First home development - success!

Craigus said:
Hmm, is the wash temperature really that important?
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Personally, I don't know. Any effect would depend on factors that I can't measure, and I lack the patience to even consider making any comprehensive series of experiments checking for residual fixer in the emulsion. What I used to do was simply to wash in running water using the cold tap; then after experiencing reticulation I swapped to using a few changes of water at successively lower temperatures until I reached the tap temperature and then left it running for a half hour or so.

I only swapped to the Ilford method shortly after taking up large format photography; I can't recall when that was but given that there are photos of me with a 5x4 camera in 2005 it must be at least 12-13 years. I suppose I should check my early 5x4 negatives, but I can say from recent inspection that my 35mm negatives from the 1960s are fine. Well, in terms of preservation :D.
 
FujiLove said:
Shaun, when you say 'the stabiliser step', are you talking about C41 or E6 colour processing? If so, it's very important not to rinse the film after that step. Colour stabilisers contain anti-fungal agents that stop the emulsion rotting. It's not required with B&W film because the silver does the same job.
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C41, so I usually do the Ilford style rinse - stabiliser for 1 minute - then a rinse with the RA50 wetting agent, which I do just 5 inversions of. Is that not right? I though the wetting agent had to be the last step
 
Craigus said:
Hmm, is the wash temperature really that important?
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No. The danger (a very real danger 100 years ago) is the the gelatine on the film will shrunk and crack causing reticulation if the temperature drops too much too quickly. In my youth (early 1970s) I deliberately tried to induce this gelatine reticulation as an artistic effect but to no avail. I had film in very hot water and then quickly changed the water for iced water and no harm was done.

Caveat: that was/is with monochrome film. I have no experience at all with colour film.
 
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StephenM said:
Personally, I don't know. Any effect would depend on factors that I can't measure, and I lack the patience to even consider making any comprehensive series of experiments checking for residual fixer in the emulsion. What I used to do was simply to wash in running water using the cold tap; then after experiencing reticulation I swapped to using a few changes of water at successively lower temperatures until I reached the tap temperature and then left it running for a half hour or so.

I only swapped to the Ilford method shortly after taking up large format photography; I can't recall when that was but given that there are photos of me with a 5x4 camera in 2005 it must be at least 12-13 years. I suppose I should check my early 5x4 negatives, but I can say from recent inspection that my 35mm negatives from the 1960s are fine. Well, in terms of preservation :D.
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Warm water helps the hypo diffuse out of the gelatine, so you need less washing time.
 
Shaun Palmer said:
C41, so I usually do the Ilford style rinse - stabiliser for 1 minute - then a rinse with the RA50 wetting agent, which I do just 5 inversions of. Is that not right? I though the wetting agent had to be the last step
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The last steps of the C41 process should be:

1. Fix (or bleach-fix)
2. Washing with warm water roughly the same as the processing temperature (i.e. around 35 to 38C. You need to do four or five washes with clean water for about 30 seconds each, with constant agitation.
3. Stabiliser for 1 minute (again warmed to around 35-38C). This should be done out of the tank with very little agitation to avoid foaming. I now remove the film from the reels before this step because the stabiliser (like wetting agent) can make the reels a bit sticky and hard to load. Alternatively make sure you scrub them with hot water.
4. Hang film to dry and remove excess water. You can do this by using soft rubber gloves dipped in the stabiliser, but be very careful not to scratch the emulsion. Don't dip your bare fingers in the stabiliser. Alternatively, buy a cheap salad spinner to dry off the excess...being careful to mark it not suitable for food!

The stabiliser contains wetting agent, so there's no need to add that step or add it to the stabiliser.
 
FujiLove said:
The last steps of the C41 process should be:

1. Fix (or bleach-fix)
2. Washing with warm water roughly the same as the processing temperature (i.e. around 35 to 38C. You need to do four or five washes with clean water for about 30 seconds each, with constant agitation.
3. Stabiliser for 1 minute (again warmed to around 35-38C). This should be done out of the tank with very little agitation to avoid foaming. I now remove the film from the reels before this step because the stabiliser (like wetting agent) can make the reels a bit sticky and hard to load. Alternatively make sure you scrub them with hot water.
4. Hang film to dry and remove excess water. You can do this by using soft rubber gloves dipped in the stabiliser, but be very careful not to scratch the emulsion. Don't dip your bare fingers in the stabiliser. Alternatively, buy a cheap salad spinner to dry off the excess...being careful to mark it not suitable for food!

The stabiliser contains wetting agent, so there's no need to add that step or add it to the stabiliser.
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Brilliant thanks for that. Come to think of it the reels have started to become a bit sticky, maybe it’s because of the wetting agent usage within the tank. I’ll start doing it that way thanks for the advice
 
Shaun Palmer said:
Brilliant thanks for that. Come to think of it the reels have started to become a bit sticky, maybe it’s because of the wetting agent usage within the tank. I’ll start doing it that way thanks for the advice
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I pour my stabiliser into a tray and move the film through it by holding the ends and rocking it back and forth. A bit easier with 120 film ;)
 
Quick question, I was just looking at getting some more developer as my 1L of ID-11 is nearly gone now. I realise I may not have been storing it correctly. It is in a 1L white/clear bottle and is not in a dark cupboard. This was mixed up about 3 weeks ago, will it be okay?

