clueless home developer

[chij]

thinking about developing my own film at home to save money - its like $5-6 a roll here

shooting with:
tri-x 400 120mm rated at 200
arista premium 100 35mm
arista premium 400 35mm

how can i determine the developing times?
arista 100 is plus-x - so 7min45sec at 21degrees at 1:1
arista 400 is tri-x - so 9min at 21degrees at 1:1
tri-x 400 rated at 200???? - maybe 13min at 21degrees at 1:1?

can i use regular tap water

things i'll need to buy:
film changing bag
35mm film canister opener - can i use something diy - like scissors or a bottle cap opener?
thermometer
measuring tubes/cups
funnel to pour stop and fixer back into storage bottles
clothes-pin for hanging negatives
some kind of clip weight for drying negatives straight

D76 developer
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/1464817-Kodak-D-76-Film-Developer-to-make-1-Gallon
i should make the whole gallon at once and divide the solution into 500ml plastic coke bottles and store in a cool place
i can use 250ml of developer with 250ml water to develop one roll of 120mm or two rolls of 35mm at 1:1 in my patterson plastic developing tank
discarding the developer after each use, i'll be able to develop 15 rolls of 120mm or 30 rolls of 35mm

kodak indicator stop
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/1464247-Kodak-Indicator-Stop-Bath-16-oz.
dilute 1 part concentrate with 63 parts water
i have no idea how i should prepare this - all at once? just like 1 liter?
and how many times can i reuse stop bath

kodak fixer
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/1971746-Kodak-Fixer-Powder-To-Make-1-Gallon
again, have no clue, make all at once because its powder?
how many times can i reuse fixer

kodak hypo clearing agent
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/1464254-Kodak-Hypo-Clearing-Agent-Powder-to-Make-5-Gallons
why don't they have this in 1 gallon :(, can i use legacypro instead
make all at once?

kodak photo flo
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/1464510-Kodak-Photo-Flo-200-16-oz.
do you use this at full concentrate
is this even necessary

can i dump these chemicals down the sink

[Jim Jones]

thinking about developing my own film at home to save money - its like $5-6 a roll here

shooting with:
tri-x 400 120mm rated at 200
arista premium 100 35mm
arista premium 400 35mm

how can i determine the developing times?
arista 100 is plus-x - so 7min45sec at 21degrees at 1:1
arista 400 is tri-x - so 9min at 21degrees at 1:1
tri-x 400 rated at 200???? - maybe 13min at 21degrees at 1:1?

can i use regular tap water For washing, certainly. Good tap water often works well enough for chemicals. I use distilled water for this, though. Distilled water with Kodak Photoflo is best for the final wash.

things i'll need to buy:
film changing bag Probably, but a completely dark room suffices.
35mm film canister opener - can i use something diy - like scissors or a bottle cap opener? A bottle cap opener or the old "church key"style can openers work well enough.
thermometer I store film tanks, chemicals, and wash water in the darkroom, and adjust development time according to the room temperature as measured by a reliable wall thermometer. Occasional checks with a photo thermometer are recommended.
measuring tubes/cups Household cups suffice. Calibrated droppers are good for small quantities.
funnel to pour stop and fixer back into storage bottles Experience may eliminate the need for this.
clothes-pin for hanging negatives Yes.
some kind of clip weight for drying negatives straight More clothespins.

D76 developer
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/146481...-make-1-Gallon
i should make the whole gallon at once and divide the solution into 500ml plastic coke bottles and store in a cool place
i can use 250ml of developer with 250ml water to develop one roll of 120mm or two rolls of 35mm at 1:1 in my patterson plastic developing tank
discarding the developer after each use, i'll be able to develop 15 rolls of 120mm or 30 rolls of 35mm I use liquid KodakT-Max developer for all films. It is easy to mix in small quantities and keeps well when diluted. It can be reused.

kodak indicator stop
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/146424...top-Bath-16-oz.
dilute 1 part concentrate with 63 parts water
i have no idea how i should prepare this - all at once? just like 1 liter?
and how many times can i reuse stop bath There's no need to prepare more than is convenient to use and store. It keeps well, can be reused, and begins to turn purple when exhausted.

