ciaran_mcmenemy

<p>Thanks!<br> what are the bleach chemicals you use? great advice, I will make sure to check the leader from now on.<br> I have a question - do you fix after the second development and subsequent wash?<br> I noticed little clear specks on my positive, I don't remember seeing them before. </p>

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No matter now, I tried again. Looks good! I'm surprised, I thought I could still see the silver of the sky after bleaching; but it turned out well

Hi! Can you tell me how you bleached it? What agitation? Oh, I did compensate for that in development. Not like I'd expise at 800 and develop as 100 :/\ Great detail. Did you add fixer to the first the first dev? After 5 min I checked and could still see the images, I thought they were supposed to be blank... Is it the clearer that makes them really blank?

Update- it was bleached for over 40 min. I decided to use clearer, and the film was perfectly clear... Oh! Nothing left! Does that mean bleach will take ALL the silver if longer than 5 or so min?

<p>Hi! Today I tried reversal on Fomapan 100, which I pushed to 800. I figured that pushing would increase the contrast, which is a good thing for a slide. I followed the Ilford reversal guide, but I'm having a problem with the bleach.<br> I mixed a 2% strength solution of H2SO4 for 750ml total (the guide says concentrated acid 10 ml into 490ml water, or 100ml 10% acid into 400ml water; both are equivalent to 2% strength). In a separate jug I added about a gram of potassium permanganate powder (it's a lovely purple colour!) into what would become a 1L solution. I combined 250ml of each solution, but after using it I can still see silver, mainly the sky part of photos. Why hasn't it disappeared?! I'm expecting it to look milky and vague/blank. I agitated it with the stick, quite vigorously..</p>

<p>highlight as in what was bright when you took the photo (and black after first development)?<br />I was considering adding a little Rapid Fixer to the first developer. It's going to be acidic, but only a little, right? <br> How does it increase the clarity? is it because it slows down development of the highlights? How would pictures from a negative developed with developer only compare to ones using developer + hypo? </p>

<p>John, I misread what you said. Oops! I mistakenly thought of developer; I was reading the Ilford guide to B&W reversal and they said to add hypo to the first developer. I really don't see why to do that, can someone clarify??<br> Great explanation Alan Marcus! I really appreciate the time all of you put into responding to me. I'm learning a lot thanks to all of you :)<br> ----<br> TetC41 combines the bleach and fix. Can I use the chemicals separately by making two solutions?</p>

<p>hypo is fixer/ammonium thiosulphate, right? can you tell me why that would be? it just seems counterintuitive. Part of the chemical develops the silver while the other dissolves it. (I also read about hypo in developer in the Ilford B&W transparency PDF)</p>

<p>Woops, I meant for silver-only film! Ahh, interesting. So there is a major loss in ISO..?</p>

<p>I was thinking about how a photographic image is formed. It's based on silver, of course. But what about the actual reaction that happens? It's a reduction reaction, something like (for silver chloride) Ag(+)Cl(-) + light --> Ag(+) + Cl(2-) + (e) --> Ag + Cl(2-) .. is that right? In that an electron from the other element is released by impact with light, attracting the silver and making it neutral. Where does the element go? Does it become a gas or part of the gelatine..? <br> My main reason for asking is because, if the reaction can happen, can it be reversed? Like if you accidentally exposed a film to light, could you carry out a chemical reaction that would rehalogenise the silver, rendering the film reusable? Would C41 bleach do that?<br> ----<br> I read that 'printing out' is when so much light hits the film that the silver visibly darkens. Could you in theory take a picture for a looong time and only need to fix the subsequent image?</p>

<p>send us some pictures of the start of the roll. the backing paper will be a clue! For example, Ilford Delta is white with black arrows, which lead to circles made of black dots (if you got to the circles though, too far!)<br> I'd say it's safe to assume that a 120 film is 100ISO.<br> If you know how to develop, then try putting C41 chemistry on a little snip of each <em>used </em>film. If you see orange, it's colour negative, a different colour cast for slide (I think!) and black/grey, no colour, for B&W.</p>

