I want to Make my own photographic filme

[Marina]

Hi, i want to Make my own photographic film. Any sugestión?

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

www.thelightfarm.com

 

[iandvaag]

A few suggestions:

In addition to The Light Farm, check out the (there was a url link here which no longer exists) here on APUG. Check the archives, but don't be scared to ask questions.

APUG is fortunate to have a retired Kodak photo engineer who has written the definitive book on silver gelatin emulsion making in the home darkroom. It is available from fotoimpex.

It is easier and cheaper to start with coating paper rather than film. Start with a simple unwashed silver chloride emulsion, like the Azo-type emulsion in the book linked above, or a formula available from Denise Ross on The Light Farm. Once you have practiced making this emulsion and coating it on paper, you can make a washed emulsion and coat it onto film. There is a suitable material called duralar wet media which can be used as the film base.

There is a bit of a learning curve, but making and coating high quality emulsions is surprisingly doable in the home darkroom when armed with the right knowledge. You should know before you dive into this however that certain things are more possible than others. A 200 ISO film is going to be very difficult if not impossible, as is a spectrally sensitized film that is responsive to all colors. Just don't set unrealistic expectations, and I'm sure you'll be thrilled with what is possible. It's a lot of fun!

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Hi, i want to Make my own photographic film. Any sugestión?

start by building your own planet, solar system; the works.

 

[removed account4]

www.thelightfarm.com

+1
denise ( the owner/runner of the site ) regularly makes and coats her own film.
there is also a section on the website ( and her book/s ( for sale on blurb) ) where she uses 3 different emulsion types
and makes her own color separation negatives and color images ( home made tri chromes ).

making emulsion isn't really too hard, i did it when i was about 20 years old in my kitchen/ apartment
in the middle of the night when my housemates were all asleep. i didn't coat film with it though, i taught myself
how to make glass plates ...

good luck !
john

 

[baachitraka]

No. Work an hour or two longer in a week and spend that in buying films.

But making SGE at home can be rewarding albeit not cheap.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Making your own film as opposed to paper negatives IS NOT an easy task even when you know what you are doing. You would have to design and make some sort of coating machine. Just buy the stuff!

 

[dwross]

...You would have to design and make some sort of coating machine...

Not true. http://www.thelightfarm.com/cgi-bin/htmltutgen.py?content=24Jul2013
http://deniseross.zenfolio.com/

 

[dwross]

Hi, i want to Make my own photographic film. Any sugestión?

Have fun!!

 

[Marina]

start by building your own planet, solar system; the works.

Haha very funny. But I WILL Make it

 

[Craig75]

http://www.alternativephotography.com/making-cyanotypes-in-camera/

is a simple way.

 

[Marina]

No. Work an hour or two longer in a week and spend that in buying films.

But making SGE at home can be rewarding albeit not cheap.

buy films its ok but its boring. i want to make my own rudimentaty an desastrous horrible homemade film

 

[pdeeh]

start by building your own planet, solar system; the works.

Now, Ralph, you're a man respected by many here, and the author of a well-reviewed book.

Tell me, throughout your photographic career, has your enthusiasm and interest been fanned by your being the recipient of sarcastic remarks about what you wanted to do and were enthusiastic to try?

Just, as they say, asking ...

 

[Marina]

Making your own film as opposed to paper negatives IS NOT an easy task even when you know what you are doing. You would have to design and make some sort of coating machine. Just buy the stuff!

i don t want easy i want risky he heee

 

[Jerevan]

Another way is to start out with a commercial emulsion (like SE1 or Black Magic) and get a grip on how to handle the stuff before diving at the DIY end.

 

[Marina]

Now, Ralph, you're a man respected by many here, and the author of a well-reviewed book.

Tell me, throughout your photographic career, has your enthusiasm and interest been fanned by your being the recipient of sarcastic remarks about what you wanted to do and were enthusiastic to try?

Just, as they say, asking ...

i will make the film

Now, Ralph, you're a man respected by many here, and the author of a well-reviewed book.

Tell me, throughout your photographic career, has your enthusiasm and interest been fanned by your being the recipient of sarcastic remarks about what you wanted to do and were enthusiastic to try?

Just, as they say, asking ...

yeaaah Ralph i will make the film and i will photograph your face and i will develop it and i will laughhhhh

 

[Marina]

Another way is to start out with a commercial emulsion (like SE1 or Black Magic) and get a grip on how to handle the stuff before diving at the DIY end.

i live in argentina. i think here just can get the Fomaspeed.is it equivalent?

 

[Gerald C Koch]

i will make the film

yeaaah Ralph i will make the film and i will photograph your face and i will develop it and i will laughhhhh

I would be very careful what you say since you know absolutely nothing about emulsion making. We are all friends here and others know the difficulties you face.

 

[Jerevan]

i live in argentina. i think here just can get the Fomaspeed.is it equivalent?

Yes, if we are talking about the liquid silver emulsion in a can, yes - it would work fine.

 

[Marina]

I would be very careful what you say since you know absolutely nothing about emulsion making. We are all friends here and others know the difficulties you face.

I didn t Mean to offend
Im just a young girl from distant Lands
That want a emulsion...

 

[pdeeh]

I've looked hard into emulsion making and I know it's too complicated and fussy for me to even attempt ... but I'd never discourage anyone else from trying it, the opposite in fact.

None of us know anything about Marina or what skills, knowledge and experience she (I am assuming a gender here, sorry if I'm wrong) already has.

What's the worst that can happen?

It's not as if once someone has failed to make an emulsion they'd never be able to take a photograph again.

Marina can still buy film, even if her emulsion making doesn't work out.

 

[pdeeh]

I didn t Mean to offend

Don't worry about it Marina.
You have every right to ask any questions you wish.

And to my fellow Apuggers: This is what happens when we're all so stern and finger-wagging to newcomers: They think they're doing something wrong.

 

[dwross]

Haha very funny. But I WILL Make it

Yes! You will. Really, it isn't hard. Start at the beginning and take it one step at a time, and as I said earlier, have fun! The spirit of joyful exploration and experimentation seems to be getting lost in whatever it is that's going on in today's world.

 

[Bob Carnie]

Do we not have hundreds of people here coating onto wet plate, I think Denise Ross could teach anyone how to coat an emulsion on glass to put in a camera Yes / No.

Myself I have enough problem making Gum Bichromates so I will stick to pre made film but making glass plates for camera work would certainly be learnable.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I've always been fascinated with DIY films. One day I will give it a try, but until then, I've got a fridge and freezer full of film that I want to get through. But over the years, I have been keeping all my reject 4x5 and 8x10 negatives thinking that I'll strip them for DIY emulsions...