Developing Film

R8JimBob88

R8JimBob88

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James Stockton
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Right, as some of you may know, I have just bought a 35mm F80. Basically because I have been brought up straight into digital and fell I have missed out on all the fun of film....

I have always been interesed in B&W and think this is an ideal oppertunity to see what this film business is all about.

Sooooo, I have just bought -

Ilford 35mm Film Cassette Opener

Ilford HP5 plus 120
Ilford FP4 plus 120
Ilford PANF plus120
Ilford DP3200 135 36

Ilford ILFOSTOP 500ml WLD
Ilford Rapid Fixer 500ml
Ilford ID11 Developer 1L

My understanding is that using the above, I can develop my own negs. A developing tank is next on the shopping list. A patterson branded one seems quite popular?

So whats your verdict, am I a plonker or am I doing the right thing? Anything else I need to know?

Thanks! :help:
 
A developing tank and a dark room (or change bag), plus some scissors are pretty much all you need.

The cassette opener is not really needed as a bottle opener (like you get on pen knives or tin openers) will suffice.

Best advice is to not be too precious about the first couple of rolls as you will scratch them or get half moon shaped marks from creases, or possibly fog them.

Also see if you have any old cheapo films around and crack one open to practise loading the reel as there is a definite (sp?) knack to it.

Above all enjoy it
 
Thanks, how important is it to be in a dark room? I'm guessing the term fogging is if too much light is present, it will make the photo lighter?

Sorry if I sound dumb :LOL:

I'm guessing colour film developing is a whole new ball game?

Hopefully i'll have access to a dark room at college next month.
 
You need a completely dark area to load the film onto the reel and put it in the developing tank....completely dark...:eek:

You could also use a changing bag instead, I've never used one but kinda think it would end up as compost, loading developing reels is hard enough without yards of cloth getting up me nose, I could be wrong, but I've never needed one, I shut the curtains (at night unless you have complete blackout curtains), sling a coat across the bottom of the room door and load up.

Plonker....!!

playing wii fit is for plonkers, no scratch that....guitar hero...I've no clue what anybody gets out of that:wacky:

A test to see if its dark enough ? - blackout, wait for eyes to adjust, if you can see you're hand at 2 inches its too light..:LOL:

and don't come here swearing and throwing a thrombie after you're first experience loading reels, its like that for everyone, though I think you got the long straw with 35mm, its much easier than medium format to load(y)
 
R8JimBob88 said:
Thanks, how important is it to be in a dark room? I'm guessing the term fogging is if too much light is present, it will make the photo lighter?

Sorry if I sound dumb :LOL:

I'm guessing colour film developing is a whole new ball game?

Hopefully i'll have access to a dark room at college next month.
Click to expand...

Turn off the lights, wait a minute with your eyes open, if you can see anything it's not dark enough!
 
:LOL: Thanks for you help guys. I watched a few vids on youtube about developing, looks hard enough, let alone doing it in the dark! I have a few days of work next week, lets cause some havoc!

In the meantime, I best take some pictures. That would be a good start I guess!
 
R8JimBob88 said:
Right, as some of you may know, I have just bought a 35mm F80. Basically because I have been brought up straight into digital and fell I have missed out on all the fun of film....

I have always been interesed in B&W and think this is an ideal oppertunity to see what this film business is all about.

Sooooo, I have just bought -

Ilford 35mm Film Cassette Opener

Ilford HP5 plus 120
Ilford FP4 plus 120
Ilford PANF plus120
Ilford DP3200 135 36

Ilford ILFOSTOP 500ml WLD
Ilford Rapid Fixer 500ml
Ilford ID11 Developer 1L


hp5 plus 120
fp4plus 120
pan f plus 120

??????????????? for the f80 ?? or am i being the plonker ?? sorry if ive missed something
Click to expand...
 
I've used a changing bag in the past with no problems, however make sure you put everything in the bag prior to opening the film, otherwise its a faff.

You only need complete darkness when loading the film, all the rest is done in normal light, hence 'daylight developing tank'

Paterson super system 4 are the best, don't go for an earlier version they leak on inversion. Ebay always has plenty.

As already suggested, get an old film and practice loading in daylight so you can see what you are doing, then practice with your eyes shut, then in the bag or the dark.

If you load in the dark, put all the bits (bottle opener, scissors, reel, tank top etc.etc.), in some sort of tray to keep them together, so you're not fumbling about in the dark trying to find them.

Make sure the reels are bone dry.

Once loaded the pressure is off, a water bath is useful to 'temper' your chemicals (a washing up bowl will do).

Make sure you have somewhere to hang the negs to dry prior to commencing development. (Bit of string and pegs, although the proper film clips are useful as one tends to be weighted to keep the film straight.)