<p>Wow, Pana-X lasts half a decade by your estimate? That's immense! Can save some for the grandchildren, hah.<br> A question: do the names of the films mean anything? Kodak: 'Ultra', 'Panatonic', 'Tri-X' (three what???) .. Ilford: 'Selochrome' (even though it's B&W), 'Delta', 'HP5', and so on</p>

<p>I just can't reason with how expensive slide film is. Here: over £100 for 10! http://www.ffordes.com/product/13021214292281 It's a shame that slides are so 'niche'. There are barely any available these days, so the price is too damn high. You could get 50 Fuji Superia 200s for that price.<br> I'm always on the look for some 400 speed film (Uk = grim weather), since 200 is kinda slow. Anyone know any names?<br />-----<br />As for the 8 years expired film, what do you get? A slightly weaker image? <br />I had a load of Jessops film. People can complain, but I bet it's re-branded stock. I used Diamond Max 400, and the grain was quite beautiful. Really gave it character. ~ Exactly, the risk makes it more interesting. One of these days I'll try putting a roll in a low-heat oven, or on a radiator. See what happens. But I need to have enough C41 rolls (20 or so) before I can buy a Tetenal kit. <br />What you suggested is a <em>great</em> idea! I just need to work up the courage :D<br /><br /><br> Currently I have bought some battery acid (32% sulphuric acid), potassium permanganate, sodium bisulphate (something like that) and will try making B&W transparencies out of Foma 100 stock. I'm excited to try!</p>

<p>just saw that, Eugen! Unfortunately slide film (new) is really expensive around here...</p>

<p>oh really, I didn't realise! Maybe there is hope after all. I just wanted to get a feel for what I <em>could</em> expect. Like when you look at xpro'd film, provia can tend to be green, while another may be more blue.. and so on.<br> I'm fine with expired film, just unsure about slides, because what you see is what you get, while negatives are for interpretation. (that said, a scanner could fix off-colour slides, I'm sure).<br> OK, let's hear from everybody: what's the most out-of date film you've used, and what were the results?<br> I used mid-80s expired Tri-X 400 (came in 20-exposures, it's interesting!) and when a photo chainstore (jessops, I'm in UK) developed them; low contrast in quite a few. Odd thing is, I developed the last roll myself a year later, and every picture is <em>perfect</em>.</p>

<p>Even one uncorrected scan of those off-colour pictures you're talking about would be good. I just want to see how the quality can change.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone! Just what I wanted, Larry. I wonder how it would look if it had been stored on a shelf instead of in a freezer for 9 years?<br> When you freeze it, do you put the films in their canister, in the box, and all the boxes in a sealed bag??</p>

<p>Hi! I wanna get some slide film, and there is a big difference in price between new and expired.<br />Can any of you put photos on here that you took on expired slide film? I am wondered if there will be major degradation, since slides are designed for professionals, in that they are supposed to be cold-stored, processed promptly, and used before the exp. date.<br />No cross-processing/C41. I'm fed up of always seeing it when I look for answers. Thanks!</p>

<p>how can they make it film and digital? surely you would need two lenses for that. Unless there is some innovation where light hits a sensor, and a source on the other side shines a replication of the image onto a film plane. who knows?</p>

<p>I really like the look of super and standard 8, but it's so expensive to process it. Standard is such a pain too. I have a Minolta Auto Zoom 8 and it commonly forms loops around the takeup as I use it (i.e. it's not winding properly). I'd go with Super, but it's even more damn expensive!</p>

