B&W developing chemicals advice

Mr Badger

Mr Badger

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I'm thinking of giving B&W developing a go again; I still have the Paterson System 4 tanks and reels I used in the late 70s/early 80s, plus the rest of the kit required (changing bag, measuring jugs, thermometer, etc.) it's just some advice on developer, fixer and stop bath I need. Back in the day I used to buy those small, square, plastic bottles of Paterson developer and fixer from the local camera shop, but sadly both have long since disappeared! I think I might have just rinsed the film in water rather than use a stop bath, but I might be confusing this with developing B&W prints - it really is that long ago that I can't remember! So do I need a stopper as well?

I would probably only develop about half a dozen films per year, perhaps one or two at around three or four month intervals, so I won't need a large quantity of chemicals and I'd need them to be of the long-keeping kind. Does anyone make small sachets of dev and fix that I could mix and use as a one-shot type job, or would that be an expensive option? I will mainly be shooting Ilford HP5 and FP4 so does anyone have any suggestions (besides me not bothering!)?
 
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For longevity, Rodinal and HC110 seem to be the most popular options. I use HC110.
For stop bath, I use powdered citric acid. You can buy 500g for about £3.50 on ebay, which is enough for around 100 developing sessions.
Fixer is much of a muchness - just buy the cheapest.

Good luck.
 
HC-110 is a very long lived one shot developer and is fairly inexpensive, although you do have to buy a litre. I simply top the bottle up with marbles as I use it to keep air out. I believe Rodinal is also very long lived, not so much the other formulations. Fomadon R09 comes in a nice small bottle. Both are high acutance developers so grain will look pronounced. Rodinal is lovely and contrasty. I have no experience using solvent or powdered developers but I'm sure someone else will chip in. I believe the ultimate for longevity is Diafine, although thats quite hard to get hold of in the UK and expensive.

Whoops - got pipped there! I use a simple hypo fix and don't bother with a stop bath, just a good rinse.
 
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I found HP5 to be very dissappointing in Rodinal. HC-110 was much better, and DD-X is gorgeous.

In terms of low volume/long shelf life, I'd probably buy a bottle of HC-110 because it lasts forever, gives good results, and is cheap (at price per film).
For stop, I used to use a vinegar stop bath rather than water, although people get good results with water.
For fixer, I use Kodak TMax fixer, but only because it was cheap.

Ilford also do a "Simplicity" range which are small sachets of liquid that you then throw away. You pay for the convenience and it's Ilfosol-3 which I've never had great luck with. But that's another option. Not cheap though.
 
White vinegar, Aldi's cheapest, at about a tablespoon per tank of water works fine for neutralising the remains of highly alkaline developers after an initial rinse in plain water. I do this to protect the acid in the fixer for future films. Development will slow to almost nil with plain water rinse. I still have some paracetamol, drain cleaner and wine bottle steriliser, could mix you some Parodinal.
 
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Rodinal keeps very very well in undiluted form and is very cheap to buy and to use, due to the high dilutions. I have had bottles of concentrate for years and they have still been useable. However I wouldn't recommend Rodinal for faster films like HP5 unless you're a big fan of grain! I like Ilfotec DD-X for fine grain but it is expensive to use due to its low dilution. Ilfotec LC 29 will go much further for around the same price, giving fine grain and good sharpness. As far as stop bath for film, I often don't bother and just use water or add a bit of white vinegar as already mentioned. Any rapid fixer should be OK, like Ilford's, and even diluted can be stored for a very long time and reused. I just usually check that my fixer OK by putting a small piece of undeveloped film leader into it to make sure that it goes clear. Don't be put off, get some chemistry and develop some film, you won't regret it!
 
Thanks for the tips and suggestions everyone, I'll do some shopping once Xmas is over and keep you posted on progress. (y)
 
dmb said:
Add a peg for the nose to that list. Caffenol smells worse than British Rail coffee ever did.
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Strangely, while I wouldn't call the smell of caffenol exactly appetising, I don't find it anything like as offensive as some others seem to do. Much less niffy than fixer, and I'm stuck with that whatever dev I use. (One day, I'll try fixing with a salt solution, but so far while I've been happy to do a 2 hour stand dev, a two-day fix is way over my patience budget!) And speaking of bugets...