Its just time & temperature then. Discard all the chemicals into a bucket as they will tend to neutralize themselves, then flush away with lots of water.



Above all - have fun
 
donutagain said:
hp5 plus 120
fp4plus 120
pan f plus 120

??????????????? for the f80 ?? or am i being the plonker ?? sorry if ive missed something
Click to expand...

Please do tell? It is compatible with the F80 isnt it? Would Ilford SFX be?

So if you have to be so careful when loading the film onto the reel, does that apply when you load the film into the camera? Whats the best material for blocking out light from windows? I have a small downstairs bathroom that I could steal, has a sink in there and a small amount of room :)
 
I've just read your original post the
Ilford HP5 plus 120
Ilford FP4 plus 120
Ilford PANF plus120
Ilford DP3200 135 36
Click to expand...
120 won't fit in a 35mm camera (you need 35mm for that)

120 fits in a medium format camera and produces neg 6*6 or 6*4.5 or 6*7

The DP3200 has an ISO of 32000, this is very fast, so you will need to be very careful loading and unloading (in your camera as well). Expect some grain.

I personally would use FP4 (35mm) deved in ID11

Blackout material : http://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/products/firstcall-black-out-material--white-/473/

Loading the film in the camera is a different ball game to loading onto reels, for one thing most of the film stays in the cassette.
 
[insert swear word here]

Oh pants :LOL: So anything refered to as 120 isnt for me :( So am I right in looking for 135?

Just tried to cancel my order!

So what am I looking for? - http://www.warehouseexpress.com/category/basecategory.aspx?cat03=3118&brand=108

Ideally I want a range of speeds, from as low as possibe up to 3200. I would appriciate it if someone can point me in the right direction :LOL:

EDIT - Am I looking at the right things here -

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=6080 (ISO 100?)

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=6092 (ISO 3200?)

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=6086 (ISO 50?)

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=6083 (ISO 400?)

What does ASA mean? Apologies for wasting your time!
 
Thanks John, its all making sense now.... I think.

I'll scan some pics in to share when I get some developed. I thought Digital was hard when I first got into that, its like starting all over again with film! I need to stop looking at the back of the camera and stop thinking about changing ISO :D

EDIT- Right, now replaced the above arsenal with -

Ilford FP4 125 - 135-24
Ilford HP5 400 - 135-24
Ilford Delta 100 - 135-24
Ilford Delta 3200 ASA - 135-36

I hope thats a more sensible set of films :LOL: I'll practice with a couple of FP4's I think first.
 
Well,... at the risk of confusing you even more :LOL:

you might want to check out http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.html

if you select FP4+ & ID11 you see you will get a grid of ISO ratings and dev times, so you can vary the ISO of a WHOLE film and vary dev time.

However, in your early days I would stick to the films standard rating and dev along those lines, I usually use ID11 diluted 1+1, in the case of FP4 & ID11 it would be 125 ISO 1+1 at 11minutes @ 20 degrees.

This site will be useful for your other films as well.
 
Thanks all, very informative.

Well I now have my hands on Dev tank, correct film blackout bag etc.

I had some fun last night trying to get the film on the spools :LOL: Think I have pretty much got the hang of it now :) One question though, how sensitive is the film to fingerprints? I'd take as much care as possible when loading to the spool but just want to know how much freedom I have with it?

Also where is best to hang them to dry? :thinking: Insise a cupboard?
 
You should only handle the film by its edges. Trim the corners off the leading edge and try to use the ratchet mechanism in the spiral, try to ensure your hands are grease free, and free from any dev. etc.

Also where is best to hang them to dry? :thinking: Insise a cupboard?
Click to expand...
Anywhere dust free, where the cat can't get at them, put up a 'washing line' - length of string - and hang from that.
 
Run the shower for a couple of minutes and hang them in the bathroom. Also make the final water rinse with deionised water if you've got it (or water from a britta filter jug) to reduce blotching when it's dry.

And don't be tempted to touch the film until it's totally dry :)
 
Unless you have the luxury of a proper drying cabinet a cupboard is one of the worst places you could choose to dry developed film.

Not only do most cupboards tend to be dusty places, there is unlikely to be much air circulation.
 
I hang mine on a lampstand in the corner of the room, I don't think negs gather a lot of dust whilst they are hanging vertically, half an hour of drying and I think they're pretty safe whilst they're hanging.
Don't forget to clip some weight on the bottom, they won't ever be straight but you can minimize curling with something on the bottom.
Try not to get too hung up on dust, it's an everyday fact of life, unless you have an environmentally sealed room, don't worry about it too much, just take reasonable precautions, don't leave them out of the sleeve lying flat, give everything a soft brush right before scanning, and put them straight back in the sleeve.(y)
Bathroom is a good place to dry them, all that damp air means there won't be much dust floating about.
 
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