<p>Oops, I forgot. For the timer I just use the stopwatch on my phone. You can use an actual watch, but it's better to have something that you can see right in front of you. Also, touchscreen as opposed to pressing buttons.<br />Just don't get it wet. My phone inadvertently fell into a jug of fixer. Woops! I immediately wiped it, took out the battery, and left it on a radiator briefly. After a bit of coaxing it switched on later. The lens had droplets inside, so I left it with some rice around that area overnight. Fixed! Perhaps the silver has boosted the performance due to the improved conductivity. Ha ha!<br> Who cares what film you use? They're not that different. If I saw a bunch of photos all from different films, I wouldn't know what rolls they came from. Expired black and white is quite alright, since there's only one layer that can degrade (in contrast to colour, which has three layers...). Interesting point: I developed some films with Jessops, they are Tri-x 400, 20-exp, that expired in the 80s. Loss of contrast. I had one roll left, which I developed myself. Every picture is fine! I will show you a photo from that roll. People seem to be scared of grain, but you should embrace it. Grain gives the picture feeling, a quality, it makes it <em>real</em>. Smooth images? Just use a damn DSLR. <br> I used some 'China Lucky' SHD 100 and the film has no frame markings. Almost all films do, however. <br />You'll find that every roll you develop represents a certain time period in your life. You'll enjoy this~~~</p><div></div>

<p>My general method is <br />1) put the tank and reels in a changing bag, and wind on the film, in the tank it goes. <br /> 2) pre-wet film if I need the temp to be something other than 20, or in case it's hot or cold around. If you're using 30'C developer and the room temperature is 23'C, then when you add the developer to an unwarmed (i.e. 23'C) tank, the liquid will be cooled down. Since warmer developer means shorter developing time with the same image result, you would develop it as if it was 30'C, but since the temp dropped your image would be underdeveloped.<br /> 3) Mix the developer. If I'm carefree I will mix a jug of 20'C water, then put the right amount of developer in another jug, and add the water to it. Else, I will measure the temperature of the developer first and adjust the water temp to be added to offset it. 20'C is not the target, it is an ideal. Don't worry about being over (just not too under).<br /> 4)get rid of any water in the tank. (if used!), developer goes in. Agitate first 30 sec, then 3 agitations every 30 second period, excluding the exact end of development. <br /> 5) down the sink goes the developer. With pre-prepared water, rinse it repeatedly. Pour in, shake slightly, pour out, repeat.<br /> 6) in with the fixer. <br /> 7) after 5 mins you can open the tank, grab the reel, and inspect the film. A kinda milky grey means it's not fixed, so put it back in with no harm done. The film should have a transparent quality to it, with some tint. E.g. Fomapan 400 I developed has a light blue/purple tint. Before fixing, it was grey.<br /> 8) Return the fixer to the bottle and rinse the reel. I take the film off and rinse it with the shower, low heat and low strength.<br /> 9) hang up to dry. Some people use photoflo. I wonder if it's good??????</p>

