Developing color in B&W

This is sort of continuation of what was being discussed in (there was a url link here which no longer exists), but I figured others may find it useful as an independent thread.

So I understand you can develop color film (both slides and negatives) as B&W first, and then see if you want to take it further. I also found good (generic) info about it at filmrescue.com.

I get lots of exposed film through garage sales and people giving it to me as they know I'm into photography. I've just been holding onto it up until this point, as I really don't want to spend the money to have it developed. But I just started developing B&W, so I think I'd like to try and run a roll of color through the B&W process.

So my question is, how do you do it? I have HC-110, and Tmax developer. I've only used the HC-110 so far, with good results. I use the time chart from the Mass Dev Chart, but I believe all the film there is B&W, so where do I start with times/temps/etc? My first attempt will be with a partially exposed roll of Kodak Gold 200 (GB). AFter that, who knows what I'll do, as I have tons of all different types in a box waiting.

Thanks in advance!

I use hc-110 at 1:49 and treat color 400 as if it was hp5. Results are decent enough for my needs.

Dan

Kirks518 said:

I get lots of exposed film through garage sales and people giving it to me as they know I'm into photography. I've just been holding onto it up until this point, as I really don't want to spend the money to have it developed. But I just started developing B&W, so I think I'd like to try and run a roll of color through the B&W process.

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Why don't you develop it as color yourself? Developing color film is just as easy as developing B&W film.

Light Guru I don't have any color chemicals, and isn't color developing very temp sensitive?

Color chemicals are easy to get, and a water bath easily keeps chemicals at the right temp.

I fill my kitchen sink with hot water, put the bottles in, and develop when it gets down to the right temperature. What really encouraged me to get into color developing was finding out that the temperature control is less vital than I thought. Sure, you have to have the chemicals at the exact right temperature for perfect results, but getting close with most films is good enough for me. Depending on your preferences, you can get pretty far from the ideal temperature and still get good results. Here is an example that helped me get over the temperature intimidation that kept me from doing color at home.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/metropolismusic/13274903295/

WetMogwai said:

I fill my kitchen sink with hot water, put the bottles in, and develop when it gets down to the right temperature. What really encouraged me to get into color developing was finding out that the temperature control is less vital than I thought. Sure, you have to have the chemicals at the exact right temperature for perfect results, but getting close with most films is good enough for me. Depending on your preferences, you can get pretty far from the ideal temperature and still get good results. Here is an example that helped me get over the temperature intimidation that kept me from doing color at home.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/metropolismusic/13274903295/

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This is exactly how I learnt, but I was never allowed to use the kitchen sink, I was relegated to the laundry sink. That was better anyway, could listen to my music, and there was no phone at the back of the house to distract me.

I think one of the issues Kirk is considering here is that the film may be very old C41, or a pre-C41 process, or even that he may have films where the type and process is simply unknown.

Accordingly, the point is to process the film in such a way as to be as sure as possible that some images are recovered, and then depending on what one finds, perhaps be able to reprocess to recover any colour images.

I agree, C41 is perfectly doable at home. I use a Tetenal kit and a "cool box" filled with hot water to get the developer and whatnot to the correct temperature. I find it is perfectly straightforward, and produces as good a result as I can get from a minilab.

On the other hand, if you have a film that requires C22 or some defunct Orwo process, or whatever, then a C41 kit is not much good to you, and you have to start learning a bit of chemistry and acquiring odd and sometimes rather toxic chemicals, which is not everybody's cup of tea ...

pdeeh pretty much hit it on the head. I also don't really want to invest anything into these rolls. These are primarily rolls of film that were left in a camera body that I bought, partially used, and probably nothing worthwhile.

I did do some web searching about processing C-41 at home, but in all honesty, for what I want to do, it's too much of a hassle and expense (albeit not very expensive). I think I'll give it a try with the HC-110 (B) at 70°F for 8 minutes, a 1 min stop, and another 8 min fix. Unless someone else wants to suggest different times.

Kirks518 said:

I also don't really want to invest anything into these rolls.