kodak fixer
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/197174...-Make-1-Gallon
again, have no clue, make all at once because its powder?
how many times can i reuse fixer I prefer liquid Kodak Rapid Fixer. It is easier to mix in small quantities, keeps well, and can be reused. Fixer can be checked by observing how long it takes when fresh to clear a bit of undeveloped film, usually about 45 seconds. Recheck the fixer occasionally. When the clearing time doubles, the fixer is exhausted.

kodak hypo clearing agent
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/146425...Make-5-Gallons
why don't they have this in 1 gallon, can i use legacypro instead
make all at once? I prefer liquid Hustler Rapid Bath Hypo Remover. It can be mixed in small quantities. If flocculants develop in it, dump it.

kodak photo flo
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/146451...-Flo-200-16-oz.
do you use this at full concentrate
is this even necessary Dilute in distilled water according to instructions. A calibrated dropper is good for this. A lab will reuse it, but I don't.

can i dump these chemicals down the sink Usually. The small quantities used in hobby darkrooms is little threat to the environment. Local laws may brohibit dumping, though.

[Robert Ley]

In answer to some of your questions:

Starting development times can be found here: http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php The most important thing is consistency. If you are consistent in your technique you will have success in your development. You will have to fine tune your times for your technique.

Powdered chemistry has to be mixed up all at once for the most part and then stored in bottles. You can get both fix and developer in a liquid concentrate and mix up just what you need. I use Ilford DDX which can be diluted 1:4 or 1:9 and it works very well. Other liquid developers and fix are available.

Permawash can also be obtained as a hypo-eliminator and that is a liquid concentrate.

Fixer and stop bath can be used over and should not be discarded between use. Edwal makes a hypo check in a small bottle that will give you an indication of the condition of your hypo and if you get the yellow indicator stop bath, it will turn blue when it will no longer neutralize the developer.

Photoflo should be mixed about one cap full per liter of distilled water.

Unless your water is known to be extremely acid or base, most people use tap water without any problem. A city sewer system and most septic systems can handle the small amounts of chemicals that you will use.

To start, you can use some old gallon milk containers or distilled water bottles to hold some of your chemicals. You will find better more sturdy bottles as you go.

Good luck and maybe soon you will even try LF.

[jeroldharter]

The first thing you should do, before you buy any gear or chemicals, is to buy a book on basic B&W processing which will answer most of your questions in detail.

After that, for starting out, you might prefer using liquid chemistry on a one shot basis. Try a liquid developer like Kodak HC-110 or Kodak TMAX. No need for stock solutions and storage. Just mix what you need from the original bottle of liquid. Same for stop bath and fixer. If you want to use a hypo clearing agent (not necessary for film but I prefer to use it) then you could use Heico PermaWash which comes as a liquid. For Photo-Flo, you could buy the similar product from Photographer's Formulary which comes in a more convenient dropper bottle than the Kodak product. The liquids cost more for shipping but you don't need to buy storage bottles or hassle with mixing stock solutions. They are a great way to simplify things in the beginning.

Then buy extra film and blaze away with the roll film so that you get more practice processing and can experiment with various development times and keeping your process consistent.

The most important thing is consistency: dilution, time, temperature, agitation. And figuring out how to keep dust off of your film. Amazing how one little bit of dust can sometimes ruin everything else done right.

[MIke Sherck]

I'll try to take things one at a time. Keep in mind that there's no "right" way of doing these kinds of things -- there are many "right" ways, some of which work better given your technique and experience than do others. Starting with Tri-X is excellent because it is a very forgiving film and even with some errors you can usually get a printable image from it. Here goes!


thinking about developing my own film at home to save money - its like $5-6 a roll here

shooting with:
tri-x 400 120mm rated at 200
arista premium 100 35mm
arista premium 400 35mm

how can i determine the developing times?
arista 100 is plus-x - so 7min45sec at 21degrees at 1:1
arista 400 is tri-x - so 9min at 21degrees at 1:1
tri-x 400 rated at 200???? - maybe 13min at 21degrees at 1:1?

