Simplest developing solution

[removed account4]

Meanwhile, you wouldn't be dumping a film-lab's worth of chemicals on the ground, so the impact would be negligible. Silver does come from the ground.

“ it came from the ground I am just dumping in my it back there the way I was taught” is what an acquaintance told me when I asked what he did with his spent KCn (potassium cyanide) fixer. Kind of a lame thing to say..

 

[MattKing]

As Photo Engineer posted on more than one occasion, most detergents have lots of unwanted things like unwanted added scents in them.
Unfortunately, the small 4 oz. glass bottles of Kodak Photo-flo that would be perfect for George's use are no more, even though they tended to have enough in them to last for years!

 

[George Mann]

Unfortunately, the small 4 oz. glass bottles of Kodak Photo-flo that would be perfect for George's use are no more, even though they tended to have enough in them to last for years!

The current size is not an issue.

 

[Don_ih]

“ it came from the ground I am just outta my it back there the way I was taught” is what an acquaintance told me when I asked what he did with his spent KCn (potassium cyanide) fixer. Kind of a lame thing to say..

Describe the impact of pouring on the ground 200ml of fixer that has been used to fix one roll of film.
Potassium cyanide is quite toxic. But that too probably would not have any discernible impact being poured on the ground. Pour it in someone's well, that might have some impact - if you poured enough of it.
Getting a bottle of fixer shipped to you has a greater impact than either of those.
Growing coffee has a greater impact, as does shipping and roasting it.
It's be pretty ironic expressing your concern for the environment in such a way while driving around a camper van.

 

[MattKing]

Estimated time to soapbox?

Really soon, unless we see a turnaround.
Environmental concerns noted, as are observations about relative impact. The OP has been advised of those concerns.

 

[BrianShaw]

Estimated time to soapbox?

Hello soapbox my old friend

it’s really good to see you agen.

Because a thread started creeping.

 

[BrianShaw]

Some seem to feel an imperative to feed the soapbox!

 

[MattKing]

Perhaps those "some" can refrain!
In an attempt to drag this back to being on topic, I too am space constrained.
I've made some choices that expand my space requirements - use of continuous agitation with a Beseler rotary agitator being one of them - but I too work hard to keep everything required for film development into three moderate sized clear plastic totes. I could squeeze it into two if I dispensed with the agitator.
I re-use my replenished developer, but I could easily use the "15 rolls per liter of X-Tol with increased development" approach.
I use indicator stop bath, but dilute white vinegar would work too.
I re-use rapid fixer to nearer capacity, and impose upon my friends for silver recovery from spent fixer.
I use HCA to reduce water usage, although I use capfuls from the bag (horrors) and use it one shot before discarding.
I mix up a stock solution of Photo-flo using IP alcohol.

 

[BrianShaw]

All of my development stuff fits in half of a moderate-sized plastic tote (mine is clear, also). Only thing that doesn’t are the thee jugs that are the water I use… two 1-gallon and a quart. Clear plastic.

Lliquid development products, shown earlier, one-shot, Ilford wash routine. I use my arms for agitation. Trying to be economical takes up too much space.

At some point, there is a minimum to how small a development kit can be. No matter how space-constrained we might be, I’m assuming that the OP is even more space constrained. And at some point reality has to come into play. This is a really difficult discussion because the constraints remain somewhat unclear. It’s like shooting in the dark, whether that be shooting guns, archery, or craps. There’s only so much living space in a “van” no malter what type of vehicle that might be.

 

[Philippe-Georges]

To my personal opinion, I have the impression that ARS-MAGO from Italy can be a solution to your situation.
They have a monobath film developing kit, and a very handy daylight tank system too.
See the images I found on their website: www.ars-imago.com (I am not affiliated to them, nor am I payed by them).
Freestyle, a Photrio partner, is selling these.

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

To my personal opinion, I have the impression that ARS-MAGO from Italy can be a solution to your situation.
They have a monobath film developing kit

Very interesting! TFS.

I see that their monobath comes in two bottle of 500ml each and not in a single bottle. However, their datasheet says that once mixed, the working solution remains active for two months and can be reused to process 15 rolls. So if OP premixes the working solution at home, he can carry just the working solution in a small bottle and bring back the exhausted solution in the same bottle with him for safe disposal.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

When a working JP I covered Africa, at times I had to develop film in a hotel room. I carried quart kits of Diafine, no issues with time 3+ minutes, A, 3+minutes B, no stop bath, pan thermic, good from 60 to 90 degrees F, rinse then rapid fix, if you use a traditional film 2 minutes, 20 minutes wash or if you have room for clearing agent wash 5 minutes or less depending on the brand. Hard part finding Diafine quart size, still listed but of stock at B&H, maybe new old old stock on ebay. Diafine lasts a very long time, good for up to a year, I've been told by others even longer. So if you have room for 3 quart bottles. Down side, low contrast which is fixed fixed, cannot push or pull to adjust contrast.

Show me to think. A small amount of Rodinal also goes along way.

 

[Craig75]

As Ralph says a bottle of rodinal is small.

Some vinegar or citric acid for stop bath

The only big thing would be the litre of fixer and the 1+4 working solution.

Photoflow is small.

It would be drying film in a small living space that would be my concern - to stop it getting dusty.

 

[Down Under]

The current size is not an issue.

Noted. Also agreed. However, nothing stops the OP in his quest for the most minimalistic minimalism from decanting the smallest available bottle of PhotoFlo into smaller bottles, all of which would easily fit into the shoe box.

