new to developing, help required

whitewash

whitewash

Fishy Fingers
Messages
5,307
Edit My Images
Yes
hello

ive shot a few rolls of film recently but the cost of developing them makes me want to have a go at it myself. ive aquired a load of developing gear from a family friend who was clearing out lots of old stuff belonging to her ex husband. some of it i know what it is, others not a clue!

i should be able to clear enough space in the attic of my house to atleast create a small area large enough to set up the equipment although without any headroom!

i want to develop black and white film, currently ive got a few rolls of HP5plus 400 and delta400

does anyone have any books they can recommend for developing film and creating prints, fairly basic please! cheers

so heres the gear please can people tell me whether its useful, what it is if my guess is wrong etc.


1.
Durst_CLs35.jpg

seems to work, got all the instructions with it, spare bulb etc. the box at the front right is some sort of homemade timer, which switches the equipement on for a set period of time before switching it off again.

2.
blackout.jpg

black out bag, doesnt appear damaged although not a clue whether its actually light tight.

3.
bottlesetc.jpg

measuring jugs and storage bottles etc

4.
clips.jpg

hanging clips x9

5.
cutter.jpg

i presume this is some sort of slide cutter?

6.
devtanks.jpg

developing tanks, ive got 2 single film ones and 1 2 film one, is there any sort of consensus on which one design is better?

7.
dontknow1.jpg

not a clue what this is!

8.
dontknow2.jpg

or this!

9.
durst_luxoneg.jpg

or this!

10.
oldchems.jpg

lots of old chemicals etc, not too much use to me, although they might be of some use to someone else interesting in experimenting with out of date stuff!
 
11.
oldmedia.jpg

again not much use to me, lots of old film, paper and theres some 'roll your own' film holders in there as well!

12.
slidemounts.jpg

slidemounts, not much use to me as i dont shoot slides

13.
thermometer.jpg

pattison thermometer

14.
timer.jpg

old school timer, reminds me of junior school!

15.
tongs.jpg

tongs etc

16.
trays.jpg

trays x4

things i didnt photograph...
red light
pattison auto washing tank.



am i missing anything im going to need for black and white film developing.


cheers

jamie
 
All you need to develope film is the patterson tank #6 and developing chemicals.
The other stuff is print gear mostly.
What do you know about what you've got, its easier if you have a specific question..

#1. Enlarger; for printing negs
#2. Changing bag; For loading un-developed film on to the reel that goes in the tank to develope, in complete darkness
#5. I think its to cut negs for either slide mounting or to fit in the carrier of the enlarger
#7&8. look like slide viewers or parts of.
 
Hmm something is stirring in the depth of my mind from my school days....................
Ah yes I remember now and...............
All I can say is thank God for...............
41Yn29U8lYL_SL500_AA280_.jpg

Sorry not much help was it? :coat:
 
Oooh that brings back memories!!

That's made me want to have a go again!! Shame my dad turned the darkroom into a photoshop studio :(
 
cheers for yout help joxby. i would eventually like to have a go at making prints as the cost of a reasonable slide scanner means as ive got the majority of the gear i should really have a go!

so in addition to the developing tank, the thermometer and the changing bag, is there anything else that i should need for developing my negs? apart from some chemicals that is!!!!!!


jamie
 
whitewash said:
so in addition to the developing tank, the thermometer and the changing bag, is there anything else that i should need for developing my negs? apart from some chemicals that is!!!!!!


jamie
Click to expand...

Nope, thats it.
Bare minimum chemicals are developer and fixer for B/W, and as grant says, plenty of 20 degree water.
There are other chems you can use during the processing to help with cleaning and drying, but I've never used them.
Never used a changing bag either, its tricky enough first time out without having a blanket wrapped round your hands, I just black a room out to load the reel.
There should be a "how to" sticky...
 
if someone could write a how to im sure that would be incredibly useful for folks like me!


ill have to order myself some chemicals and give it a go, i presume the first time you try developing shoot a roll of nothing important incase it goes wrong!
 
whitewash said:
if someone could write a how to im sure that would be incredibly useful for folks like me!


ill have to order myself some chemicals and give it a go, i presume the first time you try developing shoot a roll of nothing important incase it goes wrong!
Click to expand...


