Finally getting to buying developer chemicals, need help please.

[FNH]

I'm going to be developing some black and white 400tmax.
Also, can I re-use any of these chemicals? I don't think I can reuse the developer, but I believe I should be able to reuse the fixer and stop bath.

Any help is appreciated greatly.

 

[Bill Burk]

It's easiest to use B&W film developer as one-shot. It's possible to re-use or replenish but that introduces complexity that I don't think you would want to get into right away.

You're only going to use a little of the stop bath so it will last a long time. Dump it out after use.

The fixer will last several rolls of film, but it has a definite capacity, once you exhaust it you will need to recycle it responsibly.

p.s. I work for Kodak but the opinions and positions I take are my own and not necessarily those of EKC.

 

[R.Gould]

Stop bath and fixer can be reused, for film I mix 600ml at 1/4 and fix ten films per the 600 without trouble but for Tmax I would halve the amount, A quck test for fixer is to use the film leader and when the leader takes double the time to clear compared to fresh fixer dump it, Stop bath use untill it changes colour, with Developer it is far simpler to use it as one shot and dump it after every film.

 

[FNH]

Thank you guys for the help!

 

[MattKing]

All the advice above is good. One further point though.

If you have several rolls to develop (say 6), and a tank that will require you to split them up over more than one run (say 3 batches with two rolls each), and you intend to develop all three batches, one after the other, on the same day, than with respect to the stop bath, you may as well re-use it as it certainly has extra capacity. If you get it near the end of its capacity the indicator in it will change the colour from yellow-orange to blue.

Relatively speaking it is really cheap, so I wouldn't store it and re-use it over several days.

Have fun!

And by the way, your fixer is of high quality and is easy to use and ship, but will require longer fixing times than the liquid Rapid Fixes. If you get a chance (at a photo store or through a good delivery option) to obtain Rapid Fix, it is worthwhile.

 

[FNH]

Will the bottle say how long I need to fix for? Also I have plenty of time

Thanks!

 

[MattKing]

Will the bottle say how long I need to fix for? Also I have plenty of time

Thanks!

Use a "clip" clearing test to determine fixing time.

It will be somewhere between 2 and 10 minutes (it varies by film).

To perform the test:

1) take a scrap of undeveloped film (35mm leader is fine);
2) put a small drop of working strength fixer on it and let it sit there until the film looks distinctly clearer where the drop is;
3) immerse the scrap of film in a small portion of working strength fixer and start your timer. Agitate it for 5 seconds every 30 seconds. Ensure that it remains submerged;
4) when the film appears clear and you can no longer tell where the drop was, note the time elapsed. That time is the "clearing time";
5) your fixing time is between two and three times the clearing time - twice is what most people use.

You should keep track of the clearing time for fixer you re-use. It will get longer as you fix more film. When it has effectively doubled, it is time to discard your fixer.

If you have the opportunity, you should investigate "two-bath fixing". Just do a search here on APUG.

PS: Kodak gives capacity information on this useful link: http://wwwcaen.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/e103cf/e103cf.pdf

 

[FNH]

Can I do the clearing test in light?

Thanks!

 

[seadrive]

Actually, I don't think most people use an acid stop bath with film. I use two 45-second plain water rinses between the developer and the fixer.

T-Max films require more vigorous agitation in the fixer than most other films. Agitate 10-15 seconds every 30 seconds for 4-5 minutes (that's with a rapid fixer; non-rapid may take longer). I've reused a liter worth of fixer for 10 rolls of 120 T-Max without a problem.

I find the recommended development times for T-Max 400 to be too long, but you'll have to figure that out for yourself.

You might also want to get some hypo clearing agent to reduce wash times.

TMY is a wonderful film. Have fun!

 

[MattKing]

Can I do the clearing test in light?

Thanks!

Yes.

I standardize on T-Max 400 for the clearing test, because I have lots of scrap bits (I use it with a bulk loader) and because it will require the longest clearing time of just about any film.

It won't hurt if you fix films for a small bit longer than necessary, so it is fine to use the longer clearing time for T-Max 400 as your guide.

 

[geoffdodd]

I use the Ilford chemicals -Ilfosol 3 for developing and Rapid Fix for fix, and I just use water for my stop - 2 - 45 sec baths. As for times, if you peel the label on the chemical bottle, there's a list of time and temps to go by. Plus a really useful website is digitaltruth.com and go to the massive dev chart. It has all different film stocks with different developers and gives the developing times. Quite useful.

 

[polyglot]

Have a read of the FAQ in my signature...

 

[E76]

Actually, I don't think most people use an acid stop bath with film. I use two 45-second plain water rinses between the developer and the fixer.

While a stop bath is optional, I would recommend it if you plan on using your fixer to capacity. It will prevent carry over of any developer into the fixer and extend its life. It can also improve process consistency as development will continue during the rinse, albeit at a reduced rate. But, as always, YMMV!

 

[jeddy-3]

I second Polyglot, his FAQ link seems to be pretty awesome, just by skimming over it. It might answer a lot of your questions before you can even think of them Definitely check it out.
Polyglot, great idea.