Home developing first results

[christopher walrath]

These are from a roll of APX 400 that I developed this morning.

Adonal 1+25 ,11.5 min, 20°

View attachment 93295 View attachment 93296 View attachment 93297 View attachment 93298 View attachment 93299

I pre-washed the film with distilled water at 20°, inverting and tapping.

Development was with initial agitation, inversion and tapping, then I turned and twisted the tank in my hands for the rest of the time. The developer was diluted in distilled water.

No stop bath was used but instead I used distilled water at 20° for approx 2 minutes, again with inversion and tapping.

I fixed for nearly 5 minutes in total with Adofix 1+9 at 20° diluted in distilled water.

Then I rinsed the film by filling the tank three times with distilled water at 20°, inverting 5 times on the first rinse, 10 times on the second rinse and 20 times on the third rinse.

Finally I used a watering agent (Adoflo) at 1+400 in distilled water at 20° before hanging the film to dry.


This is the first time I have developed my own film and would appreciate any comments and tips.

I would say you have a sound routine. Just make sure you can repeat it precisely and you get consistent results and can easily identify the cause of any problems that might arise. I read you were having trouble loading film onto the tank spools. I loaded a roll myself this evening. And still had trouble, always will with 135 roll film. But I muddled through. The key is repetition. Repetition is the key to insanity. Repetition is the key to insanity. Repetition is the key to insanity. Repetition is the key to insanity. Repetition is the key to insanity. Repetition is the key to insanity. Repetition is the key to insanity.

The prints (neg scans) look good. And I bet it felt great to see such a beautiful thing, your own creation.

 

[christopher walrath]

I never saw a development difference between using a prewash or not prewashing. I think you need to wash the film better than three tanks fulls. Something like three to five minutes in running water (the tank under the faucet). Careful with the agitation.

That's the Ilford 5-10-20 method and, believe it or not, it works great. I thought as you did and was skeptical at first but it sure saves a lot of time and water.

You fill the tank with water. Invert five times. Dump it. Fill. Invert ten times. Dump it. Fill. Invert 20 times. Dump it. Then follow with wetting agent for a minute and then hang her up.

 

[limr]

I use a trick for loading film onto the plastic Patterson reels. Works for 35mm and 120. Before loading the film, cut a tiny bit off the corners of the side you'll be leading into the reels first. Sometimes the sharp corners of the film get caught or something, especially at the start when you're trying to feed it through the bearings, but snipping the edges helps prevent that. Not 100 percent - every once in a while, you'll still get one stubborn bastard that just won't cooperate, but they just won't be as often

 

[Rick58]

'Well, for what it's worth, my workflow consists of...
No pre-wash
Always use Stop
and I always use HCA to cut down on my wash times

The pre-wash / no wash....stop / no stop topic (and you can throw wetting agent in there too) has always been a coin toss debate, but the main thing you should have pulled out of all of this is the final wash. Improperly washed negs will look fine...for a while. But if you're interested in producing a archival negative, you have to be certain all the hypo is out of the film.
Simply producing a negative to last long enough to throw on a scanner and then tossed, washing isn't so critical. MUCH more so if you want them to last for generations.

oh, and I also always use a wetting agent

Just me and the way I was taught a long, long time ago

Edit: Put weight into Leonore's tip on clipping the corners on your film. It's definitely good advice and I don't know if it was mentioned, but also make sure your reel is perfectly dry between rolls. A wet reel can really ruin your night in the darkroom.

 

[PWhite214]

A few things I learned.

Loading Patterson, or similar reels. Nearly all of my Patterson reels are adjustable for 35mm, 127 and 120/200 film. Double check that the reels are correct for the film to be developed. Then arrange reels, tank. center tube, lid, film and opener in the changing bag, or on the darkroom table. In the darkroom, I put the reels, tank and lid in a cardboard box, helps to find all the pieces. The rolls of film go in my pocket.

To help start the film, I made guides from heavy paper.

Starting 35mm is not so difficult, but 120/220 I tend to bend the film too much. The flat guide makes it much easier for me. Once everything is arranged, wash hands. Get rid of dirt, perspiration and skin oil. Load the reel(s), remember the center tube, put in the tank and seal the lid.