I think you have to let that go.....the worry, its not like your shooting for money or anything, just play your normal game and bugger the consequences, if developing goes well but all your shots were of the floor or lens cap:bang:
Theres no preview, it makes it more exciting:LOL:
 
ok ive read a few websites and im understanding the process a bit better now, so now the big question is, where can i get some chemicals from?, google didnt seem to give me much in the way of suggestions.
 
Believe it or not, you can get chems from www.jessops.com!!

Home delivery on most if not all I would think though...

Oh - and the changing bag thing, get an old (or new) roll, dont bother shooting it and simply practice getting it on and off the roll, and in and out of the canister... Do it outstide the bag first a few times so you can visualise what you are doing, then try it in the bag a few times.
 
As as already been pointed out, most of this is for printing, for film dev (for negatives) all you need is the tank -
(The SUPER system 4 tank is the better one, the other one will leak when you invert it. ) and the changing bag, you will need to get some fresh developer and fixer. See previous link to the digital truth site.
Data sheets are also available here :http://stephengrote.com/teaching/datasheets/

Using the bag you don't need to have a darkroom, you can do it all in your kitchen / bathroom.

You will need a darkroom to use the printing stuff and (if you haven't got one) a safelight.

The Durst repro attachment goes into the enlarger for print copying, I believe. The 45 degree Kaiser thing is a 'focus finder' for helping get the prints in focus.
http://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/products/kaiser-focus-finder-4005/2378/

Darkroom supplies can be obtained from :

http://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/
or
http://www.silverprint.co.uk/

Have fun !
 
thanks people very useful for me, ill get some chemicals and give it a go, im gonna put seals round the doors in my attic storage area so i can make it lighttight and load the films in to the cannister in there, everything else ill do in the kitchen with a stopwatch and a cup of tea.

ill order some chems tonight :)
 
You can just walk into jessops and buy some, I suppose thats exactly how I ended up using and getting so attached to Ilfosol, cos I just walked in and bought some.
There is nowhere else that stocks developer/fixer, off the shelf.
 
i was looking at ilfosol 3 developer (unfortunately my local jessops doesnt have it in stock so its gonna be a mail order job probably from silverprint)

which stopbath and fixer should i buy to go with this?


jamie
 
Ilford Rapid Fixer, might aswell stick with Ilford, only the own brand fixers are cheaper.

edit, stop bath, I dont use one, water is my stop, but Ilford make one called....guess ?

Ilfostop
 
It'll go damn quiet if nobody asks any questions:LOL:

Srsly though, its what forums are for:)
 
ordered some chemicals earlier, and also shot half a roll of film down at the beach, hopefully my chems will arrive before the weekend so i can give it a go on saturday as im away all next week.

cant wait!


another annoying question! what options do i have to view/work with my negs post developing? (Seeing as i wont have a darkroom setup for a while so i thought it would be good to get some converted to digital. any ideas?
 
You need to scan them, or send them out to scan.....or print.
Or slide copy with a digital camera.
 
another stupid question?


when i put my developing solution in at the required temperature for the required amount of time, does the developing time factor in for the drop in temperature over the developing period or do i have to attempt to maintain the required temperature throughout the developing time?


(if that makes any sense?
 
Nahh, depends on the strength of the solution as to the length of time development takes, wont be in there more than 10 mins, will it ?
By the time its cooled significantly, it'll be all over bah the shouting anyway.

colour processing is much more temperature critical, b/w is easy going.
 
cheers, i think i owe you a virtual pint for all your help,

im ready to develop my first film now, ive got everything i need bar a finished film!!!!!, hopefully sometime this week!
 
