Reusing chemicals

cardiff_gareth

cardiff_gareth

Suspended / Banned
Messages
2,734
Name
Gareth
Edit My Images
Yes
Daft question here.

I have a roll of 35mm Kentmere Pan 100 to develop as well as a roll of 120 Ilford PanF 50.

I decided to give the Ilfosol 3 a miss and to try using the LC29 to see how that developer looks.
If I'm right, using LC29 with I think the 1+9 mix (haven't checked the ratios yet) will be one shot developer so I'll need to make a new batch up for film 2.

I'm planning on developing the one film and going straight into developing film 2 so not hanging around.

My question is, as stop box and fixer can be re-used, do I need to adjust the agitations for the stop bath and extend the fixer time as its now been used once?

Also, temperatures, when I make the chemicals up I use a thermometer to get them to 20°C but when I develop film 2 and they've been lying around for 15-20 mins say, the temperature will drop so do I need to think of ways to heat it back up to 20 as SWMBO probably won't let me zap it in the microwave!

Thanks.
 
Stop bath. If you use one with an indicator, you just use it until it changes colour. No change to modus operandi until it dies - it's there to wash off the developer, switch to acidic for the fixer and halt developer action.

Fixer. Just note how long it takes to clear the film, and when the clearing time doubles, replace. This implies that you check how the fixing has gone half way through; there should be no risk of fogging by this stage.

For temperature - I use a water bath (either washing up bowl or the sink filled with water at the correct temperature).
 
There are often - well, there used to be - information given with the data sheets as to the area of film that the chemicals would on average process.
 
No need to extend stop/fix time. I use the MDC app and do 1 min stop, 5 min fix. I reuse both 20 times then refresh. Stop should last longer, but it's cheap and easier to just make fresh at the same time as fix. Fixer is as per the bottle recommendations, which is 20 films on mine. I don't test anything. I have a sticker on the bottle and just put a strike mark each time I use it. Not had a problem yet.

I think SFLAB on YouTube did a video on how temp affects film development, and since that video I've been quite slapdash with temperature. I was surprised to see that there wasn't significant difference when you go 1-2 degrees either way. Sometimes I overheat to 21 degrees, and probably always it loses temp over the dev period in my cold house.

That's my experience with HC-110 and DD-X though. YMMV with other developer/film combinations. I do think you can be quite rough & ready though.

Also, SWMBO doesn't know I use the microwave :)
 
Thanks all. I use Ilford Stop Bath and also their Rapid Fixer so I'll check their bottle and see what it says. If it says I can use up to 20 times and only using it twice so we'll under that amount then I suppose I don't need to check if cleared by opening the developer cassette and just use normally?
 
Shouldn't be. I check as much as anything because I was using CombiPlan tanks, which take about 30secs to fill and empty, and to save time I got into the habit of taking the lid off to pour out the stop bath and pour in the fixer. Hence, all I had to do was lift the insert out to check progress.
 
cardiff_gareth said:
Thanks all. I use Ilford Stop Bath and also their Rapid Fixer so I'll check their bottle and see what it says. If it says I can use up to 20 times and only using it twice so we'll under that amount then I suppose I don't need to check if cleared by opening the developer cassette and just use normally?
Click to expand...

You don't need to open the developer cassette to check fixer (and you may not need to fix it -- read on!) -- you can use any undeveloped B&W film to test fixer, even if it's been exposed to light.

I bulk-roll my own film so I have to cut the ends into shape, and I also tend to clip the end of exposed film off before winding it all the way into the cassette (easier to get a straight cut than doing it in the dark). Those cut-off bits will work fine. You can also take a new roll of film, cut off a little smidge of the end and use that. Again doesn't matter if it's been exposed to light and doesn't matter if it hasn't been developed.

Pour some of your fixer into a container (doesn't matter what; I use one of my small graduated cylinders), drop in your film-end, and see how long it takes before it goes clear. Double that and you have your fixing time. "Clear" btw isn't totally clear but as clear with that purple tinge, just like regularly developed-and-fixed film.

FWIW I rarely test my fixer. Like you, I use Ilford Rapid Fixer and I believe Da Book says it's good for about 25 35mm rolls, so I make a hash mark on the bottle with every roll I develop (go to this article, the photo with all the bottles -- those are mine). Two hash marks for 120 but that's being a little overly conservative. I find it'll go longer if I test, but after 25 or 30 rolls, give or take, I get rid of it and use fresh fixer. The stuff is so inexpensive I don't need to stretch as far as it will go. BTW I fix for around 3-4 minutes, a little longer as I get closer to 20 rolls.

I mix up more stop bath around the same time I dump my fixer. It's supposed to change color when it goes bad (hence the name Kodak Indicator Stop!) and I've never kept any long enough to have it change color.

Aaron
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top