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Evo

Evo

pfm Member
I am going to give developing film at home a bash. I see that there are starter kits produced by Patterson which provide everything needed with the exception of a light sealed bag.
Before I take the plunge and buy a kit plus bag, is there any advice you can give? There is usually something which only becomes obvious once you give it a go!
I'll be developing black and white 120 and 35 mm format films- mainly Ilford HP5.
Any advice is welcome from the PFM photo borg!
Chris
 
Record EVERYTHING when you start, times, temperatures, inversions etc. Nothing more annoying than really good results and no idea how to replicate them. Try a couple of different developers see what works for you and what you want. I used to love Patterson FX39 (I think it was) for smooth looking negs and nice tonality, but sometimes Rodinal gave a 'better look' to the negs with more accented edges, but more prominent grain.

It's great fun, and there is a certain magic to pulling film off the spool to see images.

Actually PM me your details and I can lend you the stuff you need, you will just need chemicals. If you enjoy it, buy your own gear and post mine back, after you have done a dozen or so films and decided if its for you or not. My jobo tank is a bit leaky but I've lived with it for years.
 
Better than a bag is a room. cupboard, closet. with no light. Think if you have anywhere, even a very small space, in which you can shut yourself in. Test it by staying there for 10 minutes, until your eyes can see any glimmer of light. Sometimes it is quite easy to light-proof a space with improvised things like a piece of cloth against the bottom of the door, a piece of cardboard and tape on a window, and also turning off all the other lights in nearby rooms, closing doors, and shouting "nobody open a door for 5 minutes" to other people around. And/or loading the tank after dark.
 
gavreid said:
The kits are good. Practice with an old film until you are confident inside the bag then give it a try on something that doesn't much matter until you're good with the timings.
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Excellent advice.
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PaulMB said:
Better than a bag is a room. cupboard, closet. with no light. Think if you have anywhere, even a very small space, in which you can shut yourself in. Test it by staying there for 10 minutes, until your eyes can see any glimmer of light. Sometimes it is quite easy to light-proof a space with improvised things like a piece of cloth against the bottom of the door, a piece of cardboard and tape on a window, and also turning off all the other lights in nearby rooms, closing doors, and shouting "nobody open a door for 5 minutes" to other people around. And/or loading the tank after dark.
Click to expand...

Each to his own, but that's too much faff for developing only. if you're used to using a bag for loading the film, everything can be done in normal lighting.
 
Puggie said:
Record EVERYTHING when you start, times, temperatures, inversions etc. Nothing more annoying than really good results and no idea how to replicate them. Try a couple of different developers see what works for you and what you want. I used to love Patterson FX39 (I think it was) for smooth looking negs and nice tonality, but sometimes Rodinal gave a 'better look' to the negs with more accented edges, but more prominent grain.

It's great fun, and there is a certain magic to pulling film off the spool to see images.

Actually PM me your details and I can lend you the stuff you need, you will just need chemicals. If you enjoy it, buy your own gear and post mine back, after you have done a dozen or so films and decided if its for you or not. My jobo tank is a bit leaky but I've lived with it for years.
Click to expand...
Thanks Puggie, that is a very kind offer. I will decline only because I will definitely be developing myself and using a community dark room for prints. Thanks again for the offer amd the info.
 
Chris,

1) Either a small light proof closet or changing bag is fine.
2) Definitely practice loading a spiral lots of times with an old waste film.
3) Rest of it is easy, just like following a recipe
4) Pick one film developer and use that to start - Ilfosol S, Rodinal (Adox Adonal) and other one shot liquid developers are easy to use (if you are not shooting lots of film, some argon gas to layer over the top of the developer bottle will keep this fresh for longer - Tetenal Protectan or alternatively a shot of gas from your Coravin wine gadget if you have one)
5) Stop and fixer brand not critical - a cheap one will do.

Have a piece of paper with timings written down - eg film dev, fix (use the manufacturer's recommendations to start with)
I normally have a pencil and cross off each minute as I go along - eg I, II, III, IIII, etc
Stop watch on your phone is fine for timings
Standardise your agitation - I normally do 3-4 inversions every minute
Fixing for a bit longer than recommended is fine, as you want the fixer to work fully
 
narabdela said:
Excellent advice.
t2001.gif




Each to his own, but that's too much faff for developing only. if you're used to using a bag for loading the film, everything else can be done in normal lighting.
Click to expand...

I'd definitely have a go at making a room light safe if I thought it would be easier than the bag but with the room I have it isn't going to be easy. I'll just have to practice with a bag. The community darkroom doesn't seem to alow developing film using their room otherwise I'd use that space instead.
 
topoxforddoc said:
Chris,

1) Either a small light proof closet or changing bag is fine.
2) Definitely practice loading a spiral lots of times with an old waste film.
3) Rest of it is easy, just like following a recipe
4) Pick one film developer and use that to start - Ilfosol S, Rodinal (Adox Adonal) and other one shot liquid developers are easy to use (if you are not shooting lots of film, some argon gas to layer over the top of the developer bottle will keep this fresh for longer - Tetenal Protectan or alternatively a shot of gas from your Coravin wine gadget if you have one)
5) Stop and fixer brand not critical - a cheap one will do.