Processing

Before loading the film, I prepare all the chemicals. Stock developer is diluted to the desired working solution. All chemicals gat placed in the sink, water and ice added to make the waterbath approx 65 Deg F. The temperature probe is in the developer, Stir the mixture occasionally to get an accurate temperature, when the developer is
68 Deg +/- 1 deg start developing. Rinse the thermometer probe and put in in the fixer. When the film is fixed, I use the Ilford wash method, then Photo Flo, I hand the film in the shower after running the shower hot, to settle any dust. Once dry cut and put into negative pages.

I hope this helps someone.

Phil

 

[terri]

Congrats, Fred!! Sounds like you had tons of fun, and that's what it's all about.

I only noticed that the images were a bit grainy, and would agree with the others that reducing your agitation will solve that. Generally, agitating for the first 30 seconds or so, followed by 4-5 agitations every minute afterwards will suffice. After agitation, tap the tank sharply to release any bubbles that may have formed on the film, and just let it stand for the next minute.

You're hearing from a bunch of us who have arrived at their own style, and you'll do the same, based on your satisfaction with the results you get. Grain isn't always just a result of over-agitation; faster films (400 ISO and up) will also show more grain. You'll learn what process gets you the results YOU want, just by simple practice with various film speeds.

Oh, and I never use an acid stop, and have followed Ilford's 5/10/20 (with an extra 20!) routine for several years. They wouldn't put it out there if it hadn't been tested. Saves time and water.
Be sure to post a picture of yourself with your new badge, okay?

 

[Fred Berg]

These are from a roll of APX 400 that I developed this morning.

Adonal 1+25 ,11.5 min, 20°

View attachment 93295 View attachment 93296 View attachment 93297 View attachment 93298 View attachment 93299

I pre-washed the film with distilled water at 20°, inverting and tapping.

Development was with initial agitation, inversion and tapping, then I turned and twisted the tank in my hands for the rest of the time. The developer was diluted in distilled water.

No stop bath was used but instead I used distilled water at 20° for approx 2 minutes, again with inversion and tapping.

I fixed for nearly 5 minutes in total with Adofix 1+9 at 20° diluted in distilled water.

Then I rinsed the film by filling the tank three times with distilled water at 20°, inverting 5 times on the first rinse, 10 times on the second rinse and 20 times on the third rinse.

Finally I used a watering agent (Adoflo) at 1+400 in distilled water at 20° before hanging the film to dry.


This is the first time I have developed my own film and would appreciate any comments and tips.

I would say you have a sound routine. Just make sure you can repeat it precisely and you get consistent results and can easily identify the cause of any problems that might arise. I read you were having trouble loading film onto the tank spools. I loaded a roll myself this evening. And still had trouble, always will with 135 roll film. But I muddled through. The key is repetition. Repetition is the key to insanity. Repetition is the key to insanity. Repetition is the key to insanity. Repetition is the key to insanity. Repetition is the key to insanity. Repetition is the key to insanity. Repetition is the key to insanity.

The prints (neg scans) look good. And I bet it felt great to see such a beautiful thing, your own creation.

Thanks, Christopher. I'm very pleased with the results and will keep to this routine for now, or at least until I'm confident enough to be able to experiment a bit.

I use a trick for loading film onto the plastic Patterson reels. Works for 35mm and 120. Before loading the film, cut a tiny bit off the corners of the side you'll be leading into the reels first. Sometimes the sharp corners of the film get caught or something, especially at the start when you're trying to feed it through the bearings, but snipping the edges helps prevent that. Not 100 percent - every once in a while, you'll still get one stubborn bastard that just won't cooperate, but they just won't be as often

I'll definitely try this with the next film.

'Well, for what it's worth, my workflow consists of...
No pre-wash
Always use Stop
and I always use HCA to cut down on my wash times

The pre-wash / no wash....stop / no stop topic (and you can throw wetting agent in there too) has always been a coin toss debate, but the main thing you should have pulled out of all of this is the final wash. Improperly washed negs will look fine...for a while. But if you're interested in producing a archival negative, you have to be certain all the hypo is out of the film.
Simply producing a negative to last long enough to throw on a scanner and then tossed, washing isn't so critical. MUCH more so if you want them to last for generations.

oh, and I also always use a wetting agent

Just me and the way I was taught a long, long time ago

Edit: Put weight into Leonore's tip on clipping the corners on your film. It's definitely good advice and I don't know if it was mentioned, but also make sure your reel is perfectly dry between rolls. A wet reel can really ruin your night in the darkroom.

Thanks, Rick. I'll be sure to check that everything is bone dry before starting.

A few things I learned.

