• Welcome to Photrio!
    Registration is fast and free. Join today to unlock search, see fewer ads, and access all forum features.
    Click here to sign up

First film developed but what a day.

Shaggysk8

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
Feb 14, 2009
Messages
465
Location
Northamptons
Format
4x5 Format
OK well its been months of reading and understanding the whole camera, negative and print process, and today is the day I finally developed my first roll of film.

My first go was blank, then I found out my film back had broken so after an hour or so I fixed the issue and tried again.

A few questions really, I am using Ilford Pan F+ & Rodinal the neg has a slight pink tinge to it, is this normal?

And how do you keep the temp to 20°C mine was 21°C so I use an iphone app that uses the development chart and you can adjust the temp and it adjusts the time. But I would like to be able to control the temp so all I have to do is adjust the time to get a perfect neg for myself.

But I am so happy I am on my way.

Paul
 
Adjust your time for consistency

The pink is normal, see the Sticky thread above about pink.

As to keeping the temp at 68/20C I do not and would not bother. None of my processing is done at 20C because it is impossible to get that temp. I work at some other temp and adjust. The water out of my tap is 35C today, better then the 41C a few weeks ago ( I have to cool tap water for color work ) . I keep water and chemistry in jugs so it is room temp of about 24C. All my processing is done at the temp and the time is adjusted accordingly. If you have 21C as the temp you can maintain, by all means use that temp. I have found my results are far more consistent adjusting time then trying to maintain temperature.
 
I mix up a batch of dev (500mL in a pyrex jug) and stick a thermometer in it. If it's too cool, put it in a hot-water bath. If it's too hot, stick it in the fridge with glad-wrap over the top.

As soon as the dev hits the right temp, use it as the container will be at a different temperature so if you let it sit there, it will overshoot in temperature. With this method, I can get it within 0.3C of 20C and never have to adjust times.
 
Should the numbers on the neg be black? mine seem almost but not quite.

Today I was going to shoot the 10 zones and develop I think this will give me a good idea of how my process works.
 
Should the numbers on the neg be black? mine seem almost but not quite.
Click to expand...

Generally yes, but the difference between black and almost black might be subtle. If you have a roll of commerically processed B&W you could compare that with the roll you processed. If the numbers on your roll are too light, you may need to increase your development time, or agitate a little more.
 
Shaggysk8 said:
Should the numbers on the neg be black? mine seem almost but not quite.

Today I was going to shoot the 10 zones and develop I think this will give me a good idea of how my process works.
Click to expand...

The density of the edge printing seems to vary from batch to batch in many films, so the "blackness" of the edge printing is, at best, only a rough indicator of proper development.

If you have a bunch of film from the same batch and emulsion number, or bulk load film, then comparison from roll to roll can tell you a bit more.

Matt
 
trexx said:
The water out of my tap is 35C today, better then the 41C a few weeks ago
Click to expand...

And I thought I was the only one with hot, cold water. Don't know what 41C is worth, but mine was 90 degrees a couple of weeks ago.
 
41ºC = 106ºF

Steve
 
Paul, way to go. I'm happy you made the plunge. As mentioned above, temp is not so critical as long as you do not stray from the recommended temp range and time range for your film. A slight increase as in 21C should prove to change your results only negligbly if even at all. Drastic changes such as above 25C, although adjustable with time, can affectively change film speed. But where you are should be nearly ideal. As to the lettering, again as mentioned above, merely depends on the exposure the edging was given initially. Easily explained if the light source is not a constant power level.

Congrats again. And keep the questions coming.
 
I have found my results are far more consistent adjusting time then trying to maintain temperature.
Click to expand...

I have found the opposite. My tap doesn't get cold enough and even if it did, I used replenished developer. I pour my developer in a 500mL pyrex and drop in a couple of those reusable ice cubes that are plastic-coated. Before I bought the miniature ice cubes, I put the ice cubes in a plastic bag. While the developer is cooling I put some regular ice in my water bath. The developer hits 20C in about 3 minutes. Then I pour it on my film and put the developing tank in the water bath in the cut-out bottom of one of those cheap styrofoam coolers. It will stay 20C for a good ten minutes on account of the styrofoam.

I do everything at 20C now. It saves me writing and mistakes..."6.5 min D23" always means 20C.
 

*********
BetterSense has a good way of doing it, Paul. He lives way down Deep in the Heart of Texas, and it get's pretty warm down there. Keeping the variables at a minimum is good darkroom practice.

I am very fortunate in that I keep a supply of clean water in my darkroom; to which I added a small vent from the central air conditioning system; so my work space stays a fairly uniform temperature.

Like him, I use replenished D23 which removes the tap water from the developing equation (though not, always, from washing, of course).

Although my ambient temp is rarely 20 C, D23 is very linear in its temperature response. Since I am a computer dinosaur, I consult a time/temerature chart on my darkroom wall. I photocopied it from an old Focal Encylepdia of Photography.
 
I always use the following temp formula taken from the Unofficial XTOL page:

New time = Old time × exp(-0.081 × (New temp °C - Old temp °C))

New time = Old time × exp(-0.045 × (New temp °F - Old temp °F))
 
Here is a neg scan of one of the images of the first test roll, I put it under the enlarger and was amazed at how sharp it was enlarged up to 40" x 50"

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register