Start with the times on the developer package. Depending on how you meter and your agitation, etc. these times may work well for you or they may not; they will, however, usually work. Once you have experience and can tell the difference between, for example, an underexposed negative and an underdeveloped one, then you can start messing with times.




can i use regular tap water


Yes but... if your tap water is unusually alkaline or acidic, if it has certain minerals or is salty, you may not want to. In general, most tap water in the US is fine but even so I always perform the final rinse, with Photo-Flo, with distilled water. If you have stains or a chalky coating on your negatives then go with distilled or at least filtered water.




things i'll need to buy:
film changing bag

Changing bags work and are relatively inexpensive but really, they're a pain in the posterior to use. A changing tent is better but more expensive. Do you have a bathroom you can lightproof by stuffing a towel under the door, or something? Much, much more comfortable. Tip: if the bathroom has a window and you can't see how to make it lightproof, tape aluminum foil over it. Aluminum foil is absolutely light proof! Cheap, too. Do you know how to tell whether a room is really dark or not? Take an ordinary sheet of paper (even newspaper works,) and sit down in the room in the dark for ten minutes. After ten minutes, hold the paper up in front of you. Can you see it? If so the room is not really dark!



35mm film canister opener - can i use something diy - like scissors or a bottle cap opener?

A bottle cap opener works great. Anything which will open a bottle cap will work.



thermometer
measuring tubes/cups
funnel to pour stop and fixer back into storage bottles
clothes-pin for hanging negatives
some kind of clip weight for drying negatives straight

Take a look around your local dollar store: practically everything on your list can be found there. Be creative: for example, clothes pins will come in a bag; you'll get more than you think you need. Clothes pins have mass, so clipping 2-3 to the bottom of your roll of film means that you don't need to buy specialized film weights.



D76 developer
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/1464817-Kodak-D-76-Film-Developer-to-make-1-Gallon
i should make the whole gallon at once and divide the solution into 500ml plastic coke bottles and store in a cool place
i can use 250ml of developer with 250ml water to develop one roll of 120mm or two rolls of 35mm at 1:1 in my patterson plastic developing tank
discarding the developer after each use, i'll be able to develop 15 rolls of 120mm or 30 rolls of 35mm


My own personal preference is D-76 with the caveat that I use Kodak's Tmax films, which demand *fresh* D-76. They don't like it oxidized even a little. I mix it a gallon at a time and immediately separate it into four one-quart bottles, filled to the brim to minimize the air in the bottle. Then I use it a quart at a time. It stays fresh this way for weeks to months (it pays to get the dark chemical storage bottles for this: it keeps fresh much longer than stored in clear bottles.) However, there's a lot to be said for the convenience of a liquid concentrate mixed up at the time and in the quantity you need; Kodak's HC-110 for example is an excellent and more convenient alternative. The concentrate lasts forever. I don't care for HC-110 with Tmax films but for the films you mentioned it's an excellent developer.



kodak indicator stop
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/1464247-Kodak-Indicator-Stop-Bath-16-oz.
dilute 1 part concentrate with 63 parts water
i have no idea how i should prepare this - all at once? just like 1 liter?
and how many times can i reuse stop bath

Mix Kodak's indicator stop bath 2 ounces of the concentrate into a gallon of water. The diluted mixture will be a pale yellow in color. Use it over and over, for paper as well as film, until it turns purple. When it turns purple, throw it out, that's the "indicator" part telling you that it's used up. As a side note, stop bath appears clear under a safe light (printing on photo paper, for example,) but when it's used up and turns purple, under the safe light it appears dead ugly black. You can't help but notice!



kodak fixer
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/1971746-Kodak-Fixer-Powder-To-Make-1-Gallon
again, have no clue, make all at once because its powder?
how many times can i reuse fixer