<p>Here's my input. Might seem like a lot but I'll say everything you need to know.<br> You'll need a changing bag, tank, reels, developer, thermometer, fixer, three jugs (at least one with a mL guide), and some pegs. I've got this red octopus thing from IKEA (this goes to EVERYONE, take a look at 'pressa hanging dryer', you can thank me later). The clothes pegs (two of them) go on the bottom of the hanging strip. Without them, it curls up as it dries. A dial thermometer works great (think round face with a metal probe going down. I think it's called 'chef thermometer'), my digital thermometer often blanks out. A container (e.g. washing up bowl) is useful for holding water that is a specific temperature. Also, a bottle (I use an old juice bottle) for holding fixer solution.<br> Scanning: don't bother so much with gloves. A major source of irritation is the white hairs they leave. I use an Epson V550, which cost me £170 (that's $240 to you). Can scan two strips of 135 a time, be it negative or positive. Also 120 film, mounted slides, and polaroid. Software works great.<br> The MOST important thing is to have routine, a method, that you just <em>know</em>. The post after this is my explanation.<br /><br />Developer: there are 'fine' developers and 'high acutance' developers. If you want smoothness with little grain then use the former. Sharpness and more grain, use the latter. <br />I use Ilfosol-3 to develop. I can use it at a ratio of 1+14. That means 1 part developer to 14 parts water. I need 375ml for one 35mm film. 375/15 is 25. So I need 25ml dev and 350 ml water. I-3 comes in 500ml bottles; 500/25 = 20. That means I can do 20 individual rolls of 35mm film. <br /><em>Massivedevchart is what you NEED to use when it comes to developing times, chemicals, and info</em>. <br> How about re-using developer? I've done it before. The key is to be quick, since it will oxidise. I developed some Foma in I-3, then took it and washed it, leaving the dev in the tank. In darkness of course. I had a reel of more Foma ready, so that went in and developing resumed. Meanwhile the other Foma was rinsed enough that no more developing could occur. After rinsing the second, I fixed them simultaneously.<em><br /></em><br> I've tried D-76 and I'm not impressed. The ratio is 1+1 usually which means it doesn't last long. <br />For fixer, use Ilford Rapid Fixer. I mixed a solution last April and it's been in a bottle since. Still works!<br> Help winding the film to the reel: when you finish a roll of film in the camera, rewind it until you hear the click. Take it out and leave the leader sticking out. When you wind it on, just pull the leader, snip it so it can be square. Keep winding and snip it at the end. How easy! If you've reloaded the film into the can, then (in the changing bag of course) prise the seal open with your thumbs. It's easy to find the leader. Pull it out, push down the opening, and repeat as normal. <br />Using a plastic 'Paterson' reel? Do NOT let it get wet. EVER. the film will infuriatingly become stuck. You feel resistance and keep winding it. When you have developed the film, the edges will have scratches and some frames may have small 'folds', if that's the word. These bits won't have developed properly and lead to white streaks on the scan. <br />120 film is super-easy to load, if it's new. Old 120 is a bitch and you'll find it easily escapes from the reel slots. If you get frustrated, then (in the bag): let the film roll up, put it in the tank, close the lid. That's light-tight so you can take your hands outta the bag.</p> <p>Now for some extremely useful advice. Pushing! Say you have Tri-X that's 400, but you want to use it as 3200. Easy! Just take the pictures with the camera set to that ISO. Looking at the chart of TX400 for I-3,<em> http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php?Film=Tri-X+400&Developer=Ilfosol+3&mdc=Search&TempUnits=C</em> the time is 12 min for 400 ISO, using 1+14 dilution. Now the rule is, multiply the time required by 1.5 for every stop increase (the opposite is true too: 'pulling'. but why waste fast film?). So 400 > 800 > 1600 > 3200 that's a three-stop increase. 12 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 that's 12 * 1.5^3 = 40.5 (40 min and 30 sec). Woah! That is gonna take ages.<br /><br />Remember that temperature affects the rate of development. Using this <em>http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php?doc=timetemp </em>I find that with a temperature of 30'C development will take about 15 minutes instead of 40.5. Much better! But, you'll need to pre-soak the film with 30'C water to get it and the tank to tamp. Also, immerse it in a sink or container filled with 30'C water to maintain that temperature.<br /> Disadvantage? Mainly that the emulsion goes soft at that temperature. Touch it with a finger and it will smear. I try to stay below 28'C. When I wash it after development, I use progressively cooler water until I hit 20'C. Then it's back to normal. <br />Pushing film is useful, so useful, for 120. I despise how slow it is! </p> <p><br /><br /></p> <p> </p>

<p>Good going Larry! PLEASE put the results on here, sounds like an innovative experiment.<br />I've processed Koda as black and white (I think I used guidelines for Tri-X and added two minutes for safety). The pictures had a really beautiful feel to them. I'll attach one.<br /><br />Remjet is no big deal, seriously. The worst I had was wiping a few black marks off of the bathtub. Do you know the sponges that you use for washing, that have one side with a sorta rough material? (Scourer, I think). I started out by repeatedly adding water, shaking, and removing the water. When the colour was clear (I think it starts yellow or brown) then I started developing. Next I do the same water wash (this time the colour starts out black). <br /><br />After it's fixed, I rinsed and hung it up. If you can make a claw with your hands, that's how I held the sponge. My fingertips touched each sprocket side ('under' where I was wiping) and my thumbs held the sponge against the film. Just slide down, rinse, keep going, then do it for the other side. <br />------------<br />Since BW reversal is done on 'ordinary' film, I would remove the remjet before fogging. Otherwise you will have streaks of remjet and fogging would be inconsistent.</p><div></div>