Buying my first B&W chemicals. Any advice?

sterioma · May 11, 2020

I agree with sticking to liquid developers that have a long shelf life initially (Rodinal, HC-110, etc...). There' always time to change later, but at least for a beginner it's easier to have more consistent results (your developer going bad on you is another variable that you don't have to consider with liquid developers).

Billy Axeman · May 11, 2020

In another forum was also a discussion about longevity of developers, and generally people are indeed using Rodinal or HC-110. An alternative is Caffenol which can be made 'just in time' and directly used, so that would eliminate the storage problem. Depending on the ingredients this can also be a true ecological developer.

Wallendo · May 11, 2020

I started with Kodak D-76. Ilford's ID-11 is basically the same thing ( I noticed that on Amazon Espana's website that D-76 is much cheaper ). This is a great general purpose developer and works well with fast and slow films. I usually used a 1+1 dilution which made temperature control easy. A liter of D-76/ID-11 diluted 1+1 will develop 8 35mm film in a metal tank (250ml/film) or 6 films in a plastic tank (300ml/film).

Currently, I use HC-110 for most films, and keep a bottle of Rodinal available for the few films where HC-110 isn't recommended. I have stayed with the concentrated liquids because I develop film intermittently. At times, I may go a month or two between developing sessions, and I know the liquids will still work.

ProfessorC1983 · May 11, 2020

I'm also just getting started in film/darkroom processing (my quarantine hobby!) so was considering this exact question very recently and did lots of research into various options. Ended up going with Rodinal as my developer and TF-4 as fixer, because I liked the idea of minimizing the number of chemicals needed to start out, and sticking with liquids and a one-shot developer made the most sense while I'm still learning the basics.

The points made about minimizing variables are very well-taken. It took 3 or 4 rolls just to learn to get the film loaded onto a reel without destroying it! Now I'm in the "will I get a single frame on this roll that isn't horribly over- or under-exposed?" phase.

I have plans to move onto making Caffenol and eventually mixing D-76, D-23 and fixer from constituent chemicals, but only once I'm able to get consistent and predictable results. For this part of the learning curve, I'm liking the Rodinal+TF-4 combo a lot.

mohmad khatab · May 11, 2020

Sirius Glass said:
No, no, no.
Starting out keep it simple: one film, one developer, one stop bath with indicator, one fixer [formally called hypo], and one surfactant [PhotoFlo to eliminate streaking on the negatives. Learn those well and then later try different films or developers. This is not a time to play junior chemist, this is the time to learn the basics well so that you have a stong foundation.

Yes
Maybe you are absolutely right, sir / glass
- I confess that I was wrong and apologize to everyone.
God bless you

RalphLambrecht · May 11, 2020

Marc Estalella said:
Hello!

I'm about to buy my first chemicals to develop B&W film at home and I would like some advise.

Btw, anyone have tried the MACO eco kit? Is any good (and really eco)?

Thanks!

This may help.

Bormental · May 11, 2020

Mohmad, you're very kind to everyone. No need to apologize!

GLS · May 12, 2020

ProfessorC1983 said:
I'm also just getting started in film/darkroom processing (my quarantine hobby!) so was considering this exact question very recently and did lots of research into various options. Ended up going with Rodinal as my developer and TF-4 as fixer, because I liked the idea of minimizing the number of chemicals needed to start out, and sticking with liquids and a one-shot developer made the most sense while I'm still learning the basics.

The points made about minimizing variables are very well-taken. It took 3 or 4 rolls just to learn to get the film loaded onto a reel without destroying it! Now I'm in the "will I get a single frame on this roll that isn't horribly over- or under-exposed?" phase.

I have plans to move onto making Caffenol and eventually mixing D-76, D-23 and fixer from constituent chemicals, but only once I'm able to get consistent and predictable results. For this part of the learning curve, I'm liking the Rodinal+TF-4 combo a lot.

Good luck. It's a fun rabbit hole.

Ernst-Jan · May 13, 2020

Randy Stewart said:
"
I started is developing B&W film in 1958. I'll second this advice from a prior reply. If you buy a gallon of stock developer, consider breaking it down for storage in 250 or 500ml bottles, which will let it last longer than if all stored in one big bottle.

Indeed, or you can buy a can of "lighter gas" (butane) for €2 and spray a bit in the bottle after you opened it/poored some developer out. Since butane is heavier than air, no air will be in contact with the developer. Butane itself doesn't react with the developer. In this way I managed to keep a bottle of Ilfosol 3 good for at least 6 months (then it was finished).

You'll get a lot of fanboys clammering for HC-110, Rodinal, or who knows what. Skip that stuff until you have some experience and get positive results. That means one film, one developer, and one processing technique until you have worked out reliable and repeatable results.

Well, I don't see way HC110 (although I am not a big fan of the results) or Rodinal aren't as good to start with. Grain for Rodinal might be a disadvantage if you shoot high iso film on 135 film, but we don't know ;-) Mixing might be easier with ID11 though and probably better for the consistency of the results. When you need 125mL of ID11 stock, 3 or 4mL don't matter as much when using HC110 in 1+63 or Rodinal in 1+50.

Ernst-Jan · May 13, 2020

Tom Kershaw said:
. If working with medium speed films (e.g Delta 100 or FP4 Plus) Ilfosol-3 should be fine.

I pushed HP5+ to 800 without problems in Ilfosol 3.
Actually I find the 1+9 times for Delta 100 and FP4+ too short, although this looks like the dilution Ilford recommands.

roblopes · May 13, 2020

Rodinal one shot with massive dev chart as reference is really easy.

Ernst-Jan · May 13, 2020

roblopes said:
Rodinal one shot with massive dev chart as reference is really easy.

Yeah, but might not always be the best choice. For example if you shoot Tri-X/HP5+ in 135.
If you shoot 120 this is less a concern

roblopes · May 13, 2020

Ernst-Jan said:
Yeah, but might not always be the best choice. For example if you shoot Tri-X/HP5+ in 135.
If you shoot 120 this is less a concern

I haven't had any issues with HP5 or delta 400 with either 35mm or 120 using Rodinal 1+50. The consistency is always the same too. I always make sure to check the ambient temperature and use massive dev chart to compensate for times. I stopped agitating using the twist on paterson tank. My film seems sharper if I roll and twirl regularly. I have enough rolls of self development to see the clear difference now.

Sirius Glass · May 13, 2020

Ernst-Jan said:
Indeed, or you can buy a can of "lighter gas" (butane) for €2 and spray a bit in the bottle after you opened it/poored some developer out. Since butane is heavier than air, no air will be in contact with the developer. Butane itself doesn't react with the developer. In this way I managed to keep a bottle of Ilfosol 3 good for at least 6 months (then it was finished).

Well, I don't see way HC110 (although I am not a big fan of the results) or Rodinal aren't as good to start with. Grain for Rodinal might be a disadvantage if you shoot high iso film on 135 film, but we don't know ;-) Mixing might be easier with ID11 though and probably better for the consistency of the results. When you need 125mL of ID11 stock, 3 or 4mL don't matter as much when using HC110 in 1+63 or Rodinal in 1+50.

Would the use of butane make flaming good prints, making the high lights brilliant?

Ernst-Jan · May 14, 2020

Sirius Glass said:
Would the use of butane make flaming good prints, making the high lights brilliant?

I never made (wet) prints, but as I said it is not reacting with the developer.

Buying my first B&W chemicals. Any advice?

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