Stegosaurus said:
You could, and I did, but it actually works out more expensive per film than buying developer. And of course that stink...
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The way I look at it, caffenol is essentially free. Instant coffee and washing soda aren't photographic items, so it isn't fair to put them on the photographic budget. And it's always possible that they'll get used for 'normal' purposes. ;) But even so, a bag of washing soda from Wilko (1.5kg) costs £1.50, and a jar of nasty coffee from Lidl costs about the same. For 3 quid, I can develop about 20 rolls of film. That might not be the cheapest way to do it, but it's trivial alongside the cost of the film. Adding vitamin C powder bumps the price up a good bit, but £7 gets you enough to do about 60 rolls of 120 I reckon if you buy it on the auction site.
 
Stegosaurus said:
HC-110 is a very long lived one shot developer and is fairly inexpensive, although you do have to buy a litre. I simply top the bottle up with marbles as I use it to keep air out...
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I've been using the marbles, too, on my first bottle of HC-110. I just did it automatically as it's what I did with Ilfosol 3 (which is fine, IMHO, and can be got in 500 ml bottles, though at 1+14 it works out a bit more expensive than HC-110 at 1+31). But after seeing some tweets from @Carlos_LM, eg View: https://BANNED/analogfilmphoto/status/1340860635215622144
, I had two thoughts. First, he seems to be getting good results from a pretty ancient and battered-looking bottle of HC-110, and second, when I get down towards the bottom, I'm worried I'm going to have quite a large amount of expensive syrup coating those darn marbles! How on earth will I get it off them?
 
Meant to add, I use Ilford Rapid Fixer, which seems to keep really well, and mixed fixer seemingly keeps an age. One bottle did go a bit flaky, but once I'd diagnosed it and chucked it, all was fine again. I think I might be on my 3rd bottle since starting in 2015. I also use IlfoStop, still on my first bottle. And the Kodak wetting agent, whatever it's called!
 
I have been following this thread with interest, as I am about to take the plunge myself. After a lot of deliberation I finally decided to go Ilford DD-X, Ilfostop and Rapid Fixer. The final decider was that I am not doing the home dev for money saving, but to be more engaged in the process. If I get half way through the chemicals before they go off, that will be fine.
 
ChrisR said:
I've been using the marbles, too, on my first bottle of HC-110. I just did it automatically as it's what I did with Ilfosol 3 (which is fine, IMHO, and can be got in 500 ml bottles, though at 1+14 it works out a bit more expensive than HC-110 at 1+31). But after seeing some tweets from @Carlos_LM, eg View: https://BANNED/analogfilmphoto/status/1340860635215622144
, I had two thoughts. First, he seems to be getting good results from a pretty ancient and battered-looking bottle of HC-110, and second, when I get down towards the bottom, I'm worried I'm going to have quite a large amount of expensive syrup coating those darn marbles! How on earth will I get it off them?
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Good question. I expect I'll use the same approach I use for shampoo etc, invert over a suitable container and leave until its drained.
 
There is no need to go to extravagant length with developer. Yes I may be boring, but I have used ID11 for years and years. Once mixed it is dependable with an extremely long life in a glass bottle, I have used ID11 or for that matter D76 2 yrs after mixing.

The smallest pack makes 1 litre of working/stock solution but I dilute it 1 to 1 and with a 35mm JOBO tank needing only 150cc's total, 75cc of developer + 75cc of plain water, one litre goes a long way. 13 films out of 1 litre isn't bad in anyone's book. With the JOBO this needs a 15% reduction in development time because it has constant agitation, which of course goes someway to offset the extended development needed with the 1 to 1 dilution.
 
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ChrisR said:
I've been using the marbles, too, on my first bottle of HC-110. I just did it automatically as it's what I did with Ilfosol 3 (which is fine, IMHO, and can be got in 500 ml bottles, though at 1+14 it works out a bit more expensive than HC-110 at 1+31). But after seeing some tweets from @Carlos_LM, eg View: https://BANNED/analogfilmphoto/status/1340860635215622144
, I had two thoughts. First, he seems to be getting good results from a pretty ancient and battered-looking bottle of HC-110, and second, when I get down towards the bottom, I'm worried I'm going to have quite a large amount of expensive syrup coating those darn marbles! How on earth will I get it off them?
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Looks like my current bottle of HC-110.

I started off with the marbles idea but ran out of marbles and CBA to get more and yes, I now have a load of marbles stuck together with HC-110 and they don't settle out well so it isn't easy to decant the remaining developer. TBH I now only use this HC-110 for things that don't matter and I have ordered another for "best".
 
Righto, no more marbles for me!

Ermmmmm???????
 
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