chemical mixing help

Simon photo

Simon photo

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Ok Im new to film but an eager little beaver....with remedial mathematical ability. Let's just say I've always been more "arts and crafts"
Right. I picked up my chemicals today, got ilfosol3 ilfostop and rapid fixer. Now the ratios throw me off a bit and i need some help.
I don't need the full mix the bottles offer, i need batches of litre mixes or near enough, just to start out.
How do i scale down the final capacity?
I Really do think i have some form of discalculus or something, and i have already tried to work this out for myself, checked the ilford sheets too :(
 
I haven't used Ilfosol before, but had a quick check on Ilford's Website, and it suggests 1+9 as a start which is one part developer to nine parts water. The 1+9 is for one shot use, so you dispose of it after using it once. Don't mix up more than you need at a time, as once diluted developer soon spoils.
The first think you need to do is find out how much liquid you need in your developing tank (small ones for a single roll of 35mm film was usually around 250ml). You divide the volume by the total of 1+9 (i.e. 10), that's how much ilfosol you need, you top up the rest with water (so if you need 250ml, you mix 25ml Ilfosol with 225ml water, for 1 litre you mix 100ml Ilfosol with 900ml water)
 
Let me get this straight, if i mix 100ml of neat developer with 900ml of water does that give me the working mix to go straight into the tank or does this have to be diluted more before using it?
Sorry if im coming across as dim witted, once i get it sussed i think i will be hitting the ground running.
 
Simon photo said:
Let me get this straight, if i mix 100ml of neat developer with 900ml of water does that give me the working mix to go straight into the tank or does this have to be diluted more before using it?
Sorry if im coming across as dim witted, once i get it sussed i think i will be hitting the ground running.
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Yes, 100ml of neat developer and 900ml of water will give you the dilution of 1+9 and you do not need to dilute further. Think of it as ratios:

If you want 1000ml (1 litre) of the mixture then:

Dilution factor: 1+9 = 10 (1 = developer concentrate, 9 = water)
1000ml / 10 = 100

So...
amount of developer needed = 1 x 100 = 100ml
amount of water needed = 9 x 100 = 900ml

and now you have 1 litre of developer diluted 1+9! :)

Offline's example of 250ml uses the same principle.

Hope this helps.
 
Well! The expertly informed members of this forum that frequent the film section strike again! Thanks guys, followed your instructions and i think things worked out ok! Just finished the rinse, nervously removed the film from the reel (which looked black to begin with!) and hey presto! Images! And to boot, they are from the pinhole camera i built, i didn't want to practice on something that may have had keepers on you know but was unsure of the results from the pinhole too but it looks as if i won on both counts! Wish i had a dryer now lol! DESPERATELY WANT TO SCAN!
 
and here is one i shot earlier
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Ok so been happily developing away and remember reading about indicator stop bath and fixer.
i have ilfostop and rapid fixer. ive read that people re use these chemicals when mixed to a working mix for up to 40 rolls of film!! or until the indicator shows. is this the case with the aforementioned chems or am i to carry on with one shot mixes and disposing them? i would be over the moon if this is the case as there aint nothing like saving money lol
 
ilfostop usually changes colour (from straw coloured to purple iirc) when it's depleted. For the Fix, just do a "clip test" - snip the tapered tag from your 35mm film off, and dunk it in a capful of the fix. Time how long it takes to clear the film, and use double that time to fix your film. Simples.
 
TheBigYin said:
Time how long it takes to clear the film, and use double that time to fix your film. Simples.
Click to expand...

Or x3 for t-grain films - such as Ilford Delta, Kodak T-Max (they take longer to fix).
 
Simon photo said:
i can see me buying some collapsible bottles when my pay goes in the bank!!
Click to expand...

They are notoriously difficult to clean - if you know you are always going to have 500mL of solution (for instance), it might be better to get that size for a normal container and just use that.
 
Excellent advice and I've had plenty of practice now on random reels i had lying around, on the last but one i suffered terrible water marks, so tried an alternative to hypo clear, dishwasher rinse aid. Wow what a difference! The water just sheeted off and left me with crystal clear negs after the dry!
 
A very big well done at developing your film and indeed the building of your pinhole camera.
I dev in ilford chems too although i use LC29 dev.
I always used to use ilfostop but once i discovered that fomapan suggest not using a stop bath with their films, (they suggest water only!), I decided to try it with other films.
I have had no issues whatsoever and have read elsewhere of many people only ever using water as against an acid stop bath.
Like many things in photography there will be differing opinions on this topic but as time goes on and you get more into developing, it may be an area that you wish to learn more about/ experiment with.
 
Absolutely! I think i've had an information overload this past week but i like it like that, flood the mind, its like a sponge!
I've read about not using stop and i can see how it all works now, it was a bit like clouded alchemy to begin with for me, and the fact you can re use it was like a revelation.
I must say though. The film forum holds a certain kind of person, your all so forthcoming with info and tips and have all the time for new practitioners like myself, i've even been offered film to try for free!
I honestly think i would have bungled my first roll if it wasn't for you lot lol
 
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