caffenol vs commercial developer

[BrianShaw]

And a thermometer

 

[MattKing]

i just read the kodak pdf and the developer only lasts 6 MONTHS? I dont think ill be able to use all of it by 6 months.

Even if you use just 1/2 of the developer in six months, you still will have only paid $10.00 for it.

What area of Canada are you in? It may be you are local to one of us, and we could help. I have a few extra tanks and other things that might help, and I too remember what it was like to be 14 and learning darkroom work.

Which store are you getting your supplies from?

 

[RPC]

Stock solutions will last quite a bit longer if stored in full, brown bottles.

Should be glass and can last quite a bit longer. Don't actually have to be brown.

 

[Slixtiesix]

So when i make the d76 powder stuff, do i still dilute the developer when im ready to develop film or when i make the d76?

You can dilute it further but only shortly before you are going to use it. The more it is diluted, the sooner it will go bad. If you are concerned with shelf life, buy several small bottles (pint bottles maybe) and fill them to the top. That´s better than having one big bottle with lots of air in it.

For film development I recommend
Film, developing tank, developer, fixer, 1 large mixing jug for your developer (gallon or liter, depends on how large a package of D76 you are going to buy), 1l mixing jug for fixer, another mixing jug for water, thermometer, 2 film clips (you can also use clothes pin, but film clips have teeth so the film cannot slip away when wet), 1 scissor, timer, 1 bucket full of water (about 20°C).

 

[mehguy]

Even if you use just 1/2 of the developer in six months, you still will have only paid $10.00 for it.

What area of Canada are you in? It may be you are local to one of us, and we could help. I have a few extra tanks and other things that might help, and I too remember what it was like to be 14 and learning darkroom work.

Which store are you getting your supplies from?

i live in toronto canada. i usually get my photography stuff from Henry's.

 

[removed account4]

not sure if photo stores sell these anymore, but shops used to sell
accordion / squeeze bottles so you could put your stock solution in there
and push the bottle down until you saw the liquid and put the cap on.
it kept the air out and supposedly kept the stock solution for a longer time
i had some, little ones, not sure if they worked or not ( they were fun to squeeze down though )
i didn't have my chemicals long enough to know if / when they were supposed to go bad.
some chemicals you don't need to mix as a powder ( maybe ID11 is like this ? ) it is a liquid concentrate.
they come in a non- see through-1L-tube that you can squeeze until you you see the liquid ...( same idea as the accordion bottles )
sprint is like this, and has a long life ( as printed on the bottle ) when it is opened ( 6 months to a year or something like that )
if you are worried about your stock solution of D76 going bad before you use it up, think of one of its direct replacements that is liquid
( like ID11 or sprint ) it might save you time, $$ and effort, and you might use it ( them ) up before it ( they ) goes bad.
OR get the 2 chemicals and make D23, you can only mix what you need with tea spoons, and NONE of it goes bad. D23 is still used by
lots of people ( it is like the grand pappy of D76 ) http://www.kenleegallery.com/html/tech/D-23.php
if you are worried about stuff going bad, mixing it your self as you need it might be a solution.
and if you look here: >>>>> (there was a url link here which no longer exists) <<<<
you will see thread after thread after thread of others experience who use it with no problems.

sorry to suggest you don't use caffenol first off, as i said, some people are able to get the right washing soda and vit c off the bat
( the coffee doesn't seem to matter much ) and the others, well, they are given stuff like fruit fresh, or stuff that isn't washing soda
and told it is what they need ( when they can't find the stuff at the market ) and it ruins their film, and it turns them off from caffenol ...
if you have your heart set on caffenol you can get a kit from digital truth, from what i understand it is a remeasured-kit so you just add water
i sell them too, but you need to brew the coffee instead of using instant ( i roast and sell the coffee ).

good luck !
john

 

[Greg Heath]

I have used Caffenol. I use it as a last resort sometimes. Whatever film you are using make sure you overexpose the film by one or 2 stops if you are using C-41 film, especially if you are using 400 speed film. Another thing is that you have to make sure you use "instant" Coffee, like Folgers. It's pretty amazing stuff really. Here are the links I know about:

http://www.caffenol.org/

http://caffenol.blogspot.com/



Here are some of my shots with caffenol: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kb2qqm/sets/72157632642751837/

Not a ton of photos, but it was fun anyway. The biggest drawback of caffenol for me was lack of repeat-ability. Sometimes the film worked out and sometimes not.


