kenneth Posted March 8, 2009 Share #1 Posted March 8, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) A roll of Kodak Tri-X 400asa in Ilfosol S- 7.30mins. Although, due to my long lay off from processing B&W, having concentrated on Kodachrome all these years, I was a little reticent but I need not have been. The process went very smoothly and the roll looks excellent. I now look forward to making some more prints on my newly acquired enlarger. If you are pondering processing again like I was I urge you to have a go. If you can make a cup of coffee you can process your own films and you are not then handing this most important part of the photographic process over to a third party. Unlike colour reversal where the photographers job is finished after he has pressed the shutter the B&W photographers work has only just begun Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 8, 2009 Posted March 8, 2009 Hi kenneth, Take a look here Tonight I processed my first film for 25 years. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted March 8, 2009 Share #2 Posted March 8, 2009 I process a lot of Tri-X (in DD-X and HC110) and there's nothing to beat it. Apart from a properly exposed slide, processed in your own home Seeing 36 colour frames come out of the tank is a real joy, and as Kenneth will understand, getting it right "in-camera" is part of the challenge and the reward. Two entirely different media and experiences. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saleen219 Posted March 8, 2009 Share #3 Posted March 8, 2009 At one time I went 100% digital. Having purchased/used 7 digital cameras (5 DSLRs), I decided to turn back to film in November. I decided to go with b&w film as its something I never did before even when I was into film. I also decided for the first time to develop my own film - I absolutely love it! Seeing that first roll come out of the tank with images on it was a real thrill for me to say the least. I also set up a darkroom for the first time to make own prints. I may not be getting the results that someone with a lot more experience that I have but I love developing my own film and making my own prints. I couldnt be happier! I say even if you havent done your own developing in the past - take it up! You'll love it! I'm loving photography again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thephotofather Posted March 9, 2009 Share #4 Posted March 9, 2009 If I may, how are you guys hanging "drying" your film strip. I'm using a line over my kitchen sink and I'm worried that this is why I'm seeing so much dust etc...? Thx Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hiles Posted March 9, 2009 Share #5 Posted March 9, 2009 If I may, how are you guys hanging "drying" your film strip. I'm using a line over my kitchen sink and I'm worried that this is why I'm seeing so much dust etc...?Thx Could easily be. Try hanging the film in a cupboard overnight with the door closed, hanger and cloths pegs at top and bottom. You want to avoid moving air (which carries dust). Don't rush it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted March 9, 2009 Share #6 Posted March 9, 2009 Hang the film in the shower or above the bath and at an angle if you can so that any run off runs down the sprockets, not the film Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
christer Posted March 9, 2009 Share #7 Posted March 9, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) If I may, how are you guys hanging "drying" your film strip. I'm using a line over my kitchen sink and I'm worried that this is why I'm seeing so much dust etc...?Thx I have used many methods to dry the film in the past, and each of them has been described as the ultimate solution. I have used squeezers, thumb and forefinger, wetting agent, chamois leather, hair dryer at the slowest speed - just to mention a few. Some time ago I had some test films to develop and as I was not going to make any exhibition prints from these films I tried a new drying process. It worked very well indeed, and since then I have used it with total success for all films I have developed, that is about twenty films. No more drying marks from residuals in the water, no smear from wetting agent, no telephone lines from the squeezer and, best of all: no dust marks. No investment neeeded, and very low running costs. What more can you ask for? And the secret is: kitchen roll paper! Fold it a couple of times so that is an inch or two wide, then fold it once the other way so that you can put the film between the two surfaces and dry both sides at the same time. With the film hanging, put the film inside the folded paper and pull the paper from the top to the bottom. Do not squeeze too hard, do not move too fast. It is easy to find out the correct speed and pressure, just look at the film. No water should be visible when the film has passed through once. Do not try to dry the film twice because after the first drying the film is so dry that it is sticky. Instead get rid of excess water when the film is still on the reel; just knock the reel a few time against something. The film will now dry more quickly than you can imagine. That, of course, is part of the secret of how to avoid those dust marks that stick forever to the film. BTW, I use the outside side of the kitchen roll paper, but the original instructions called for the inside side to be used. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattLain Posted March 9, 2009 Share #8 Posted March 9, 2009 I haven't stopped bw since I first started 6 odd years ago. I've started processing a lot of E-6 in an atl-1000 and caught a new bug! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share #9 Posted March 9, 2009 I process a lot of Tri-X (in DD-X and HC110) and there's nothing to beat it. Apart from a properly exposed slide, processed in your own home Seeing 36 colour frames come out of the tank is a real joy, and as Kenneth will understand, getting it right "in-camera" is part of the challenge and the reward. Two entirely different media and experiences. Totally agree Andy in fact I would go as far as to say that processing is about as much fun as you can have with your cloths on Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ai1 Posted March 9, 2009 Share #10 Posted March 9, 2009 I too have begun to process B&W for the first time in about 20 years. For about a year I have had a Canon 5D, but never quit using film in the Leicas, mostly color negative. Last fall I started shooting B&W again and started processing it myself since the beginning of this year -- in my case, TMax 400 (TMY-2) at 1600, processed in TMax Developer. TMax processed this way scans nicely, with tonal range and grain at least as good, if not better than, Tri-X -- but of course, the old Tri-X negatives were developed without a thought about scanning. Since Digital ICE does not work on silver based B&W, I have learned the joys of spotting in Photoshop. As I do not have a dedicated film drying cabinet, the suggestions on other ways to dry film are helpful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted March 9, 2009 Share #11 Posted March 9, 2009 Water and air filters and clean glass storage bottles. Don`t reuse film fix. All these problems go away. Stupid me kept resisting for 40 years trying all the easy "solutions", but now I don`t remember where I put the retouching brushes. Never wipe down film with anything. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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