Looking to get back into processing my own.

Well you only need a developing tank and thermometer....you must have something that can tell the time, containers may be obtained from Poundland or similar places and you could use clothes pegs or similar to hold the film while drying.
But above is me as I like to do things as cheap as possible :)
 
You'll need a changing bag as well.
That deal is fair enough, I've bought from that seller before and he is reliable.

For b&/w chems Ilford ID11/Kodak D76 are a good devoloper to start with. I've been using Ilford rapid fixer.
I just use water (sometimes mixed with a little white vinegar) as a stop and Kodak Photoflo as a wetting agent.
 
excalibur2 said:
Well you only need a developing tank and thermometer....you must have something that can tell the time, containers may be obtained from Poundland or similar places and you could use clothes pegs or similar to hold the film while drying.
But above is me as I like to do things as cheap as possible :)
Click to expand...

Good idea! Didn't even think of that haha

sparty said:
You'll need a changing bag as well.
That deal is fair enough, I've bought from that seller before and he is reliable.

For b&/w chems Ilford ID11/Kodak D76 are a good devoloper to start with. I've been using Ilford rapid fixer.
I just use water (sometimes mixed with a little white vinegar) as a stop and Kodak Photoflo as a wetting agent.
Click to expand...

yeah, I've got a changing bag in my basket! D76 is what I've used before but can't remember the others - I'll take a look, thanks!
 
I went for years with neither a changing bag nor a fully light tight room or cupboard. I dived under the bedclothes at night.
 
Changing bag is cheap, cheaper than potentially ruining film stock. Order them on ebay from China for half the price of UK.

Rodinal is also a good developer to start with if you don't want to mix up and store powder, its not difficult but you do end up with more bottles as d74 is pretty weak compared with rodinal.
 
Potentially perhaps - but I never did in years of working that way. Ansel Adams used a sleeping bag when camping out. You can get light leaks at the sleeves of a changing bag, which can potentially ruin film. I wasn't advocating it as a preferred method, merely pointing out that a changing bag wasn't necessary. I might have pointed out that the advertised kit didn't seem to have a particularly accurate measure in it, and that would potentially ruin film as well :)

As to rodinal - I'd never use it for small format film (I don't use 35mm). It's sharp, but it magnifies grain and I hate grain. I don't know what size film is contemplated though.
 
Interesting points made and things to consider. Will be used for 35mm and 120 predominantly. Wish I was still at college with free access to their facilities :p
 
sparty said:
You'll need a changing bag as well.
That deal is fair enough, I've bought from that seller before and he is reliable.
Click to expand...


H'mm £42 inc postage.....Is that developing tank recommended by members :shrug: or maybe in market place you can get it all a lot cheaper.
 
Actually looking closer at that tank I wouldn't recommend it, the lid is a total bear to get off I ended up taking it off during the last inversion so as not to mess up my timing; it also leaked during inversions.
 
A lot of tanks leak when inverted. The Paterson Super System 4 (the ones with the Tupperware type lid that you press in the middle to make a seal) don't leak. You could get a brand new Universal SS4 Paterson tank + reels for £25 from Silverprint who also sell a film processing kit for £52. It's more expensive and there's postage to consider, but it has measuring cylinders which you will need and it appears to be better value to me.

You could do without quite a bit of the stuff in the kit you mention (jugs, clips, timer) as you probably have alternatives around the house that you could use. Spiked clips, like the Paterson ones, are good but expensive, bulldog clips will do though.

I'd consider (new or 2nd hand) a Universal Paterson SS4 tank, two reels, one 300ml measuring cylinder and a good thermometer as the 'must haves'. Bulldogs for the clips, empty 2pt plastic milk bottles for storage, clock/watch for a timer. (It must be a Super System 4 tank, the plain old System 4 tanks with the grey lids all leak!)

D76/ID11 are fine. D76 is cheaper per unit volume than ID11 and easier to mix - buy the 1 US gallon packet.

If you have an Android smartphone I can send you a link to an app that I wrote which announces when it's time to agitate the tank and finish development.
 
excalibur2 said:
H'mm £42 inc postage.....Is that developing tank recommended by members :shrug: or maybe in market place you can get it all a lot cheaper.
Click to expand...

Good point. When I bought a tank from that seller a few years ago it was the Patterson. Come to think of it, my package included dev and fix too.
 
Changing bag, Paterson Super System 4 tank, thermometer and chemicals. The rest is stuff you don't need to be specific for developing film - a stopwatch, measuring cylinders and liquid containers, gloves if you so wish etc.
 
Sorry guys, I thought I'd replied to this!

Nick, does it have to be an android phone? I have an iPhone but a tablet on android!

Thanks for all the advice everyone! On the lookout for chemicals now :)

edit -

To buy separately, these?

ID11 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ilford-ID...Film_Developing_Chemicals&hash=item4ac04747a3

Ilfotol http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ILFORD-IL...Film_Developing_Chemicals&hash=item20d87a196e

Ilfostop x2 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ilford-Il...Film_Developing_Chemicals&hash=item43bed8d584

Ilford rapid fixer http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ilford-Ra...Film_Developing_Chemicals&hash=item33828d6415

Storage bottle http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KAISER-41...room_Processing_Equipment&hash=item2c70746340

And then there's this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ilford-Ko...Film_Developing_Chemicals&hash=item19def73fc3

I almost wish I was back at college with it all to hand :bonk:
 
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I use the Massive Dev Chart app, not only does it give you timings for a variety of film/developer combinations it also has a built in timer with alerts for each step, I find it invaluable.

Available for iPhone and Android http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php
 
That looks good Nick, thanks! There was a huge dev chart on the wall of the processing room in college that was pretty invaluable so good to have my own version.
 
toadstool said:
Sorry guys, I thought I'd replied to this!

Nick, does it have to be an android phone? I have an iPhone but a tablet on android!
Click to expand...

Hi, it will run on any Android device. I bought a Tesco Hudl when they came out last week and tested the original version on it. It ran OK but the layout looked fairly crap (all shoved to one side), so I tweaked it slightly. It's still not the prettiest app in the world but it is functional and means you don't have to keep watching the kitchen clock whilst the film's in the tank. It just copes with 1 minute and 30 second agitation intervals. It requires no internet connection to do its talking and wants no special permissions. You do have to enable 'allow installation of apps from unknown sources' though, as it's not on the PlayStore. The latest version is at :

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2maxwznpw904e3i/DevelopmentTimer1.2-release.apk

I hope you find it useful,
Nick

P.S. I wouldn't bother with the storage bottle. Use the plastic 2 pint empty milk containers as you can squash them in a bit as you use some and this allows you to exclude the air. (Same principle as the concertina bottle) When you get down to less than 1 pint, decant into an empty 1 pint milk container. Also the 1 litre D76 is poor value compared to the 1 US gallon pack. D76 is much the same as ID11, except easier to mix and cheaper by volume too.
 
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