Another developer that I love to use is Rodinal. It lasts forever, but when I see I am running out, I make my own which chemically takes about 3 days to fully work it's magic. Once that process is done then you can use it just like rodinal. It is made up of drain cleaner (lye), water, acetaminophen tablets, and salt. Pretty much household items, and it works just as well as Rodinal. It is called PaRodinal. Here is the formula. Many formulas are listed not in alphabetical order.

http://www.digitaltruth.com/data.php?doc=filmdevs


If you want to look at examples of any developer with any film check out: http://filmdev.org/


Yes, I know there are allot of links, but these are probably the best sites for figuring out what you want to shoot with. The best film for me for Caffenol turned out to be Fuji Acros 100.

Good Luck and Have fun.

Greg

 

[R.Gould]

How many rolls of film can i develop if i make 1 gallon of kodak d76.

When using D76 I use it at stock, I do not dilute it at all, I use 1 litre and I get 10 films per litre of D76 stock following the Ilford method, for ID11, which is the manly the same as D76 develop the first film at the suggested time, then for the second film add 10%, then 20% etc up to the tenth film at 90%, then throw away the developer. To mix the developer you need water at 50 to 55 degrees, for 1 litre you need 800 ml of water, add the powder and stir until all the powder is disolved then add 200ml to make 1000ml, put into bottle and leave for 24 hours to settle then develop up to 10 films over up to 9 months, discard, I prefer the 1 liter packs,if you get larger sizes the increase the times as above, but increase in proportion, for instance, with 5 liters develop 5 films then add the 10% time Etc,

 

[TheToadMen]

If you want to keep it simple, try the Caffenol-C-M recipe for B&W films up to ASA 100. This recipe doesn't need Potassium Bromide (KBr) as an ingredient. Just dark, strong coffee (Robusta type), vitamin-C and the right kind of soda. I've used this recipe with great success for Ilford FP4+ and Fomapan 100.

BTW: Use washing soda, not backing soda. And if you can't find waterfree soda just use 3x the required amount (compensating for the incorporated water). The results are the same. For more info see: http://caffenol.blogspot.nl/2010/03/soda-myth-and-truth_07.html

Here is a simple table for Caffenol recipes:

 

[mehguy]

Im still considering caffenol simply because of its shelf life...

@TheToadMen
I thought normal caffenol didnt need potassium bromide?

 

[R.Gould]

Im still considering caffenol simply because of its shelf life...

@TheToadMen
I thought normal caffenol didnt need potassium bromide?

If you want long shelf life get ho;d of some Rodinal lasts for ever. I have used concentrate from glass bottles that must have been 25 to 30 years old, black and thick as treacle, but developed the film using the same suggested times as a bottle of todays concentrate and negatives looked as good as freshly opened bottle, and at 1/50 will last a few years, for shelf life there is nothing to beat it
Richard

 

[mehguy]

If you want long shelf life get ho;d of some Rodinal lasts for ever. I have used concentrate from glass bottles that must have been 25 to 30 years old, black and thick as treacle, but developed the film using the same suggested times as a bottle of todays concentrate and negatives looked as good as freshly opened bottle, and at 1/50 will last a few years, for shelf life there is nothing to beat it
Richard

My photostore doesnt sell it tho...

 

[TheToadMen]

@TheToadMen
I thought normal caffenol didnt need potassium bromide?

The Potassium Bromide (KBr) is needed for some films (like Tri-X) to control/avoid fogging the negatives.
That's why the Caffenol-C-M is only suitable for films of 100 ASA or less.

 

[mehguy]

The Potassium Bromide (KBr) is needed for some films (like Tri-X) to control/avoid fogging the negatives.
That's why the Caffenol-C-M is only suitable for films of 100 ASA or less.

