Developing film

Ektagraphic · Jun 21, 2009

Hello-
I am totally new to developing film and I was wondering if once film was put through developer, if the rest of the process could be done in daylight not in the darkrooom. Thanks

Valerie · Jun 21, 2009

The film is sensitive to light until it has been fixed.

Ektagraphic · Jun 21, 2009

Thanks.

Leighgion · Jun 21, 2009

This is why daylight developing tanks were invented. You load them in the dark, but then you can do all your chemical changing in the light. Unless of course, you're developing sheet film, which can't do into a tank.

Thomas Bertilsson · Jun 21, 2009

Actually, there are sheet film tanks out there. Both for regular daylight hand agitation as well as for motorized roller transports, such as Uniroller. Nikor made stainless steel tanks for 4x5 (and I believe 5x7 also) sheets. You fit up to 12 sheets on a spiral type device.

Anyhow, the original poster got his question answered - Don't turn on the lights until the film has been fixed.

- Thomas

BetterSense · Jun 22, 2009

As long as you have rinsed and/or stopped the development, shouldn't you be able to expose the film to light, even before fixing? After all, you can fix exposed but undeveloped film just fine.

RobertV · Jun 22, 2009

No, the main part of the fix process must be completed.

A water stop is no stopping of the developing process but it's delayed.

Sheet film can be done in a 2509N reel (Jobo) and put in a tank so also sheet film can be done in this way.

Alex Bishop-Thorpe · Jun 22, 2009

You can do it and the effects wont be immediately apparent, but it's still not good for your negatives.

bdial · Jun 22, 2009

Once the film is in the fix, all is well, you can open the tank. This lets you monitor the clearing time, and hence, the total fix time.

If you use an acid stop, most likely, opening the tank at the end of the stop would not cause any problem. I use water stop, so I don't bring the film into the light until it's in the fix. Even with a water stop, subdued light would probably be ok, but there isn't much reason to tempt fate, especially when using daylight tanks.

Anscojohn · Jun 22, 2009

All I can say about white light on the film before it is in the fix is that ye olde labb ratz who taught me darkroom told me it is never done; and in words that are not suitable for this public forum.

Thomas Bertilsson · Jun 22, 2009

John, you crack me up sometimes... Don't be shy. What did ye olde labbe ratze tell you?

Prest_400 · Jun 22, 2009

Leighgion said:
You load them in the dark, but then you can do all your chemical changing in the light.

So, it's right to pour the developer, rinse/stop bath and put in the fixer in daylight? Water lets light to enter. :confused:

Steve Smith · Jun 22, 2009

Prest_400 said:
So, it's right to pour the developer, rinse/stop bath and put in the fixer in daylight? Water lets light to enter.

Yes. The top of the tank has a light trap so even though you take the cover off to pour the solutions in and out, the light doesn't enter.

Steve.

Mark Antony · Jun 22, 2009

Prest 400
Here on this page is a cut away:
Daylight tank

If you look you'll see a funnel in a tube, that tube mean you can take the lid off to pour out/pour in solutions.
Mark

Prest_400 · Jun 22, 2009

Mark Antony said:
Prest 400
Here on this page is a cut away:
Daylight tank

If you look you'll see a funnel in a tube, that tube mean you can take the lid off to pour out/pour in solutions.
Mark

Okay, now I do understand the system.
The top cap can be removed for pouring water and all the chemistry, but there is a second cap that needs to be opened for access the reel compartment, and it's what keeps film safe.
Thanks for the info, Steve and Mark.

srs5694 · Jun 22, 2009

Anscojohn said:
All I can say about white light on the film before it is in the fix is that ye olde labb ratz who taught me darkroom told me it is never done; and in words that are not suitable for this public forum.

Never say never. There are those who do it deliberately to play with solarization effects. My impression this is more commonly done with prints than with negatives, though.

Aurum · Jun 22, 2009

srs5694 said:
Never say never. There are those who do it deliberately to play with solarization effects. My impression this is more commonly done with prints than with negatives, though.

No reason why you couldn't do it with negs, but it would be an all or nothing deal. At least with prints, if you bork it , you chuck the paper, and fire up the enlarger for another go. You still have the original neg

steven_e007 · Jun 24, 2009

As it happens I removed a pair of Tri-X films from the tank after developing and stopping, but before fixing, last night.

This wasn't a deliberate thing, I am just an idiot ^_^

In the gloom of my darkroom I picked up the wrong bottle and 'fixed' the films in stop bath for 4 mins, then rinsed in water for about 15.
I opened the tank, lifted out the reels, wondered for about 2 seconds why they looked opaque before the penny dropped and... OH S*T!!!

I chucked half a litre of fixer on them and clamped the lid back on.

Result? well... comparing them to the Tri-X films I developed just a little earlier... hmmm, maybe just a fraction more base fog? Slightly? Or am I imagining it? Well, whatever the effect, it is tiny if it is there at all, but it was only a 5 second exposure in subdued light after a damn good stop bath!

Thomas Bertilsson · Jun 24, 2009

Sum of all matters - don't open the tank until after you fix... No matter how good your stop bath is I think you'll find that in varying lighting conditions, the severity of the fog will be varying also, and why take any chances? The main question is - why would you want to do this anyway?

(For the record - I do know about BTZS tubes and how the cap comes off at the end of the developer bath).

fschifano · Jun 24, 2009

steven_e007 said:
Result? well... comparing them to the Tri-X films I developed just a little earlier... hmmm, maybe just a fraction more base fog? Slightly? Or am I imagining it? Well, whatever the effect, it is tiny if it is there at all, but it was only a 5 second exposure in subdued light after a damn good stop bath!

I think you're imagining it. We see what we want to see, not always what's really there. The proof, of course, is to print them and see if there really is any difference. There are many factors contributing to base fog. It can vary with the type of developer, the length of development time, and even the batch number of the film. To say without a doubt that exposure to light after the stop bath contributed to overall fog levels is impossible at this point.

Anscojohn · Jun 24, 2009

Thomas Bertilsson said:
John, you crack me up sometimes... Don't be shy. What did ye olde labbe ratze tell you?

******
Why, Thomas, they said to me: "Fiddly dee, young fellow, it is not good form to turn on the white light until your film has been in the sodium hyposulfite bath for at least a few seconds......... "

fschifano · Jun 24, 2009

Right...:rolleyes:

dancqu · Jun 25, 2009

steven_e007 said:
... hmmm, maybe just a fraction more base fog? Slightly?
Or am I imagining it? Well, whatever the effect, it is tiny
if it is there at all,

Exposure to light will slowly reduce the emulsion's silver
salts to elemental silver. POP, print out papers, are
'developed' in such a manor.

Be sure the developer is out or at least inactive prior
to the emulsion's exposure to light. Dan

Developing film

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