Save money and have fun developing your black and white films. It is fast and easy!
Steps
Step 1. Dilute the developer
Most photo developer detectors are in concentrated form, and therefore must be mixed with water. You will need to use a graduated beaker to measure liquids and water, and jerry cans to set aside the mixture.
Step 2. The Development Bath - mixes the detector with water in a ratio of 1: 3, i.e. 1 part of detector for 3 parts of water. With this mix you will get a solution that is still concentrated. Fill a tank with the solution you just got. The concentrated solution will be further diluted before being used on the film. By diluting the concentrated solution, you will get a solution that you can finally use.
Step 3. The Stop Bath - mixes a ratio of 1 of detector to 63 of water. Put the mixture aside in a tank: you can finally use the mixture, which has now become "operational".
Step 4. The Fixing - the ratio is 1 part of fixative for 4 of water. Mix the fixative with the water and fill a tank with the mixture. This is also a ready-to-use solution.
Step 5. Hyposulfite Clarifying Agent - mix 136.86gr of clarifier with 6.82l of water. This chemical is often found in powder form, so you need to make sure it is completely dissolved. Also set this solution aside in a tank.
Step 6. Once all the chemicals are mixed with the water and the tanks are ready, you need to bring everything to the right temperature
Fill a large basin (a kitchen sink will also work fine) with water at 20 ° C. Use a thermometer to reach the temperature. This operation is very important. Now put the three canisters in the sink to float in the water. The mixes MUST be at 20 ° C when you use them. Put them in water at 68 ° C, as the temperature will drop a bit as you bring the various liquids to temperature. When dealing with chemicals and temperatures, you really need to be as accurate as possible. Even just one degree above or one degree below 20 ° C can have a big effect on the film. Remember, the final temperature that the liquids in the tanks must reach is 20 ° C, and you must immerse the chemicals in the water at 68 ° C because the tanks will stay in the water for at least 30 minutes, and the water temperature will drop a couple of degrees in that time frame.
Step 7. Open the roll container, take out the film, place it in the spiral and place the spiral in the developer tank. You have to do this in total darkness, no lights are allowed, not even emergency lights. Grab the scissors, a bottle opener, the roll container, the spiral and the developer tank and go to a clean (dust-free) and light-tight room. For now, you can keep the light on.
Step 8. Place the supplies in front of you, possibly on a desk
You will need to put the film in the spiral in a total dark condition, so make sure you arrange all the tools so that you can find them in the dark.
Step 9. Turn off the light
Use the bottle opener to open the roll holder (and this is pretty straightforward). Handling the film by the edges only, pull it out of the container. Secure the film in the center of the spiral with masking tape. Make sure you cut it right at the base of the spiral or you will cut the images. Also cut off the end of the film (that uneven edge that comes out of the container when you buy a roll) to make a straight film. Just cut the end of the film even just 2, 5cm
Step 10. Wrap the film in the spiral
Without touching the surface of the negative, slide it into the opening of the spiral. Slide in about 10cm of film. Now start wrapping the film inside the spiral by turning only one part of the spiral back and forth. In other words, hold still and don't use your left hand, and with your right hand twist the right side of the spiral forward, then turn it back. Repeat this until the film has completely entered the spiral.
Step 11. Place the spiral inside the tank where you are going to pour the detector, and screw the lid on
The tank is light tight, so the film is safe and you can turn on the light. Although the tank has a hole on the top for the entry of development liquids, you can rest assured that the light does not penetrate inside. Pour some water into the tank, leave it to act for 1 minute, thus doing a pre-wash that will make the film more receptive to the solution with the detector. Now empty the tank of the pre-wash water
Step 12. Take the developer tank to the sink with water where you keep the tanks floating
Check the temperature of the tank containing the detector with the thermometer. If it is at 20 ° C, you can proceed. If it is over 20 ° C, check every 10 minutes until you have reached it. If it is below 20 degrees, add hot water to the sink where the jerry cans float. Pour 29.5ml from the "reservoir" of solution with the developer into the graduated beaker and then add 207ml of water at 20 ° C. Make an "operational" solution using a ratio of 1: 7 for chemical and water. In summary, make and set aside a solution in the tank with a ratio of 1: 3 between detector and water, and then dilute 1 part of this solution (part diluted 1: 3 previously) in another 7 parts of water.
Step 13. With a stopwatch on hand, pour the detector into the hole at the top of the development tank
Do this very quickly and start the stopwatch as soon as you have poured all the detector into the tank. Tap the bottom of the tank a few times against a countertop to loosen any bubbles that may be around the film. Swirl the tank for 30 seconds. Leave the film to soak in the detector for the minutes it takes. The shutter speed varies depending on the type of film usedyou can check the times here). Shake the film for 5 seconds every 30 seconds. Shaking is very important. Don't neglect this step. Developing phase chemicals wear out shortly after they come into contact with the film. Shaking ensures that the detector touching the film is renewed each time. In any case, the cyclical loss of effectiveness of the detector is an important part of the process. Over-agitation can give positive or negative results. It also depends on the "result" you want to get on your images. Shaking the tank more than necessary increases the contrast of the image but often the film is damaged and signs appear like teeth on the photos. If you want more contrast, an operation called push processing is better.