So i wouldnt need it for hp5 plus?

 

[removed account4]

i don't use the labled named recipes, i don't change how i mix caffenol depending on the film i use
i just mix it, and add about 1oz of straight print developer / L of caffenol. been doing this for 10 years never had a problem
no matter the iso, no matter the brand, fresh or expired, even c-41 + e6 film procssed as b/w AND photographic prints ...

have fun !
john

 

[mehguy]

Actually, what ill do is shoot a test roll of hp5 plus and develop it in caffenol first. If it turns out great, then ill keep on using it. if not, d76 here we come.

 

[TheToadMen]

Actually, what ill do is shoot a test roll of hp5 plus and develop it in caffenol first. If it turns out great, then ill keep on using it. if not, d76 here we come.

Check these sites for the best recipe for HP5+:
http://caffenol.blogspot.com/
and
http://www.caffenol.org/

Otherwise, try the Caffenol-C-L recipe I posted above, not the Caffenol-C-M recipe.

 

[mehguy]

Check these sites for the best recipe for HP5+:
http://caffenol.blogspot.com/
and
http://www.caffenol.org/

Otherwise, try the Caffenol-C-L recipe I posted above, not the Caffenol-C-M recipe.

Hold on... the caffenol C-L recipe requires Potassium Bromide... but on caffenol.org, it says it doesnt need it for hp5 plus...

 

[markbarendt]

Hold on... the caffenol C-L recipe requires Potassium Bromide... but on caffenol.org, it says it doesnt need it for hp5 plus...

mehguy, relax.

Don't sweat the small stuff.

 

[TheToadMen]

... but on caffenol.org, it says it doesnt need it for hp5 plus...

Take their word/knowledge/experience over mine any time
Just give it a try.

 

[removed account4]

Hold on... the caffenol C-L recipe requires Potassium Bromide... but on caffenol.org, it says it doesnt need it for hp5 plus...

OP

just have a good time ...

why people have to complicate everything is beyond me.

a teaspoon, coffee, washing soda, water, vit c .. its pretty much all one needs ...
and it works fine.

if you want "the other stuff" buy a bag of dektol, mix it up with water
and put a teaspoon of it in your developer ( sorry i don't know how much powder to put in , maybe a pinch ? )
it will have all that stuff in it, that is what i have been doing for about 10 years.
none of my film has come out bad, thousands of rolls in 10 years ...
and you can use this same developer for every film under the sun, even 10 year old expired shelf stored iso 3200
john

 

[TheToadMen]

just have a good time ...

a teaspoon, coffee, washing soda, water, vit c .. its pretty much all one needs ...
and it works fine.

+1

keep it simple when you're starting - it will be complicated enough ... and have fun!

 

[mehguy]

Ok, i bought a roll of hp5 plus 24 exp. and im gonna start shooting. the store also had this cheaper stuff called arista, but it was all expired. is arista even in production?

 

[MattKing]

Ok, i bought a roll of hp5 plus 24 exp. and im gonna start shooting. the store also had this cheaper stuff called arista, but it was all expired. is arista even in production?

Arista is Freestyle Photographic's "house" brand. Freestyle (based in California) has been active in the film and darkroom retail environment for a long time, and has done a lot of re-branding over the years. Depending on which version of Arista it is (Arista, Arista EDU, Arista Plus? ...) the film might have been originally made by Ilford, Kodak, Foma ....

 

[mehguy]

Arista is Freestyle Photographic's "house" brand. Freestyle (based in California) has been active in the film and darkroom retail environment for a long time, and has done a lot of re-branding over the years. Depending on which version of Arista it is (Arista, Arista EDU, Arista Plus? ...) the film might have been originally made by Ilford, Kodak, Foma ....

The film is arista premium.

Apparently its this stuff:
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/192244-Arista-Premium-400-ISO-35mm-x-24-exp.-Past-Date-but-Still-Great

I guess my local camera store had the last batch of them as they expired in 12/2014