Author Topic: Developing Standards  (Read 5043 times)

hzandelei

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Developing Standards
« on: November 26, 2012, 04:22:24 AM »
I guess each filmwaster has his/hers own developing standards and practices, so I'll say a few words about mine. It's a system I picked up from advices, textbooks and a little bit from own experience over the years. Let's start with B&W negatives.

I've used a fair share of chemicals so far, though lately I've been working with a Chinese copy of D76. It's dirt cheap (10-15 Yuan per liter = approx. 1-2 Eur) and it's easy to work with.
I prefer 1:0 or stock dilution. It uses less time. I hate temperature maintaining and I avoid it as much as possible. That is why I made a chart for every type of film I've worked with so far, for all temperatures 18-25 Celsius.

 

As for the fixing process, I prefer the older style chemicals which take 15 minutes and more. Quick fixes spend less time, but also appear to be aggressive and unpredictable. In this case I also use Chinese made fixer, a local brand. Same price as D76 for 1L.




Timeline:

- Developing - developer goes in tank, gentle agitation and air bubble removal by tapping on the side and bottom for 1 minute, gentle agitation once for each next minute.

- First Wash - developer out and a good wash under the tap for 2-3 minutes.

- Fix - fixer in, same procedure as for developing.

- Second Wash - fixer out, 2-3 minutes under tap water, and another 30 in dripping/running water (I usually leave the opened tank under the dripping tap).

- Drying - wiping the film with a new and never washed microfiber (on the non coated side, of course), leaving it to dry for 8-10 hours, or more.


They say even a fake D76 can endure 10 films with the additional 10% for each new roll, but I prefer to stay at 6-7. Processing times become too long whereas the developer itself gets polluted with dust, particles and other junk. Fixer can last for at least 10 negatives, with 5 minutes more after each 5 rolls of film. It starts at 15. For some reason, it remains clear and transparent much longer than developer.

Washing of developing gear is of uttermost importance. I use semi transparent bottles with an opening big enough to fit a sponge. A lot of dirt gathers inside over time, and it's not possible to see the scale of it with non transparent bottles. Same goes with the developing tank - lots and lots of washing with a soft sponge and mild dish detergent.

Francois

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Re: Developing Standards
« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2012, 02:54:43 PM »
I've never seen chemicals packaged like that!
D-76 has been around for so long that I'm not worried about the formula from third party manufacturers. Too bad they don't make a split formula. That would be the perfect thing for you.

Personally, I don't wash with soap. I found that a simple rinse usually gets all the gunk out. Pollution usually isn't the reason why developer gets dirty. It's mostly a mix of anti-halation layer dyes and degrading chemicals. Fixer will remain pretty much clear since the residue from the developer have been removed by the intermediate bath. Though if the fix has been used to its maximum capacity, you should see a precipitate of undissolved silver at the bottom.

These days, I'm an HC-110 fan. I mix it directly from the sirup using a syringe.
Most of my processing is done at Dilution B unless I calculate the time to be too short for even development.
I use an acid stop bath which I don't agitate much. I use it mostly as a holding stage while I get ready for fixing.
Then, I pour in some Ilford rapid fix. I fix for a bit more than double the clearing time. I use old film leaders that I cut into pieces to calculate the time by doing a drop test.
Then, I wash for 5 to 10 minutes under the running tap. Hang the film and spray on some Photo Flo. Wipe off the excess between my fingers and let dry in the drying cabinet.
« Last Edit: November 26, 2012, 03:09:31 PM by Francois »
Francois

Film is the vinyl record of photography.

LT

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Re: Developing Standards
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2012, 02:11:55 PM »
As for the fixing process, I prefer the older style chemicals which take 15 minutes and more. Quick fixes spend less time, but also appear to be aggressive and unpredictable. In this case I also use Chinese made fixer, a local brand. Same price as D76 for 1L.

I've never heard of rapid fixers being aggressive and unpredictable, and have never suffered as a result. I'd be interested to hear where this idea comes from? Rapid fixes are maybe slightly more acidic, and there is some idea that they might degrade highlight density, but if they do, it's negligible and certainly has no real bearing on printablity if you stick to manufacturers times and instructions - especially if you are scanning the negs. I;d rather spend liess time fixing, and have more time to take pictures :)

Francois is spot-on about the need for cleaning. A proprietary detergent will eventually make things worse anyway as the additives will cause a sticky build up on your gear.  Avoid soaps at all costs when it comes to tanks an reels.  Rinse in hot water only.

Sorry - dont mean to be down on your post, but there are lots of myths that develop (??!!??) around dev'ing, and it is good to challenge them once in a while :)
L.

Francois

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Re: Developing Standards
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2012, 03:44:14 PM »
Sorry - dont mean to be down on your post, but there are lots of myths that develop (??!!??) around dev'ing, and it is good to challenge them once in a while :)
Definitely! We're the mythbusters of film ;)
Francois

Film is the vinyl record of photography.

Dave Elden

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Re: Developing Standards
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2012, 06:00:19 PM »
Thanks for the post but in my experience there is nothing much wrong with the process recommended by mainstream film makers, e.g. Ilford, and there are some risks or redundant steps with some of your techniques (e.g. your price for knock-off D76 is about the same as the real thing from Kodak, "First wash" is unnecessary if you use a stop bath, wiping wet film runs a significant risk of scratching the film, film should dry in a LOT less than "8-10 hours" even without heat, if you wash the film using the Ilford 3x changes of water method no need to do a separate dev tank wash etc.).
Ilford's recommendations are here:
http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/200629163442455.pdf

Jack Johnson

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Re: Developing Standards
« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2013, 05:12:02 PM »
I've been using the Ilford wash method since reading this:

Some Investigations on the Kinematics of the ILFORD batch Film washing Procedure
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/unicolor/ilfwash.pdf