B&W film developing for beginner on a budget

gregmacc said:

The calculation re. shipping Arista from Freestyle that I mentioned in my original post was based on a $15AUS postage fee. And that was just a guess based on previous experience. I don't think it could be too far from the mark.

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The Freestyle website will give you an accurate postage cost based on what you have in the basket. I think you'll find the minimum postage is a lot more than $15 however, that's why most people do bulk orders to average out the cost. Now is a good time to buy with the AUD relatively strong.

Bulk loading is the only way to go in this country, especially if you are paying for the film yourself.

I just checked the Vanbar on-line catalogue and a bulk roll of HP5+ is $79.85 which gives you 18 full 36 frame rolls of film and about ½ a roll over as a test.

This works out at $4.44 AUD a roll, starting to look a bit better, eh!

Of course you will have to include freight and Vanbar aren't cheap, but there is a good possibility that your local camera shop can either get the bulk film in and match the Vanbar price, as there is no discounting at all (generally ) in Australia.

I would suggest you do a search on Bulk film loaders, there have been many threads on these items.

Mick.

Plastic Cassettes

When I was doing bulk loading I much preferred
the plastic cassettes with screw on ends. Easy
to work with. Dan

The Essentials and Forever Good Fix

gregmacc said:

Chemicals are another issue. I process infrequently
and I'm finding that some of them are going off
before I get to use the whole container. Greg

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Infrequently, same here. I've stripped film processing
to the essentials, developer - fixer - and for myself an
after wash soak in 1/2 strength Photo-Flo.

Both developer and fixer are used one-shot. The fixer
is very dilute. I switched to sodium thiosulfate as fixer.
I think of it as a dry concentrate with a many year life
span. A spoonful is added to the necessary volume of
water; a quick mix at time of processing. I've always
fresh fix each roll. Great way of doing for those who
now and then process film. Dan

Just call Freestyle and get a quote from them directly if you can. I know the time difference is a whopper but surely it's not impossible...

Silverhead said:

Just call Freestyle and get a quote from them directly if you can. I know the time difference is a whopper but surely it's not impossible...

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No need to call, Freestyle has an excellent website that gives accurate postage amounts.

If you go the HC-110 route, decant the syrup so it will last longer. HC-110 in a closed bottle with no air will last forever, but it can oxidize once you start using it and air gets in the bottle. Buy 4 or 5 small dark brown plastic bottles from the drugstore and decant the HC-110. You will need a very narrow graduate to measure directly from syrup.

Thanks again folks ... I did a quick calc at Freestyle's excellent site as Goldie suggested: Attention Aussies: (especially those in Adelaide)
X12 rolls 36 exp Arista Premium 400: $6AUS/roll including postage
X24 rolls: $4.90AUS/roll including postage

Anyone in Adelaide interested in going halves in the 24 rolls? ... Hoffy?

oops ... that's actually $4.60AUS/roll.

I suggest Arista Premium. IMO, it is the best amount of quality in a film for what you pay. You are getting Kodak Plus-X and Tri-X for half the normal price when you get this film.

Due to the cost of shipping to Australia, I suggest buying the film in a large batch to lower the cost per roll.

Bulk loading is hardly worth it monetarily these days, though it will save you a little. 18 rolls for $30 US as bulk film vs. 18 rolls for $40 US for pre-loaded cassettes does not seem worth it to me, especially shooting the volume you are shooting. My time is worth that $10 to me, plus I hate deciding when or when not to throw away old cassettes. It is nice if you are someone who would prefer shorter rolls of film (though I can't claim to personally understand the appeal of shorter rolls for anything I have ever shot).

If your chems are going off, I suggest syrupy concentrates instead of stock mixed from powder. HC-110 or Ilford Ilfotec HC are two examples. You can easily mix up 1 L batches of working solution each time you need to process. The concentrate itself lasts forever. At your rate, a liter bottle of Ilfotec HC will lasts you YEARS.

My two cents re: stop are to just buy a small bottle of the Indicator stuff, and consider it a long term investment rather than something with which to pinch pennies. Stop bath lasts so long that I would not bother skipping it or looking for alternative ways to mix it. In a recent post, I just figured that I am spending under one dollar per year on Kodak Indicator Stop Bath, and it sounds like I process and print way more than you do. Just filter your stop bath after each batch, and you can reuse it until it loses its acidity.

As for fixer, you are already using the one I was going to suggest. Ilford Rapid Fixer or Ilford Hypam are basically the same thing, but the Hypam allows you to add a hardener if you would like. Hardener is not necessary (nor is it recommended) for modern emulsions.

Washaid/Hypo Clear are worth using IMO, though you don't NEED them. They cut wash time, thus reduce the amount of water you use to wash your film. Time and water = money.

2F/2F .... yep ... you've basically encapsulated where I'm at with it all after considering all the valuable information and insights provided here over the past few days.
Cheers
Greg

Just sent a bulk roll for the flat rate of $10 CAD to Victoria, Australia form the west coast of Canada , I can ship cheaper there than I can for any place in my country. I thought that was a bit strange but it went trough quite well.

gregmacc said:

Hi all ... I'm trying to get into developing 35mm B&W on a budget without compromising quality and convenience. Firstly, I've shot 10 or so rolls of Ilford HP5 over the past 6 months but the price here in Australia is getting a little too steep for my liking. Apparently Arista Premium 400 is a good quality film. I don't see it for sale here but can buy about 11 36 exp rolls from Freestyle in the USA for the price of 4 rolls of locally bought HP5 (including postage). Seems like a good deal to me. What do others think?
Chemicals are another issue. I process infrequently and I'm finding that some of them are going off before I get to use the whole container. They are stored in a cool and dry pantry. I've been using ID-11 (powdered), Ilfostop, Ilford Washaid and Ilford Rapid Fixer. Is there an effective group of chemicals with a longer shelf life than the ones I've been using? I don't mind a bit of extra preparation time but I do need consistent controllable results. Is the stop bath and washaid absolutely necessary? Other cheaper alternatives?
I'm very keen to start using the Arista, so any suggestions of long shelf life compatible chemical combinations would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Greg

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Getting film, like others I like bulk rolls, not only for the fact it often works out slightly cheaper, but you know the entire roll is from the same lot, this is often not the case when ordering rolls, and even a brick can contain rolls from different lots. When ordering internationally, you need to remember customs and brokerage fees. Sometimes brokerage fees, on small or inexpensive items can be more then the item itself, the post office usually has the cheapest brokerage fees, some of the couriers charge upwards of $50 and it's usually in the initial countries currency, so ordering from the US it would be in US funds.

Chemicals are sometimes restricted, some photo chemicals are considered dangerous goods, usually class 8 (corrosive), this requires special handling and that means expensive, the post office will usually not touch this kind of shipment, see the section above about brokerage fees. There may also be air restrictions on shipping some items -- some can not go on passenger aircraft, but can go freight, some can't go by air at all. Often powdered chemicals have fewer restrictions then liquids.

If you do order film from the US, you need to remember something else about shipping, the first unit (pound or kilo) is the most expensive, it's not uncommon for the first pound to cost $40 when the second pound costs $2.