Film development time?

[Stealth3kpl]

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When do you start your clock? Just before the pour? Just afterwards?

Pete

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[dave_d]

It doesn't matter, either way but be consistant in how you do things in the darkroom. The recommended developement time is starting point and can be adjusted for your methods of processing. When you make adjustments in developement, change one thing at a time. For example if you alter your agitation, don't alter you time until you see how your changes in agitation affect your film.

[adan]

I start the timer first, and then pour. The reason being that on rare occasions I've had a timer malfunction and fail to start, and that way I KNOW it is counting before I take the irreversible step of letting chemicals hit the film.

 

I compensate at the back end by beginning to pour out the chemicals as the timer hits the correct total time, so the "chemical in the can time" comes out correct.

 

I.E., if the recipe calls for 6:15 dev. time, I start the timer, take 5 seconds to pour in the chems, start pouring the chems out at 6:15, and the last drop leaves the can at 6:20 (-0.05 = 6:15).

 

Frankly, the time is not that critical for fixes, bleaches, stops, wetting agents, stabilizers, rinses, etc. - so long as it is "long enough." Just developers (including the second developer for reversal processes).

 

As Dave says, being consistent either way is the key, though.

[cbretteville]

After the soup us in. For no other reason than that us how I've always done it.

 

Andy has a point though, particularly when the chart calls for shorter development times (<5 min).

 

Carl