Have a piece of paper with timings written down - eg film dev, fix (use the manufacturer's recommendations to start with)
I normally have a pencil and cross off each minute as I go along - eg I, II, III, IIII, etc
Stop watch on your phone is fine for timings
Standardise your agitation - I normally do 3-4 inversions every minute
Fixing for a bit longer than recommended is fine, as you want the fixer to work fully
Click to expand...

That's great, do you have a preferred film developer out of those you mentioned?
 
Evo said:
That's great, do you have a preferred film developer out of those you mentioned?
Click to expand...

If you are just shooting ASA 100 and 400 films at box speed:
Ilfosol is fine grain
Adonal (Rodinal) is more contrasty with "high acutance" - Rodinal tends to last longer
Either would be absolutely fine.

Personally, I now use Kodak X-TOL, as this is flexible and is excellent for push processing. However, this comes as powder for 5 L, and you would need to have 5 x 1L bottles just all this. Once mixed, this will last about 3 to 6 months. A 5L packet will process about 15 x 35mm films. X-TOL is cheap and excellent, if you planned to process lots of film. Hence, it is very much a question of how much film you will shoot.
 
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Evo said:
I'd definitely have a go at making a room light safe if I thought it would be easier than the bag but with the room I have it isn't going to be easy.
Click to expand...

Believe me, using a bag is easy...and I'm the original butterfingers!. Practice without a bag, looking at what you're doing, until you feel confident. Then do it with your eyes closed until you feel confident. Then practice with the bag. Job done.
 
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SoundS as if IIfosol or Adonal would suit me and how much I currently shoot. Can they also be used to develop faster films? I sometimes use Delta3200 in an old Rollei 35s for shooting in coffee shops etc.
 
Evo said:
SoundS as if IIfosol or Adonal would suit me and how much I currently shoot. Can they also be used to develop faster films? I sometimes use Delta3200 in an old Rollei 35s for shooting in coffee shops etc.
Click to expand...

If you're shooting high speed film like Delta 3200, then I would buy the Ilford DD-X film dev. However it is more expensive.
 
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A note on the Paterson Starter Kits, the reels only take 35mm.

I would anyway recommend the AP brand. They have a wider lip at the point where you feed the reel on, much easier to 'feel' when you are working in a darkroom bag.

You can buy them at AG Photographic

DDX is great, but once opened you've only got about 4 months to use it. I like the argon/coravin tip above, that might help extend it.
 
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Bear in mind that Rodinal ain't what it used to be regarding shelf life. It used to last for years and years, even in an opened bottle of the concentrate. Now after a few months it seems to die. More ecological or cheaper ingredients, I believe.
Surprised nobody mentioned D-76 and ID11 (same stuff), the all-time standard developers par excellence.
 
PaulMB said:
Bear in mind that Rodinal ain't what it used to be regarding shelf life. It used to last for years and years, even in an opened bottle of the concentrate. Now after a few months it seems to die. More ecological or cheaper ingredients, I believe.
Surprised nobody mentioned D-76 and ID11 (same stuff), the all-time standard developers par excellence.
Click to expand...

Would I be able to use the D-76 for both HP5 and Delta 3200 or would I still need the Ilford DD-X?
 
The Patterson plastic reels are easy to load for a beginner, but a stainless tank and reel is better for temp control. You can learn how to load a metal reel pretty quickly.
 
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Evo said:
Would I be able to use the D-76 for both HP5 and Delta 3200 or would I still need the Ilford DD-X?
Click to expand...

I'm sure it would work with Delta 3200, but there may be something better for it. I have no idea, I'm afraid. But D-76/ID11 will certainly work.
What I would suggest, though, is that you start with one standard, traditional film like HP5 or FP4 and a standard developer like ID11, which is the Ilford version of D-76 but in practice identical, and see how you get along.

Ah, if you are using a plastic tank and reel, remember that if the reel is even a tiny bit damp it is absolute hell, possibly impossible, trying to push the film onto the spiral. Dry it out thoroughly first! And with a pair of scissors just round off a tiny bit of the leading corners of the film, it helps prevent it sticking.
But if, as you must, you start practicing with a sacrificial film in light, all this will become obvious. Have fun!
 
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Cheers Paul for the advice. I was just thinking that I might use up my last roll of Delta 3200 and the use HP5 pushed to 1600 when I need to. I would then be using HP5 all the time and don't need to worry about different film developers.
 
I've used Delta 3200 in Rodinal, you get images but brutal contrast and grain you can sand wood with:

But that maybe what you want sometimes.

I like the Jobo tanks more than the Paterson ones, not really sure why, the Paterson was more robust though, the Jobo chipped when I dropped the lid and never sealed properly again.

ID11 is a good starter developer IMHO as you can develop ANYTHING in it and its so widely used (Kodak D76 is the american version) you can get a feel for things and everyone has used it, so if you say I want something sharper or smoother etc, you have a very solid base line to compare from.

I started with a second hand Jobo 2 reel tank (can do 120 in there too), new Paterson bag, measuring jug and thermometer from tesco and some bulldog/foldback clips for hanging the films. I used FX39 as a dev (think mine was Paterson but its now an Adox chemical) as I though liquid dev would be easier to measure out, white vinegar for stopper and ilford rapid fixer. This was enough to get images I was really happy with (from a technical viewpoint anyway):


Damn, this thread is making me want a film camera again!


Oh, massive dev chart if you havn't found it yet:
https://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php
 
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