Set up for occasional developing of 35mm & medium format film?

[JDMvW]

I've thought about doing developing of my own black and white film from my

collection of vintage 35mm and a few medium format cameras. Up to now, I've been

shooting color negative and then scanning these in on a Canoscan FS4000US and a

Canon 9950F. There is no local processing for B&W except for the special E6 B&W

films.

 

Setup for film development only:

 

 

tanks & reels

 

film clips

 

changing bag

 

thermometer

 

timer (or two?)

 

 

funnel(s)

 

graduated flasks

 

'pleated' or other bottles for fluids

 

developer - D76? or one-shot?

 

acid stop bath -

 

fixer

 

hypo eliminator

 

wetting agent

 

photo chamois?

 

I haven't developed any film since the early 80s, so this is like starting over

for me (I'm hoping it's like riding a bicyle, once you get on it comes back).

 

Anyhow,

 

(1) is this set up enough for what I want to do?

 

(2) anything obviously missing from the list? Anything that I should delete?

 

(3) is this crazy? should I just follow http://www.yarki.net/E6/ and do E6

processing myself?

[JDMvW]

Or of course, C-41 at home for negatives a la http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-11965.html ? ?

[david_dorcich1]

Chemical side you don't need hypo eliminator or wetting agent. You can even get by use just a water stop bath.

[beasleyglb]

I use one shot for occasional developing, a mixed jug of D76 would expire way too soon and would not give uniform results. Rodinal or Pyrocat HD in glycol are very long lived. Kodak rapid fix without the hardener is also great for one shot too. That leaves very few bottles to store and worry about keeping fresh.

[JDMvW]

Thanks,Gary, that was one of my next questions. ;)

[robert lee]

"developer - D76? or one-shot?"

 

One shot. I'd stick with developers that have a long shelf life, e.g. HC-110 or Rodinal.

 

"wetting agent ... photo chamois? "

 

Sure, Photoflo. I use tap for the wash, but distilled water and Photoflo for the last 30sec soak. This, and a "two finger" squeegee leaves the film spotlessly clean.

[mark f]

I'd do everything one shot and from liquid. For a developer, a good, basic starting point is HC110 mixed driectly from syrup. Rodinal and Pyrocat work well too, but are more of a specialty developer....great stuff, but probably not the best place to start. Either way, you can get a medicine syringe from the local drug store to accurately the small amounts of concentrate,

Use a few changes of water for stop. You could mix rapid fix as one shot (or you can save it for a few films). Hypo eliminator is not really needed for film After washing, I'd just soak in distilled water and forget the photoflo and photo chamois. Soaking in distilled and hanging works for me with no risk of scratching. Lastly, consider finding an easy way to make a room light tight rather than using a changing bag....it is much, much easier.

This set up eliminated the need for storage of any mixed chemicals.

 

For reels and tanks, I use Hewes and Patterson. They both work well and I use them both. Whichever you choose, make sure you practice a few times with a scrap roll of film to make sure you get the hang of it before risking a goog roll. Film clips are really not needed. I just use wood sprung clothes pins

[JDMvW]

Thanks, I appreciate the help--it's been a long time since I was in the darkroom.

 

I'm curious for more details on a one-shot fixer, since I will be doing this intermittently and want to keep as few mixed solutions as possible.

 

I've used Rodinal in the past, but not HC110 or Pyrocat.

[beasleyglb]

If you've used Rodinal and like it you should get more. Stuff lasts forever!

[nealcurrie]

That list is pretty extensive. You don't need film clips - coat hangers & clothes pins work. I use my stove timer (or watch) to time, one 500ml glass measuring cup, and leftover plastic bottles to store chemicals. Stop isn't necessary. If you don't mind having/using all that stuff and have lots of storage space - get it all.

[mikeb380]

I wouldn't use the chamois or the photo flo. The chamois can pick up dirt and scratch film. I wet two fingers, shake them off and then run gently down the film, one time. For a wetting agent you can use a few drops of dish detergent in water. I'd say 4 or 5 drops to a quart of water. You might have to adjust from there.

 

Like some of the others, I think I'd use a finer gain developer such as Rodinal or hc 110, specially if you are planning on scanning. D76 is a fine developer but I think it isn't the best you can use. Mix what you need and toss it when through. Not worth trying to reuse.

Michael

[fourthst]

Do your own B&W. No one will or can do it better. Leave E-6 the pros. Here is my method for occasional processing. I use Photographer's Formulary developer TD-16 (same as D-76 but more stable) and their non-hardening fixer. Good combo for me but any good developer/fixer will work fine. As you know you'll have to decide which film developer combo is best for you. What I do is add Edwal's LFN (a wetting agent) to my developer. This eliminates air bells and promotes even development without the need for "pre-wetting" the film. The developer characteristics do not change and developing times remain the same. I also use LFN as the final wetting agent rinse. I can't recommend wiping your film down, with anything, after final rinse. I also bought an inexpensive, collapsible garment unit for air drying my film dust free. Also, shorter wet time helps to reduce apparent grain. Eliminate unnecessary steps. E.g. "pre-wetting" film or if you use a rapid non hardening fix you don't really need a wash aid etc.

[JDMvW]

This is great, folks. I really appreciate the advice.

 

I've got a small half bath with shower that can be darkened (no windows), sink for wash, hang film in shower to dry, so am looking forward to starting. I've got Phil Davis' book which I used years ago, and tanks and reels, but need to get arranged.

 

Because of a professional meeting next week, I probably won't get to the actual process until early November.