Starting Super8 Home processing... tips to get clean images?

Hello, so I am new to super 8 and want to get into home processing. In a word, I want to eventually get as close to a lab as possible. Is this something realistic?

I know that many of you are going to tell me that home processing isn't viable to get a clean image, thing is, here in Mexico it's the only choice. In terms of digitizing, I do know a guy who does 2k Scans so that's not a problem.

So with that in mind, I want to start by processing my tri-x rolls first and then move on to color when I get better at it. I know there´s no magic formula, but maybe you guys could point me in the general direction of do's and don'ts to get cleaner images. When I say cleaner, I mean finer grain, good tonal range, etc.

I already ordered my lomo tank off eBay, and I've been reading about processing so I know the basics.


Thanks!

Be constant on your temperature, times and agitation procedure.
Except for washing, use distilled water to mix the solutions. For the bleach is mandatory.
Do always a final bath in distilled water, with a few drops (well disolved) of Tetenal Mirasol or a similar wetting agent.
Dry it on a clean place.

Mucha suerte!

I clean my film. Filmrenew is used on a rag between rewinds, slowly, once to wash, once to dry. Or once with a fan real slow to wash AND dry. It also lubricates the film for projection. It is vital to clean the film before scanning. And the darkroom can be as dust free as possible. I'm not that good, but I do wipe down tables and such, and blow off the spirals before developing and that made a big difference.
Michael

Thanks for the replies! Will post some links with the first experiments.

The Lomo tank is a great start....it's what I have for super 8 and regular 8. Ensure the tank is clean, I mean really clean, and dry before you use it. If it is the tank with rubber hoses in/out, ensure they are still water tight and run lots of water through them too. Dry everything thoroughly before use.

For Tri-X, the process isn't too difficult. You can do B&W neg with similar chemicals/times to regular 135 Tri-X if you really want. Reversal processing isn't difficult either....just more lengthy and a little more temperature dependent. E6 colour is certainly temperature dependant and what I have done is float the tank and chemical containers in the kitchen sink at the correct temperature for a while to warm everything up. And add a little hot water as necessary to this "warm water bath" if the temperature drops by more than 1C.

And I have achieved results as good as the pro labs. It is just rather time consuming. The reversal process takes 2.5 times as long as processing a standard B&W negative 135 roll...the drying much longer....but it's fun and certainly doable. E6, process time is about the same to be honest. Note the bleaches used in reversal processing may well be among the most hazardous chemicals that you ever use in your home, depending on what you can get hold of and how much chemistry you do in your kitchen They're highly unlikely to kill you but do note any warnings. Consider wearing disposable gloves, especially if your skin is sensitive to any of the chemicals. Don't use any mixing jugs, cylinders or funnels for food after using the chemicals....don't wash your photo kit in the dish washer (due to the way they tend to recycle water)...and if you wash in the kitchen sink be sure to thoroughly clean it before you wash any dishes in there.

Personally I have never bothered with distilled water but other than some calcium carbonate (hard water) my local supply is very good. Your mileage may well vary in terms of quality of tap water...warmer countries often have far more chlorine than we have in the UK, for example....or might simply be less "clean".

Good to know about the water. I think I will look for distilled water. Mexico has a little bit of a water crisis at the moment and I don't know how clean tap water is.

Also another question, E6 is only for reversal film or negative film too?

Itis some time since I did this. Loading from the cartridge into the tank is very difficult. I made a simple fixture and would the film onto an old 50' reel.

In fact the fixture takes two cartridges as the tank can process two super 8 films together.

I did all this using a large changing bag at one sitting!! As I said it was some time ago.

Picture of the fixture here http://8mmovies.yolasite.com/my-processing-gear.php

I have developed tri-X different ways, made videos showing results, I even stand developed that reversed movie film, d-19 gave box speed, eventually. Videos have specific details. Choose a look and have a go at it!

I do some Super 8 and also 16mm. I actually find Super8 the harder of the two simply because the smaller gauge is more difficult to handle...somewhat like spaghetti. For 16mm I prefer a Morse reel to reel for development. I use a Lomo Professional for Super8. I tried to modify a reel to reel for Super8 with no success. Color reversal should be possible but I send mine out to a lab. Color negative is difficult because of the carbon backing which requires special equipment to remove.

This might be of help:

http://8mmovies.yolasite.com/my-processing-gear.php

David