Step 14. When the timer is 10 seconds before the time runs out, start emptying the detector from the tank and throw it down a sink drain. Do not remove the lid from the tank
Step 15. For the stop bath you can use water at 20 ° C
Pour the water into the container, shake for a couple of seconds and then empty. Repeat 4 times. Or alternatively you can take a chemical stop bath. With a stopwatch on hand, quickly pour the stop bath into the tank where you developed until it is full. There is no need to further dilute the stop bath, so you can pour it straight from the tank. Start the stopwatch when the tank is full. Again, slam the bottom of the tank against a countertop a couple of times to loosen any bubbles. Leave the film in the stop bath for 1 1/2 minutes. The purpose of the stop bath is to neutralize any remaining detector on the film, and to stop the developing process.
Step 16. When the stopwatch has reached 1 minute and 20 seconds, begin emptying the stop bath from the tank
Some shutdown solutions, such as the Kodak indicator, can be reused. If you are using one of these products, return the stop bath to the tank for later uses. By "indicator" in the Kodak Stop Bath, we mean that the chemical itself indicates when it is no longer good. The product, when mixed with water, is yellow. It can therefore be used as long as the stop bath remains yellow.
Step 17. Now pour the fixer into the tank until it fills up
Since you have already diluted the fixer, you don't need to add any more water and you can pour directly from your tank into the tank. When the tank is full, start the stopwatch. Leave the film in the fixing solution for 6 minutes, 4 minutes for a quick fix. Slam the bottom of the tank against the counter to loosen any bubbles. Shake the film for 3 seconds every 30 seconds. There are also those who do not shake during the fixing process. In any case, it is best not to open the tank before 3 minutes have passed, shaking or not.
Step 18. Once the stopwatch has reached 6 minutes, empty the fixative from the tank
Do not reuse the fixative. Now you can unscrew the cap of the developer tank and expose the negative to light. If the film has been "fixed" it is no longer photosensitive. The rest of the process, on the other hand, must be done with the tank without a lid.
Step 19. Pour the hyposulfite clarifying agent into the tank (without lid)
There is no need to further dilute the clarifying agent, so you can directly use the liquid already prepared inside the tank. Slam the bottom of the tank against the counter to loosen any bubbles. Leave the film to soak in the clarifying agent for 1 1/2 minutes. If you want, you can shake the foil slightly.
Step 20. While the film is immersed in the clarifying agent, open the tap and bring the running water to a temperature of 20 ° C
After the minute and a half, remove the clarifying agent from the tank. Do not reuse it. Put the tank under running water, thus removing all chemical residues from the film. Leave the film under running water for 10 minutes. The water must fill the tank and overflow. Let it overflow and, every two minutes, empty the tank and refill it with more running water. Keep the water running at a constant temperature of 20 ° C. This final washing operation is very important. Ten minutes is the minimum required to wash a film, but you can do it for longer. It is also important that you wash the film with water at 20 degrees. Using warmer or colder water can negatively affect the final photograph.
Step 21. After 10 minutes, remove the spiral with the film from the tank and shake it gently to remove any residual water
Turn the spiral mechanism clockwise (or counterclockwise, depending on how you hold the spiral, so try both directions) until the top of the spiral comes off the bottom. Now take a pair of pliers and hook it to the end of the negative. There are pliers with small "hooks": you can insert them in the square holes that surround the film, being careful however not to scratch the negative. Lifting the pliers, pull the film out of the spiral. If everything went well, you should see your photos negatively. As a counterweight, hook another clamp at the bottom of the negative. Now hang the negative at room temperature in a dry, dust-free room. Leave the negative to dry for at least 2 hours.
Step 22. Finished
Now you can take your negatives to a shop to print, make the prints yourself, or scan the negatives and order the prints online - that's a great idea too.
Advice
- (** The double asterisks are mine … I put all the other ideas in "STEPS" because it seemed to me they were more than just technical "suggestions" … it took me 10-15 years to discover and confirm my skills, without internet … I'll save you time by offering them here. If for some strange reason, you want to even get BETTER grain for your negatives, you can "PULL" the film … underexposing it … With the T-Max 400 shot @ 100, for example (two stops) … then it will take you UNDER EXPOSURE … then you can bring the negatives to 40X and the grain becomes silky smooth … hard not to say impossible to find. EVERYWHERE, you will need a lot of light, or a slower speed shutter (and probably a tripod) or both to get the desired result.)
- Some people use bottled water instead of tap water. Tap water contains some minerals that can compromise the final photograph.
- Practice mounting the film into the spiral with the light on, using a waste roll.
- You can soak the film in a solution that makes it easier to dry the film without leaving water stains. (** Photo-Flo is a good product, for example)
- Leave the film to dry for at least 2 hours, but 4 would be better. If you remove the film too early, it tends to curl unpleasantly when you remove the pliers. The more you leave the film to dry, the more the negatives will stretch out (** A drying "booth" is a good way to keep dust and lint away from the negatives.)
Warnings
- Some films need more or less development time than others. Check how long it has to stay on developing yours.
- Wear rubber gloves for working with chemicals. Also, keep products out of the reach of children and animals.
- Do not expose negatives to light, any kind of light, before fixing! Otherwise your photos will be ruined.
