Might bite the bullet and start to do my own film developing

[logan2z]

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I print my own work in my home darkroom but have been reluctant to do my own B&W film developing for fear of screwing it up and ruining my photos.  But I've had (literally) spotty results with my local lab - a scratched negative, water spots that require re-washing the film to remove them, and the latest roll I got back has what appears to be some sort of blotch on one negative of unknown origin.  I'm getting tired of it, as well as the long drive to the lab to drop off/pick up the film (I don't trust the mail or couriers with the job).  So, I'm on the verge of starting to home develop my film - then I'll have nobody but myself to blame if things go wrong

 

Do most of you here home develop or are you still using a professional lab to process your film?   I may need a little peer pressure to push me over the edge

Edited September 26, 2018 by logan2z

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[TomB_tx]

I’ve developed my own since the 1960s, with a 25 year break until 2010 when I started up again. B&W is easy. I use stainless tanks and reels, load film onto reels in a changing bag, and now use 1-shot developer (usually Rodinal) to do a roll or so a week. I mainly scan negatives now, and only wet print when I get something exceptional. I keep a couple of gallons of filtered water for mixing and rinsing film to keep all at room temperature.

[logan2z]

I’ve developed my own since the 1960s, with a 25 year break until 2010 when I started up again. B&W is easy. I use stainless tanks and reels, load film onto reels in a changing bag, and now use 1-shot developer (usually Rodinal) to do a roll or so a week. I mainly scan negatives now, and only wet print when I get something exceptional. I keep a couple of gallons of filtered water for mixing and rinsing film to keep all at room temperature.

 

If I only wet printed when I got something exceptional my enlarger would be covered in cob webs

 

Thanks for the input on the ease of B&W developing.  I think I'm going to give it a shot.  

 

Any recommendations for a good, available stainless tank and reels?  I keep reading reviews of the popular ones (eg. Paterson) but people complain that the tanks leak.

[mikemgb]

I always develop my own, for black and white I use HC-110 developer one shot, I keep Ilford stop and Kodak fix mixed, I can have a film developed from thinking about it to cleaned up in 30 minutes. As long as you don't push your fix beyond recommended you have very little chance of screwing up.

 

For colour I mix a C41 kit and follow storage instructions exactly, after 3 months I throw it out and mix a new one. For E6 I save up as many films as a kit will develop and add a couple more then I will develop them all in one day.

[gbealnz]

Do It!!!!

 

I have since many years back, too many.

 

You can screw it up of course, I have, most/everyone has.

 

But as you know, the people charging you good money also screw it up.

 

Don't write off the Paterson stuff, I have used them (only) since day one, no complaints.

 

Plenty of advice from the gallery here, just ask.

 

Gary

[Michael Hiles]

I do my own B&W. C41 goes to a very reliable photo shop, mainly because my volume is very low.

 

The B&W is simple. Developer is HC-110 as a one shot. I use Kindermann steel tanks and reels. I use and reuse Ilford Rapid Fix 1:4 as recommended by Ilford. I filter it as I replace it into its storage bottle. It all works out quite well.

 

Get yourself a procedure and stick with it. Reproducibility is very important. Buggering around is not testing.

[stray cat]

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I can only echo the above advice - just do it. It is actually pretty relaxing and it gives you full control and responsibility for your output. Yes, most of us have made mistakes, but that is a mighty good way to learn - and when you get it right, it's a pretty incomparable feeling.

 

I've also only used Patterson gear - since the 1970s - and find it brilliant. If your tank starts to leak it is probably that you haven't sealed the cap on properly. If it continues to leak - get yourself a new cap and problem solved.

 

Another thing I find useful is a film changing tent (they might be called light tents) which eliminates the need for loading film onto reels in a dark room. And as Michael says, keep your process consistent - that is imperative.

[Ouroboros]

I print my own work in my home darkroom but have been reluctant to do my own B&W film developing for fear of screwing it up and ruining my photos.  But I've had (literally) spotty results with my local lab - a scratched negative, water spots that require re-washing the film to remove them, and the latest roll I got back has what appears to be some sort of blotch on one negative of unknown origin.  I'm getting tired of it, as well as the long drive to the lab to drop off/pick up the film (I don't trust the mail or couriers with the job).  So, I'm on the verge of starting to home develop my film - then I'll have nobody but myself to blame if things go wrong

 

Do most of you here home develop or are you still using a professional lab to process your film?   I may need a little peer pressure to push me over the edge

The lab you are currently using clearly aren’t worth bothering with. If you can make a darkroom print, you can process film, so stop dithering and get on with it!

