Jump to content

process at home?


dchalfon

Recommended Posts

The other thing to mention, is that few things in life are better than opening the tank and unwinding a strip of wet negatives from the reel. While they are wet they look gorgeous - even if they later prove to be disappointing snaps.

 

Excellent point. After 37 years of processing my own B&W film, I still get a thrill whenever I open up the tank and pull out the negs.

 

Jim B.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Probably most of BW work is developed at homes. Easy, cheap, funny. Ever a child can do this easily. I started with this at age 9 years old.

 

I would do the same with slides, but is impossible to find here the chemicals, ever the kits of prepared baths. I only use labs when I want 1-hour colour deveopment; that's good to test a camera, a lens, etc.

 

Martin

Link to post
Share on other sites

Permit me to suggest a two-bath developer that makes processing a little easier, and has some extra qualities - it is moderately staining so that highlight textures are more easily retained. It is temperature tolerant and also permits processing different films in the same bath at the same time. It works by a completion process.

 

Barry Thornton's Dixatol.

 

And the source is The Photographers' Formulary.

Edited by pico
Link to post
Share on other sites

Permit me to suggest a two-bath developer that makes processing a little easier, and has some extra qualities - it is moderately staining so that highlight textures are more easily retained. It is temperature tolerant and also permits processing different films in the same bath at the same time. It works by a completion process.

 

Barry Thornton's Dixatol.

 

And the source is The Photographers' Formulary.

 

two-bath developers are wonderful! I'm using these for years. Take a little more trouble, of course - usually the second bath you will throw away after. I used the fine-grain DK-20 in two baths (version with borax) for a long time (and never had any trouble using high-speed films). By now I'm using an old formula with sodium bicarbonate as alkali. Takes a lot more time, but the results are very good.

 

Martin

Link to post
Share on other sites

No one is mentioning that at home it is going to be better quality, if you are careful no abrasions, water marks or dust, & as others have said more fun than television... Probably a lot cheaper and quicker too.

 

If you are processing 120 film you probably need a dark room s the 120 base is much more flexible and more prone to damage, but a dry dark room is easy to make out of any built in cupboard.

 

If you shoot C41 mono then the home C41 process is also easy but probably not as convenient if you still have a local mini lab, the mini lab wont be as careful as you are... You can do C41 color if you want.

 

A simple magnifier, light box or flat bed scanner allows a proof of the negative. There is the choice of a bubble jet styme printer or an enlarger and wet printing. Nowadays enlargers are really cheap as people moved to digital. They are give away items in camera clubs.

 

If you are poor you can get bulk cine off cuts cheap, but more difficult than local chemist green or yellow boxes, and there is a cult of this on the forum. Occasionally speedtrap film is available... The other members of the household discover the fridge has no food in it...

 

The cine is nice - beautiful cinema noir effects, the speed trap horrible.

 

Noel

Edited by Xmas
spelling
Link to post
Share on other sites

I proces all my b/w and C-41.

C-41 is easier than it looks. I develop it with the Tetenal kit at 30C. I have a watertank with thermostat to keep the chamicals at the right temperature. The quality is better compared to the minilabs I tried before.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Dust was my major problem until I restored a Senrac dryer. With the new HEPA filter material in two layers, the problem has been solved. Happy days! For sheet film I am considering something similar, hand-made with a small home air cleaner.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...