I Can't Wait!!

dont think washing technique should effect anything much, as your trying to clean things basicaly, if you have hard water its worth finishing off with filtered water or "pure" water, so you dont get limescale on negs, which probably is pretty grainy and scratchy...
 
Jon Kincaid said:
It's bizarre that the images look clear as a bell on the negative but are a right mess when scanned!
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Oh yes. Since I got a dedicated 35mm scanner I've been surprised at how much more detail it can pull out of a negative than my flat bed ... such as excessive grain, over-exposed highlights, etc. :)


Jon Kincaid said:
What happens if the fixer is spent and how would I know?

What effect will it have on the negs? If I make up 500mm of 1:4 rapid fix (cheap firstcall) how many 35mm films can I expect it to fix, roughly?

Do I have to dispose of the spent fixer in any special way?

When washing the film at the end, do you have to be gentle? Can the method of washing have a bearing on the negs?
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You can test if the fixer is kaput by putting a clip of exposed film into a small pot of it (the leader you took off before developing is ideal). The fixer should clear the film within a couple of minutes, otherwise it's exhausted. I've found that Ilford Rapid Fix goes off after a couple of weeks regardless of whether I'm using it or not, which is annoying. The way I normally approach it is that if it smells strongly of cat pee, time to change it. No idea what effect lack of fixing would have, it's not been an issue for me thus far.

When washing, I'll run a couple of washes through the tank and then take the lid off and agitate the films in running water to make sure they're washed thoroughly. Do that for a couple of minutes, then put a drop of photoflo in and wash and agitate until the bubbles have all gone. Hang film to dry and squeegee with fingers. If you don't have photoflo or don't want to buy some, a drop of washing up liquid with an anti-streaking agent does pretty much the same thing, though I bought a bottle of photoflo as it's cheap and probably doesn't contain the same levels of salt as washing up liquid.
 
pingu666 said:
so i bought a dev kit off someone here, didnt come with bottles but 3 jugs, should i get a extra. couple of bottles to store fixer and stop?, or can i use soft drink bottles?
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I use 1L clear plastic bottles. Asda (and other shops I guess) sell still fruit flavoured water in 1L bottles, and the colour of the bottle caps depends on the flavour you buy. Think they're like 4 for £1.50 or so. Get different flavours and then you can use the colour of the cap to tell you what's in what bottle :)

I have red (raspberry and green tea) for developer, yellow (lemon and lime) for stop and purple (cherry and plum) for fixer :D
 
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Carl Hall said:
Get different flavours and then you can use the colour of the cap to tell you what's in what bottle ...
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Or you can write it on the lid with a Sharpie (other felt-tip pens are available). I do that because otherwise I'd forget. :D

I also put a sticker on the fix bottle so that I can write the date of when I made it up in pencil and rub it out when I make up a new batch.
 
Its funny how ritualistic that we can all be, especially on the rinse. Like most, I use an extended Ilford rinse system. Exactly how I rinse is a ritual. I bet others are the not the same although we all get the results.
 
I have another question. I have the Paterson Super 4 system Dev Tank that will take 2 x 35mm films or 1 x 120 film. If I'm only developing 1 roll of 35mm at a time, do you fill the tank full of developer/stop/fix or just enough to cover the film? Does it depend on how you agitate (by twisting or 1/4 turn roll)?

I apologise for all the questions, I've never had so many questions about something in all my life. :S
 
You just need enough to cover the film. The actual volumes are on the bottom of the tank, 135 (35mm) should be about 350ml. I always do a full inversion of the tank but your agitation is personal preference really.
 
steveo_mcg said:
You just need enough to cover the film. The actual volumes are on the bottom of the tank, 135 (35mm) should be about 350ml. I always do a full inversion of the tank but your agitation is personal preference really.
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It's just one of those 'experts on life' in work told me that if you only put half a tank full of solution in and agitate by rotation you get slosh marks over the film and things. So just to clarify....he's talking b'locks?
 
Ok. Thanks.
 
As Steve says, just enough to cover the film. I tend to do the quarter turn with a small tilt method for agitation and I haven't noticed any marks on the films so far.
Do you have the massive dev chart app? I find it very useful as it tells you when to agitate as well as the times for each stage in the process, extremely helpful.
 
Andysnap said:
As Steve says, just enough to cover the film. I tend to do the quarter turn with a small tilt method for agitation and I haven't noticed any marks on the films so far.
Do you have the massive dev chart app? I find it very useful as it tells you when to agitate as well as the times for each stage in the process, extremely helpful.
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No, I don't. But ask me again once I've got home from work and I'm pretty sure I will! :D
 
:plus1: for the massive dev chart app. It's a little pricey but you just pop your film and developer choice into the app and it gives you the times for each stage with countdowns and beeps for each agitation.
 