[Ari Kfir]

I print my own work in my home darkroom but have been reluctant to do my own B&W film developing for fear of screwing it up and ruining my photos.  But I've had (literally) spotty results with my local lab - a scratched negative, water spots that require re-washing the film to remove them, and the latest roll I got back has what appears to be some sort of blotch on one negative of unknown origin.  I'm getting tired of it, as well as the long drive to the lab to drop off/pick up the film (I don't trust the mail or couriers with the job).  So, I'm on the verge of starting to home develop my film - then I'll have nobody but myself to blame if things go wrong

 

Do most of you here home develop or are you still using a professional lab to process your film?   I may need a little peer pressure to push me over the edge

Well, Mr. Logan, this feedback is from a fellow who did his own film processing and darkroom printing for many-many years. To develop the film, either B&W or slide/negative colour is the easiest part. To print is much more difficult, requires a lot of skill and add-on activities like shadowing or extra exposing certain areas. What is really interesting: colour printing, being more exposure and variances tolerant, is substantially easier than B&W.

[Ko.Fe.]

BW, C-41, E6 and ECN2 at home.

[TomB_tx]

The stainless tanks I use are Honeywell Nikor that I've had since the 1960s. I also picked up a smaller one for a single 35mm reel that is what I use mainly now. You can usually find them on eBay. The easiest loading stainless reels are Hewes, from England. The Nikor tanks have stainless lids, and may seep a drop or two when doing inversions for agitation, so I set all in a paper developing tray so any seepage doesn't stain the counter. Loading the reels takes a bit of practice, as you catch the end of the roll in the center of the reel and wind from the inside, bowing the film a bit between your fingers so it fits between the spirals and expands as it reaches the right groove. Easier to do than to explain.

[jmahto]

I will say go ahead and give it a shot.

I started developing BW in 2 reel Paterson tank few months ago and I have yet to mess it up fully. I have been sticking to DD-X (1+4) since that is what I started with.

 

Once I didn't use enough chemical (barely filling for one reel) that caused some uneven development to top edge. Other time I didn't use wetting agent and got spots while drying. Both got fixed in PP after scanning. If you are developing for dark room printing (instead of scanning) then your requirement of "properly developed negative" may be different than mine. But for scanning there is almost no risk.

[LCL999]

All the above is good advice. I have always used Patterson tanks. No problem with 35mm, but loading 120 film (6x6 cm) is a bit fiddly.

I load in a dark-room. Actually a bathroom. I made a box with flange that fits into the window recess and use a draft excluder under the door to block that light source.

If I have any doubts or questions wrt developer, I will cut off some of the film leader, fully expose it, then check that it develops to full black in the recommended time.

For a stop bath I just use supermarket white vinegar. Never had a problem.

Temperature control can present challenges. Sydney can be hot in summer so I end up filling the sink, cooling it with ice, and floating the various bottles in it. Once having got the bath to the right temperature it often warms up quite quickly, so it needs to be monitored closely.

[david strachan]

A good hint for loading nylon reels...

Makes sure they are clean and PERFECTLY DRY. The film should just about push in they are so easy.

 

Practice with a "sacrifice" roll of film until it becomes second nature.

 

...

[jmahto]

A good hint for loading nylon reels...

Makes sure they are clean and PERFECTLY DRY. The film should just about push in they are so easy.

 

Practice with a "sacrifice" roll of film until it becomes second nature.

 

...

Good advice. This is why having extra reel is a good thing if you want to do back to back development. Tank can be wiped dry but the reel takes time to dry.

 

I have one permanent practice roll on hand for loading practice. The trickiest part for me is loading the reel in changing bag (once it got stuck and I had to remove the film from reel inside the bag and load again). This becomes better with practice

Edited September 28, 2018 by jmahto

[logan2z]

Thanks to everyone for all of the feedback.  I've decided to go ahead and start developing at home in order to avoid issues with my local lab and give myself better control over the entire process.  I've ordered a Hewes reel and I'm hunting for a Nikor tank to give myself the best chance of success.  I'll post a follow-up after my first go at this.  

[Doug A]

You might look at Kindermann tanks too. It also fits the Hewes reels. It's stainless with a plastic lid. No leaks.

[logan2z]

You might look at Kindermann tanks too. It also fits the Hewes reels. It's stainless with a plastic lid. No leaks.

Will do, thanks.

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Hallo,

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