I know this question has probably been asked many times, and I apologize for asking it, yet another time.
1- I'm trying to put together a basic kit to develop my own film. I'm doing mostly b&w. How do you chose the right developer, the stop bath and so on?
2- I've got a 35mm reel and a daylight developing tank...what else am I missing to make my own prints?
3- How expensive to make enlargements, equipement wise and material wise?
Thanks,
Fred.
Hi,
Welcome.
To develop, you need a tank and reels and thermometer first. You need graduated cylinders. A pint/half liter one and a quart/liter one are a good set to start with. You need a mixing paddle or spoon, either non metallic or stainless steel. You need a timer or a wall clock with a second hand. Then you need a good drying area that is free of dust. In lieu of that, a steamed-up shower works well. Clothespins and a wire hangar or a line will work to hang the film, but stainless clips are a nice luxury that cost almost nothing on the used market.
For chemicals, you need developer and fixer at the very least (and running water, of course). Most people also use stop bath, hypo clearing agent (Hypo is a nickname for fixer.), and a wetting agent. Check out a basic photo book from the library to learn the process.
I would use HC-110 to start. It is one of the easiest to store and use. It is pretty economical (though not the
most economical developer) and keeps darned near forever. To use it, you don't need anything other than those two graduates I mentioned, and a few 4 or 8 oz. (or 250 or 500 mL) juice bottles with sealing lids for storage.
The way HC-110 is used is explained on the bottle. There are three "states" of HC-110. The first is the
concentrate (AKA "syrup"). That is what is in the bottle when you get it. You do not ever use that alone for developing film. You have to dilute it in two stages first. You first make a solution of 1/4 concentrate and 3/4 water (known as a 1:3 dilution ratio). That creates the second "state" of HC-110, which is called
stock solution, or just stock. You also don't develop film with the stock solution (except in special cases, which you don't need to think about right now). The stock is put aside in an air-tight bottle until you are ready to develop. When that time comes, you dilute only as much stock solution as you need with water to make the third "state," which is called
working solution. That is what you use to actually develop the film. To make the standard HC-110 working solution (called dilution B), you mix 1/8 stock with 7/8 water (known as a 1:7 dilution ratio).
You don't need to mix up the whole bottle of syrup first thing when you get it. You can do only a quarter of it, for instance. Doing so means you don't need to get large storage bottles, and you don't need to worry as much about wasting stock solution due to not using it before expiration.
It sounds complicated in writing, but I find it easier than mixing up a whole gallon of powdered developer, like D-76. Some prefer the powder route, though.
You can use Kodak Indicator Stop Bath concentrate for your stop bath. It costs very little, ad lasts forever. I am still working on the bottle I got nearly four years ago for $7.00 or so. This chemical can be reused. It is orange, but changes purplish blue when it loses it's effectiveness. You will need a storage bottle that holds the same capacity as your developing tank. Juice bottles will work fine.
You can also use water for a stop bath. You can read all about why you should or should not do this by searching the forums. But don't skip the stop solely for economic reasons. It makes no sense to cut corners here of all places, given the almost nonexistent cost of stop bath concentrate. As I mentioned above, I reckon I spend a little over a dollar a year on stop bath.
I would use Kodak Flexicolor Fixer, as it is cheap as dirt. Mix it 1:4 or 1:3 for film, and 1:9 for paper. Look up how to do fixer clip tests, and do that each time you develop.
Hypo clearing agent is a very simple chemical. Legacy Pro makes a very cheap version of it, which is available at Freestyle. By helping to break down the fixer, this chemical preps the film for rapid washing, so you don't need to use as much water or time to wash the fixer out of the film.
After washing, a wetting agent is usually a good idea. Kodak Photo Flo 200 lasts forever. I always spill my bottles long before they ever run dry.
Enlarging has become quite expensive in recent years, because papers have really gone up in price. But that is just more incentive for you to become an amazing printer who creates less waste than the average printer!
So, in summary:
basic college photo textbook
tank
reels
thermometer
juice bottles, 8, 16, 32 oz. (250, 500, 1000 mL)
graduates, 16, 32 oz. (500, 1000 mL)
line/hangar and film clips
stirring rod
timer or wall clock with second hand
A chemical shopping list for film developing:
Kodak HC-110, 16 oz.
Kodak Indicator Stop Bath, 16 oz.
Kodak Flexicolor Fixer, 1 gallon
Legacy Pro hypo clearing agent, to make 1 quart (get several pouches of this to have on hand, as is can go bad if it sits unused once mixed)
Kodak Photo Flo 200, 16 oz.
Ideally:
A separate graduate for each different chemical
A high-quality thermometer such as a Paterson
A high-quality darkroom timer such as a used Gra-Lab
.