On my Paterson System 4 tank, made for 1 x 120 or 2 x 135, it is a nice and easy to calibrate 500 ml for the developer. As for others and rinse - roughly 500 ml or more, but rather than measuring, I simply fill the System 4 tank until the liquid starts to appear at the funnel mouth. Filling more than that restricts the flow for inversions (I use inversions rather than an agitator stick).
 
Carl Hall said:
:plus1: for the massive dev chart app. It's a little pricey but you just pop your film and developer choice into the app and it gives you the times for each stage with countdowns and beeps for each agitation.
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That is a handy app, but not available on my Windows phone. I simply bookmark the web page then use that from my phone. It is a great and handy database. And that page is free. I keep my smartphone away from developing process. They don't work well with wet fingers or dropped into the rinse water.
 
I use it on my tablet and that stays on the other side of the kitchen, well away from the wet stuff.
 
twhite87 said:
It's just one of those 'experts on life' in work told me that if you only put half a tank full of solution in and agitate by rotation you get slosh marks over the film and things. So just to clarify....he's talking b'locks?
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Don't agitate by rotation, invert.

If you look at the instructions for Paterson tanks you will see that they suggest using the little twirling stick at the start of the process to get rid of air bubbles then use inversion for the rest of the process.

When inverting with only one reel, it will tend to climb up the column. If you have a clip to hold the reel in place, use it. If not, put the other, empty reel on.


Steve.
 
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Is there a reason that inversions are better than rotations? I've always rotated my reels with the "twisty stick", mainly because it means less mess all over the inside of the top of the tank and inside of the lid. I tried doing inversions the first time I did 120 C41, but the pressure built up and blew the lid which made developer squirt all over the kitchen! My dogs are still alive so I must have cleaned it up pretty well though lol
 
Steve Smith said:
Don't agitate by rotation, invert.

If you loo at the instructions for Paterson tanks you will see that they suggest using the little twirling stick at the start of the process to get rid of air bubbles then use inversion for the rest of the process.

When inverting with only one reel, it will tend to climb up the column. If you have a clip to hold the reel in place, use it. If not, put the other, empty reel on.
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Interesting. I've only used a Photax tank up to now and that has ridges in the column to clip the reels into place. Never had a problem with any of them moving. I have recently got a Patterson tank though that's big enough for 3 reels of 35mm so will bear this in mind. Presumably a rubber band on the column will do the same job?


Carl Hall said:
Is there a reason that inversions are better than rotations? I've always rotated my reels with the "twisty stick", mainly because it means less mess all over the inside of the top of the tank and inside of the lid. I tried doing inversions the first time I did 120 C41, but the pressure built up and blew the lid which made developer squirt all over the kitchen! My dogs are still alive so I must have cleaned it up pretty well though lol
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I never worry about mess in the tank because I rinse off each part as I dismantle the tank during the final wash. Good to know about the potential pitfalls of C41 though, explains why my smaller tank has a valve in the lid!
 
I always lift the lid a little after a few seconds to let out any build up, this stops the explosions.
 
Carl Hall said:
Is there a reason that inversions are better than rotations?
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I think so. An inversion moves a lot of developer around very quickly. Agitation is to ensure fresh developer gets to the emulsion. An inversion will do that very well, rotation won't. Worst case scenario is that it could rotate the film into already exhausted developer.

The Paterson instructions are here: http://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Paterson/Developing_Tanks/Instructions/System4.pdf

Scroll down to the Agitation section for their suggested method.


Steve
 
Steve Smith said:
I think so. An inversion moves a lot of developer around very quickly. Agitation is to ensure fresh developer gets to the emulsion. An inversion will do that very well, rotation won't. Worst case scenario is that it could rotate the film into already exhausted developer.

The Paterson instructions are here: http://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Paterson/Developing_Tanks/Instructions/System4.pdf

Scroll down to the Agitation section for their suggested method.


Steve
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I totally agree, although I would add that not all developer tanks are suitable for inversion. I have a couple that really do not invert mix well, because there is no head room for the liquids to turn in. A Paterson System 4 tank works well, as long as you don't overfill it. The solutions pass the sides on inversion, but down through the internal funnel and up past the film on standing back up.

Also I long lost my agitator stick.

That's how I see it anyway.

Oh - I agree with adding a blank reel above the loaded reel in a 2 reel tank - when developing 35mm. With a single 120 reel, there might be grounds for a clip to hold it down, but I've not had any problems without one.
 
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