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If that's the case then why bother developing them at all.

Light Guru said:

If that's the case then why bother developing them at all.

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Since it might be fun to take some old rolls and develop them in his existing B&W chemicals, and its not worth buying 50 dollars plus of chemicals and equipment to develop a few old rolls of film? :munch:

Light Guru said:

If that's the case then why bother developing them at all.

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Who knows what may be on that roll? Maybe proof that Elvis actually is still alive!

For some of us it is one thing to satisfy your curiosity with a few pennies worth of black and white chemicals rather than invest money, time and a lot of effort in learning a new skill. And C-41 is not the only process. There are a lot of them. So where would you draw the line? How much time and money are you willing to invest?

Pioneer said:

Maybe proof that Elvis actually is still alive!

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Proof is only needed for those who do not possess Faith ...

Light Guru said:

If that's the case then why bother developing them at all.

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Why bother doing anything ever?

So I went ahead and developed a roll. Kodak Gold 400. Turns out to have been shot Dec 29 & 30, 2001, so 13 years old. Here's what I did;

All temps were at 78°F unless otherwise noted

Pre-rinse/soak for 2 mins
HC-110 Dilution A [1:15] for 12 mins, agitate continuously for first 30 seconds, then agitate for 10 seconds every minute
Stop with tap water acclimated to working temp for 1 minute with continuous agitation
Fixer (Photographer's Formulary TF-5) 1+3, for 5 minutes, continuous agitation for the first 30 seconds, then let it sit
Final Rinse with tap water (about 80°F) for approx 5 minutes, with 2 fill & dumps, and a fill fill & dump with 1 drop dishwashing detergent (Dawn).

At first glance, they looked good. I could see definitive images, and hung them to dry. I don't have a negative squeegee, so I ran the film through my fingers, and went from there. The final results were actually really good IMO.

The roll seems to be from either Busch Gardens Tampa, or one of the Orlando theme parks. There were a few shots that were just taken poorly (flash against glass in a few), but overall, they are decent.

Here are some samples:




I have a question;

When the film was close to dry, I looked at it, and noticed some white spotting or water stains. A quick websearch, and I took a lightly dampened, lint-free microfiber cloth, and gave it a quick and gentle wipe. On the emulsion side, I seem to have wiped off some grey/black stuff. My first thought was that it was the silver, and the image, but the image stayed. What was that stuff? I caught it after wiping only a few frames (the first 3 above were in that group), and only wiped the non-emulsion side after catching that. The last two frames above are from that group, and you can see (especially in the last photo) lots of streaking. I'm thinking I should have wiped both sides of the entire strip.

So what do you all think about my first attempt at C-41 developed with B&W chemistry?

I almost think these images explain why I have no desire to invest anything other than some time into developing these. Typically the rolls are generic family photos from people I don't know, and never will. In this instance, they are pretty crummy snaps of a family vacation to an over-rated theme park.

Doing this is more of a curiosity, as well as a way to practice and experiment. Maybe one day I'll get lucky and it'll be a roll of Marilyn Monroe, and I'll get rich, but until then, I see no need to get carried away with doing these.

As it goes, I developed a roll of found film just this afternoon. It's a crapshoot, of course, and I usually throw it in if I'm doing a run of something non-critical, and have room for an extra reel, as was the case today. Every now and then I get something interesting.

That's a hysterical photo.

Kirks518 said:

I have a question;

When the film was close to dry, I looked at it, and noticed some white spotting or water stains. A quick websearch, and I took a lightly dampened, lint-free microfiber cloth, and gave it a quick and gentle wipe. On the emulsion side, I seem to have wiped off some grey/black stuff. My first thought was that it was the silver, and the image, but the image stayed. What was that stuff? I caught it after wiping only a few frames (the first 3 above were in that group), and only wiped the non-emulsion side after catching that. The last two frames above are from that group, and you can see (especially in the last photo) lots of streaking. I'm thinking I should have wiped both sides of the entire strip.

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Anybody?