed development. For my money, many other developing agents make better developers, and many make them less expensively, and all of them smell better.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Ascorbic acid works hyperadditive to the caffeic acid, and can affect speed. I also believe it acts as an anti-oxident. When using caffenol developer, make sure coffee is indeed dissolved into solution as well as washing soda. Filter after mixing to get rid of crud. Fun stuff! It also makes a fairly decent paper developer.

[bobwysiwyg]

The ascorbic acid might help control general (non-image) stain, and since ascorbic acid is also a developer, it might produce some kind of additivity with the caffeic acid and speed development. For my money, many other developing agents make better developers, and many make them less expensively, and all of them smell better.

No question about the smell. :) I do little experimenting with developers, this is my only one so far, just kind of interesting, but I'm sure my fascination will wear off.;)

[Jay DeFehr]

Bob,

Developer formulation can be a terrible addiction, and an awful lot of fun! Enjoy!

[thart2009]

Red wine works too...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thart2009/4163699392/in/set-72157622421397972/

[bobwysiwyg]

Interesting! Seems even acorns. ;) I guess my experimenting may have just begun. :)

[jnantz]

i started using coffee developers 5years ago this may
and now i have 65lbs of green robusta beans waiting for me to roast.
i have drunk it too and it isn't too bad ... nice and heavy bodied.

i am a bit slow in using it though, because i have processed about 25-30 sheets of film
and 25-30 sheets of 11x14 paper in the same developer and the developer is
still as good as the day i mixed it. .

[bobwysiwyg]

i am a bit slow in using it though, because i have processed about 25-30 sheets of film
and 25-30 sheets of 11x14 paper in the same developer and the developer is
still as good as the day i mixed it. .

That's interesting. I've always heard mix it and use it within 30 min. which I've done, but often wondered why? :confused:

[jnantz]

That's interesting. I've always heard mix it and use it within 30 min. which I've done, but often wondered why? :confused:

i'm not quite sure why people suggest it has to be used within 30mins ...
maybe it is a way to suggest people be " cautious " because they just haven't used the developer enough to know it is still good?
i know often times people use the wrong ingredients ( a washing soda with bleach. or sodium carbonate that is hydrated, baking soda,
or "fruit fresh" instead of vit c ) and they have troubles and blame it on the developer ...

i have been using the same 2.5L since december without adding anything to it
( and i have processed c41, ortho/116 vp found film from 1930?, rc + fiber paper and b/w film in it )