I see now I'd be better storing it in a dark bottle or a dark cupboard or preferably both?

Presumably a liquid concentrate can just be diluted as and when I need it and not worry overly about storage conditions? May end up easier for me.
 
Usually air is the enemy of developer, to keep air out I used to use concertina bottles or marbles.
 
I haven't used ID11, so I can't comment, although colour is usually a simple rapid check. As Brian says, oxygen is the problem, and as well as the concertina bottles and glass marbles, some companies used to sell sprays of inert gas to put a layer between the developer and the oxygen. Developers work by means of an oxidation/reduction process, which means that something gets oxidised in the process of development, and it's the developer that's oxidised. Hence, they're made to be oxidised, so letting the air at 'em uses them up.

Liquid concentrates can suffer in exactly the same way; some are notorious for being fine one day and inert the next (or so some of the modern Rodinal variants have been described). Paterson developers used to have a best before date, and at the time that they stopped making them, it wasn't very long after they'd been bought! I'm still using the original Agfa Rodinal which is reputed to last for years. I hope so, as it appear I bought it at Focus in 2005...
 
So is there a good way to tell if what I have left will be okay? Should I increase the dev time a bit or is it not that simple?

Is fixer and stop bath when mixed and reused best to be stored with as little air as possible too then? I currently have 450ml of stop and fixer stored in 1L bottles for re-use, would I be better mixing 1L and brimming those bottles for sotrage?

Liquid Concentrate sounds like it might be more convenient for me at the moment.

Sorry for all the questions... this forum is invaluable at the moment and your responses very much appreciated.
 
Google ID11 and see if there are many posts about it going off suddenly? However, I would think that 3 weeks would be fine, even without getting all the air out.

I use Ilfosol 3, which is a liquid and comes in an opaque bottle. I add marbles after each dev (only use 20 ml, 1+9, each time IIRC), then the whole plastic crate of dev stuff goes under the stairs... much to my OH's disgust! Shouldn't have nasty chemicals in the house, she says. If I point to the cupboard under the sink full of nasty bleaches and other chemicals, it makes no difference at all, they are obviously OK. Obviously!
 
Try pet bottles for your developer (usually have a number 1 inside the recycling symbol). They’re designed for storing fizzy drinks, so are an excellent oxygen barrier. Being flexible, it’s also easy to squeeze the excess air out. A 2 litre bottle of Tesco’s own brand fizzy water is 17p :)

Better still: some plastic beer bottles apparently have an additional coating to provide an even better oxygen barrier. Plus you get to drink the beer.

Obviously, remove the label, store it away from tiny fingers and clearly mark the bottle, “POISON”.
 
Active film developer will make photo paper a dark grey in about 30 seconds. Tear off a corner, drop a spot of developer on it for 30s in the light. Fix wash and take a look. If it’s a bit muddy grey or quite light, the developer is dead. If in doubt, dump it. Developer is cheap.
 
Got another example shot of this streaking I was talking about. Is this insufficient washing? Is my water harder than I thought? Something else?

Photo 19-03-2018, 20 36 14.jpg
 
Also this white spotting on the right hand side is showing up in a few shots, I can clone it but it's tiresome. I don't think it's dust...

FM-HP5-37 (18).jpg
 
Craigus said:
Got another example shot of this streaking I was talking about. Is this insufficient washing? Is my water harder than I thought? Something else?

View attachment 122516
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Might it be worth trying distilled water for your rinse? Then if they come up clear, then that would indicate very hard water maybe? If it’s still there then would indicate technique, which I highly doubt it looks like it will be
 
Yes I might have to get some distilled water and see if it makes a difference. Could I be using too much photoflo? And is there a way to safely remove those marks?

On the second picture it is more obvious at 100% but there are lots of those white spots that aren't dust they are too regular, looks like some residue or something...
 
Craigus said:
Yes I might have to get some distilled water and see if it makes a difference. Could I be using too much photoflo? And is there a way to safely remove those marks?

On the second picture it is more obvious at 100% but there are lots of those white spots that aren't dust they are too regular, looks like some residue or something...
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I normally use about 4ml of RA50 is pretty much the same thing in a litre of water, I would imagine you would need a lot to leave a residue, if it would leave any at all. I reckon it’s gotta be water, the smaller dots could be the like of calcium deposited as the water evaporates. I’m not too sure though, one of the other guys may know but I’m guessing it’ll embed into the film as the film drys out.
 
Don't bother with photoflo, just get some high purity isopropyl alcohol and a microfibre cloth, then give them a wipe over just before you scan them.

The calcium residue won't embed in the film, it can be wiped off easily and is nothing to worry about!
 
I bought some archival negative cleaner which seems to work very well.
 
Shaun Palmer said:
Might it be worth trying distilled water for your rinse? Then if they come up clear, then that would indicate very hard water maybe? If it’s still there then would indicate technique, which I highly doubt it looks like it will be
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I used de-ionised water, about £5 for 5 litres from car parts suppliers, Robert Dyas etc...
 
robhooley167 said:
Don't bother with photoflo, just get some high purity isopropyl alcohol and a microfibre cloth, then give them a wipe over just before you scan them.

The calcium residue won't embed in the film, it can be wiped off easily and is nothing to worry about!
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That's reassuring to know, I'll pick up some alcohol cleaner. Thanks.
 
 
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