Agreed, it's a rather daunting task, especially the chemical aspect. Finding a decent pro lab in SA at the moment is proving hard and whilst I still shoot film commercially, I can no longer rely on others to mess up the film, at least I can blame myself if I mess it up.
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Welcome from Northern Virginia, near Washington DC. Making good b/w negs is the most important part and needs minimal equipment, minimal chemicals. Welcome to the wild world of apug.