I happen to like shoe boxes for many things. In 2013, one of our street-rescued kittens was taken to our local vet to be revived and fixed up - happily, he survived and is now a hale and hearty eight year old spoiled-rotten monster feline - in a shoe box, he had been picked up on the street as a baby and was small enough to easily go into said box. When the vet opened the box to take him out, he was fast asleep on a kitchen dish towel we had put down for him as a mattress.

Just a feline aside. When one lives in as 'minimal' conditions as George, it's a certainty if not a surety (ask me not the difference between the two terms, they may well be one and the same) that whatever doesn't go into the shoe box should be - discarded? In my case, it would be stored elsewhere. The gods in valhalla (or is that nirvana?) did create storage lockers, after all...

A request to George Mann. I (and I'm sure many others) are full of admiration for your quest to live in a camper van. Have you considered writing about your experiences in such conditions? In an age where web sites to do with 'minimalism' or 'Zen lifestyle' are polluted with baby dolls spouting on about how they survive in a living room with only a $20,000 couch, a $5,000 coffee table and a millionaire's on-the-wall TV unit, yours would be such a refreshing narrative, and I for one would greatly enjoy reading about your experiences.

 

[snusmumriken]

Without wishing to be silly, and no disrespect to the OP intended, this whole discussion is founded on the acquisition of a daylight-loading developing tank. I have several times read in books how to process 35mm film in the cassette itself, dispensing with the tank entirely. This would surely be very space-saving. You just need a supply of elastic bands.

Dust-free drying in a van bothered me too. The wetting agent will speed up drying of course. Rolling up each film after drying and storing it in its plastic tub would save the need to carry negative storage sheets, but at the risk of scratches. Maybe a hardening fixer is then a good idea?

 

[pentaxuser]

The answer to the soapbox question is easy: We have all given George as much as he needs by way of info to allow him to decide. Indeed he may have decided already but either way I cannot see there is any more to be said with the object of helping him.

My conclusion would be that all we have to do now is say no more about it. It's that simple. isn't it?

pentaxuser

 

[Donald Qualls]

once mixed, the working solution remains active for two months and can be reused to process 15 rolls.

This makes it essentially the same as Df96, though it might well produce a different H-D curve, grain structure, or "look". Df-96, as sold in liquid form, comes pre-mixed in a bottle that can be used for storage while using it, and then to store the spent monobath after it's used up. The Imago product comes in two smaller bottles, making it sensible for the OP to mix before leaving town so as to carry only the single working solution bottle.

If you're in an environmentally sensitive area (like any desert or wilderness) dumping anything on the ground is a bad idea (and might be against the law). Even your own wastes, dishwater, wash water, etc. should be hauled out from more sensitive areas (though generally you won't be allowed to drive your camper van into places like that). There are parts of the American Southwest where a wad of toilet paper can last more than a century. Fixer poured on that ground will stay within inches of the surface for years (until the next time it rains -- might be next week, might be ten years). In your own lawn or garden, I agree, no harm will be done (unless you process a lot of film). More ordinary woodlands and grasslands can tolerate small amounts about as well as your own yard -- but if you aren't sure, take it with you.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Does rapid fixer have any limitations I need to be aware of?

Then I'm aware of.

 

[cjbecker]

Given i’m not in your shoes, and i’ve always just brought the film home after camping to process. I would probably go down the route of using a developer (stock) and fixer that can be reused over and over, (D76, id11, xtol......) and for fixer tf4. Keep both in 1L bottles. This way you don't have to worry about dumping developer or fixer, use time adjustment for temperature and developer exhaustion, typically +10% for every 2 rolls ish. Use fomaflo which uses 2 drops per roll and comes in dropper size bottles.

 

[George Mann]

A request to George Mann. I (and I'm sure many others) are full of admiration for your quest to live in a camper van. Have you considered writing about your experiences in such conditions? In an age where web sites to do with 'minimalism' or 'Zen lifestyle' are polluted with baby dolls spouting on about how they survive in a living room with only a $20,000 couch, a $5,000 coffee table and a millionaire's on-the-wall TV unit, yours would be such a refreshing narrative, and I for one would greatly enjoy reading about your experiences.

I have lived in mansions much of my life. And as I have alluded to on this forum, I have owned extremely expensive sound systems, so it has been quite a change.

It has been many years since I could afford all the good things in life, so thats really where this downward spiral began.

I could write tons of books on my experiences in this life.

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

This makes it essentially the same as Df96, though it might well produce a different H-D curve, grain structure, or "look".

Interestingly, Bellini also has a similar product. So several monobath options are available to OP. And this Bellini monobath apparently has a shelf-life of six months after opening if stored in full bottle.

 

[Alan9940]

Another option might be the new Parvofin tabs by Tetenal; not cheap, but certainly a pretty easy solution for film development. But, this solution would have to wait for USA dwellers and I haven't found anyone stateside that carries this product. Perhaps, Freestyle will stock it someday?

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Sounds easier just to use xp2 and get it c41 processed in Ops circumstances. I've been in similar situations and that's the optimum solution imo.

Unless you dislike the total rendering of XT2 which I do it's just too soft for me.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I am not familiar with D23, but I will look it up. I am also considering a non-toxic caffenol derivative.

I second the D 23 proposal. Well worth checking into.

 

[removed account4]

I am not familiar with D23, but I will look it up. I am also considering a non-toxic caffenol derivative.

you might consider making the caffenol yourself, 3 ingredients, easily found easily measured easily stored easily used. I'd try it first to make sure you will like the results and it works
with the film you want to use, the type of light and your tank. some of the times posted on the web are starting times so you have to figure out what time works best for you.