Make all powdered chemicals all at once: that's the only way to get the proper proportions of all the chemicals in the powder. There's a test to see if your fixer's still good; a couple of tests, actually. Someone earlier mentioned Edwal's chemical test and you can also test with small pieces of over-date or otherwise useless film. For this test, snip off a couple of inches of unprocessed film and dip it in fresh fixer. Make a note of how long it takes for the film to become clear. When processing film, clip off the film's leader (at last, a use for that thing!) and see how long it takes to clear in the fixer. When it takes twice as long to clear as it did in fresh fixer, throw the fixer out and make a new batch.



kodak hypo clearing agent
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/1464254-Kodak-Hypo-Clearing-Agent-Powder-to-Make-5-Gallons
why don't they have this in 1 gallon :(, can i use legacypro instead
make all at once?


They do have it in one gallon packages; at least, they did the last time I bought some at my local camera store. I have no idea why someone would want to make 5 gallons of this at a time and I personally wouldn't. My own preference is Orbit Bath, which comes as a liquid in a bottle that I mix up a gallon at a time.




kodak photo flo
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/1464510-Kodak-Photo-Flo-200-16-oz.
do you use this at full concentrate
is this even necessary
If you have absolutely wonderful water with no minerals or dissolved salts in it then you may not need photo-flo; otherwise, you do. You drop a *few drops* of the Photo-Flo concentrate into your final distilled-water wash, swish it around for 30 seconds, then take the film out and dry it. No streaks or stains.

[QUOTE=chij;735575]
can i dump these chemicals down the sink

For most folks, yes you can. Hobby volumes of this stuff won't hurt your average residential septic system. If you're on city water or live in an area with restrictions, check local ordinances. Even if you do, fixer is likely the only thing they won't like, due to the dissolved silver. When you get to printing they might not like some toners, etc. -- you'll want to check on that to be sure.

Good luck!

Mike

[atlcruiser]

Only a few things to add:

Try to just shoot tri x and arista 400. The times will be same; one variable eliminated.

Pick your developer; D76 is great. Try it 1:1. Test some and get your own times for what you like. Stick with that developer for a while. Same with the film; pick and stay with it. The elimination of variables makes the process much easier!

Just jump in and do it. Experience will get you there pretty quick.

good luck

[cyrus]

V minor point re: 35mm film cannister opener - actually not all standard can openers work as well. Some just don't have the needed "bite". You have to take a film cannister to the store and try different openers!

[Roger Thoms]

V minor point re: 35mm film cannister opener - actually not all standard can openers work as well. Some just don't have the needed "bite". You have to take a film cannister to the store and try different openers!

My experience too, check all of your bottle opens at home before you go by one. Out of the three I found in my kitchen one works great.

Roger

[John Kasaian]

Some notes I've taken on the subject:

For 35mm IMHO he best gizmo is the thingy that retrieves the leader out of the cannister,if you are in the habit of rewinding the whole enchilada They aren't expensive & Freestyle has them catalog.

I always use distilled water for mixing chemicals.

For developing roll film, Patterson tanks and reels are fine. I think Hewes reels and a stainless inversion tank feel better but theres a knack to loading a Hewes reel--something you don't want to learn in the dark with a roll from a wedding shoot. Pattersons work fine.

Liquid chemicals usually more costly but are easier to mix than powder. Of course there is a lot to be said for D76.

The brown plastic bottles hydrogen peroxide come in at the drug store are made from the same kind of plastic the empty bottles camera stores sell for storing chemicals, and are much cheaper to buy even when filled with hydrogen peroxide.
Better yet, ask a pharmacy to save the empty jugs bulk Robetussin comes in for you. Jealously hoard and guard these like a fat man at the blood bank guards the Twinkies.

Label all your chemical containers with contents & date & dilution info.

Don't drink the chemicals!

Relax and have fun! Pretend to be a mad scientist working in a secret subterrainean lab whenever possible:)



Store all you photo chemicals at the same temperature.

[BetterSense]

I just rip open the cassettes using my superhuman strength.

Really, if you just stick your thumb in the felt trap, you can peel them open pretty easily, then pop off the ends.

[Asher Kelman]

I just rip open the cassettes using my superhuman strength.