I've been reading up about film processing etc, found an article that mentioned about having the temp just right.

The said you can have you chemicals submerged in water to keep the temp correct, to do that you need a heater controlled with a thermostat.

I had a look on ebay and there are loads!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Brand-New-50W-Mini-Water-Tank-Heater-for-all-water-tank_W0QQitemZ250235680251QQihZ015QQcategoryZ46311QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em122

Would this not make E6 (the 3 step process type) a bit more easy to handle?

(not that i have tried any of this of course, just what I've been reading!)
 
whitewash said:
another stupid question?


when i put my developing solution in at the required temperature for the required amount of time, does the developing time factor in for the drop in temperature over the developing period or do i have to attempt to maintain the required temperature throughout the developing time?


(if that makes any sense?
Click to expand...

there is something else, but i cant remember 100% which way it goes, maybe someone can add a comment after about it, if you're looking for more contrast in your images make the solution warmer. i think thats right, will find out tomorrow, i dev all my HP5 in D76 and everything else in TMAX dev. used Rodinal and a few others but find i get a base fog one alot of the other devs, not sure why.
plus try pushing the film, you get a really nice grain in it.
 
Gaz81 said:
I've been reading up about film processing etc, found an article that mentioned about having the temp just right.

The said you can have you chemicals submerged in water to keep the temp correct, to do that you need a heater controlled with a thermostat.

I had a look on ebay and there are loads!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Brand-New-50W...NameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em122

Would this not make E6 (the 3 step process type) a bit more easy to handle?
)
Click to expand...

It should make matters easier. It's pretty easy to stay within the temperature tolerance though for E6 film. Get your mixed chenicals to the right temp and then stand them and the tank in a larger body of water (a large bowl or the sink)at the same temp. As soon as there's a slight drop in temp just add hotter water in small amounts. The larger the body of water, the more gradual the temperature loss.

You just need an accurate photographic thermometer.

The nice thing about developing E6 reversal film is the process ends right there when you take the film out of the tank.
 
If you haven't worked it out yet, the Kaiser thing is a focusing aid. You place it on the paper under the enlarger and project the image through the window on the slope, looking through the wiewfinder gives you a magnified view of the image as it hits the paper. With a properly exposed negative you should be able to see the grain of the film snap into focus as you adjust the enlarger.
 
A lovely little tip I picked up the other day that produces nice clean negs is on the final water rinse, add a little wetting agent to the tank, agitate and pour away. Then flush negs with distilled water a couple of times, hey presto, lovely spot-free negatives.
 
well i finally got round to developing my first film, quite enjoyed it in a hecktic sort of a way.

things i learnt...

  • remember to put your scissors into your changing bag!
  • work out your ratios before you start!
  • mix up your chemicals before you start not as you go along!
  • remember that you took the shower curtain down about 2 months ago so i cant hang anything on it, i ended up film in one hand on a chair screwing a hook into the kitchen ceiling!!!!!!

good fun though,cant wait to try again!

now i need to scan some negatives so i can see them! time to buy a scanner!
 
when i first started doing my own negs, it was in the sink in my room, with the lights out :)
i kept the temp about right and it was an easy process.
Things to watch out for:
1. make sure you get the chemicals in and out quickly, turn the canister up and down about 3 times to dislodge any air bubbles from sticking to the negs
2. when you "stoke" the film (to remove the excess water once it is out of the drum), make sure it doesn't scratch the film.
3. on important negs, wash very very thoroughly. cos , in time, the fixer will eat into it.
4. Ansel Adams (search if you don't know him), would dev his negs for ages at a really weak solution, this would give an amazing about of detail. worth looking at his work
 
cheers GWP cheers for the tips.

cant wait to get the next film finished and get a scanner to view my images!!!!!!!!


ill try to find some ansel adams work to look at :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top