Really, if you just stick your thumb in the felt trap, you can peel them open pretty easily, then pop off the ends.

Love it!

[BetterSense]

I also stopped using scissors after I realized that I can just tear the film in half pretty easily. So now I don't need any extra tools which can get lost in the dark easily.

[Rick A]

One trick for you if you are loading plastic reels. Snip the leader off the film in the light before you open anything. Start the film end into the reel then turn off the light. You can now load the film using the ratchet method until the end of the film. Now all you have to do is snip the film off flush with the cassett and finish loading into the reel. Pop the loaded reel into the can and close lid, you are all set to develope. There is no need to open the film cassett, and no need to fumble around trying to start the film in total darkness.

[BetterSense]

The above method requires you to somehow get the leader out of the film canister, though. I find the easiest way to do that is to just open the canister (in the dark). I have tried using those leader retriever things in the past and never got along with it. I know some people leave the leaders out of the cassettes when they unload, but I'm too scatter brained to ever get away with that...I would surely double-expose a roll.

[joselsgil]

chij,

A good investment would be in a "how to" darkroom book. You can find them on fleabay, amazon, used book stores, or garage sales, for a few bucks.
As for a film developer, Kodak HC110 seems to last for eons in its original liquid strength. This can save you $$$ down the road. Just mix a working solution prior to developing your film.
You can use regular water as a stop bath, no need for additional chemicals. The water is used just to stop the developer residual on the film. One or two rinses will work fine. Stop bath is not expensive and you can use it if you like.
Fixer, just mix the whole envelope. It can keep in a stopped bottle for 2 months, I think I just developed some film with 4 month old fixer and it worked fine.
I use Hypo Clear, just to cut down on washing time and amount of water used when washing film. I live in So. Cal and water is precious here.
Hype clear is mixed into a stock solution and then diluted when you use it. A little goes a long ways.
Photo Flo, you can use it or skip it entirely. It helps your film dry with less chances of water spots. A little goes a long way. You only need a 2 or 3 ounces when mixing a working solution.

If you are going to mix D76 and Fixer from dry powders. Mix them a day before you plan on developing. They require hot (D76) and warm (fixer) water to mix properly. It takes hours for the mixed chemicals to come down to proper developing temps.

You don't need a changing bag, if you have a windowless closet or bathroom to load your film onto the developing reels. Sit in the room that you choose for a few minutes in total darkness. If there are light leaks, you will find them after your eyes adjust to the darkness. Watch for after glow of some of the light fixtures too. If the room has too many light leaks, then I would use a changing bag or better yet a Harrison tent, (you can always use the tent later on when you are loading sheet film on road trips :cool: ).

For development times, go to Freestyle's website and look up the film you are using. They usually have a PDF page with recommended development times.

A bottle opener can usually open a 35mm cartridge. I use the bottle opener on my leatherman tool. Since I bulk load most of my B&W 35mm film, I don't need any tools to open the reloadable cartridges.
Funnels, measuring cups and mixing spoons, you can get those at just about any kitchen section in grocery stores or hardware stores.
Chemical storage bottles, you can use the poly plastic bottles used in dairy products (plastic milk jugs). Not the coolest looking bottles, but plentiful and cheap.
As for dumping the used chemicals down the drain. You will use quite a lot of water rinsing and washing your film, that most of the chemicals will be quite exhausted and diluted when you dump them, that they do not pose any environmental problems. The worst might be the silver content in the fixer after you fix the film.

Whatever you do, just relax and don't panic. It will take a few rolls of film developed before you set up your comfortable workspace. Specially if you are using a temporary working area, (bathroom, kitchen). This is when you realize how lucky one can be to have his or her own permanent darkroom.

Good luck and have fun,

Jose

[Cor]

Re opening 35mm cartridge.

If your camera allows it: do not re-spool in the whole film in the cartridge, but keep a piece sticking out, but fold that piece back immediately so you won't make mistakes.\

Or use re-loadable cartridges and bulk film, these cartridges open easily,

Best,

Cor