Loading Patterson, or similar reels. Nearly all of my Patterson reels are adjustable for 35mm, 127 and 120/200 film. Double check that the reels are correct for the film to be developed. Then arrange reels, tank. center tube, lid, film and opener in the changing bag, or on the darkroom table. In the darkroom, I put the reels, tank and lid in a cardboard box, helps to find all the pieces. The rolls of film go in my pocket.

To help start the film, I made guides from heavy paper.
View attachment 93406

Starting 35mm is not so difficult, but 120/220 I tend to bend the film too much. The flat guide makes it much easier for me. Once everything is arranged, wash hands. Get rid of dirt, perspiration and skin oil. Load the reel(s), remember the center tube, put in the tank and seal the lid.

Processing

Before loading the film, I prepare all the chemicals. Stock developer is diluted to the desired working solution. All chemicals gat placed in the sink, water and ice added to make the waterbath approx 65 Deg F. The temperature probe is in the developer, Stir the mixture occasionally to get an accurate temperature, when the developer is
68 Deg +/- 1 deg start developing. Rinse the thermometer probe and put in in the fixer. When the film is fixed, I use the Ilford wash method, then Photo Flo, I hand the film in the shower after running the shower hot, to settle any dust. Once dry cut and put into negative pages.

I hope this helps someone.

Phil

Thanks, Phil. The home-made loading guide looks interesting, I might give that a try. I didn't mix the chemicals beforehand this time and found myself struggling to do two things at once. In future, it will all be mixed and ready to use before getting started!

Congrats, Fred!! Sounds like you had tons of fun, and that's what it's all about.

I only noticed that the images were a bit grainy, and would agree with the others that reducing your agitation will solve that. Generally, agitating for the first 30 seconds or so, followed by 4-5 agitations every minute afterwards will suffice. After agitation, tap the tank sharply to release any bubbles that may have formed on the film, and just let it stand for the next minute.

You're hearing from a bunch of us who have arrived at their own style, and you'll do the same, based on your satisfaction with the results you get. Grain isn't always just a result of over-agitation; faster films (400 ISO and up) will also show more grain. You'll learn what process gets you the results YOU want, just by simple practice with various film speeds.

Oh, and I never use an acid stop, and have followed Ilford's 5/10/20 (with an extra 20!) routine for several years. They wouldn't put it out there if it hadn't been tested. Saves time and water.
Be sure to post a picture of yourself with your new badge, okay?

Thanks, Terri. Once I'm a bit used to doing this, I'll play around with the agitation and see what kind of results I get. I think I'll stick with the Ilford way of washing, perhaps adding an extra fill as both you Leo suggest. A photo of old-school 'tog and his badge will be posted....

 

[Fred Berg]

I never saw a development difference between using a prewash or not prewashing. I think you need to wash the film better than three tanks fulls. Something like three to five minutes in running water (the tank under the faucet). Careful with the agitation.

That's the Ilford 5-10-20 method and, believe it or not, it works great. I thought as you did and was skeptical at first but it sure saves a lot of time and water.

You fill the tank with water. Invert five times. Dump it. Fill. Invert ten times. Dump it. Fill. Invert 20 times. Dump it. Then follow with wetting agent for a minute and then hang her up.

Having read all the replies, I think I'll keep to this way of doing it, at least until I've grown in confidence. Only time will tell about the quality of the negatives, so I'll attach info about how the film was washed when the negs are filed.

 

[Fred Berg]

Im pretty sure my wife would kill me if I turned our bathroom into a dark room. Well, mostly having an enlarger in there. Plus she would complain about me putting everything away when I am done. She complains about a sheet of glass I use to recover my instant film negatives that's probably 12"x10" hahahahaha

Oh, I hear you! I have to do this when my wife is out and I need to be sure that there's no shred of evidence remaining when she comes home

Good job of developing your film and nice photos!

Ahhhh! To stop bath or not to stop bath, that is the question ...

Here are some excerpts from The Darkroom Cookbook, Third Edition (2008) by Steve Anchell which you might like. These excerpts concern reasons for not using an acid stop bath. On the other hand Steve also gives advice in the book on how to use acid stop baths if you still prefer to use them and gives some recommendations and/or formulas for some.

*******************************************************************************************************************
Whether or not to use an acid stop bath or a plain running-water bath has been a longstanding controversy among photographers. There are two reasons cited for using an acid stop bath. First, it arrests development in the shortest possible time. The second is, “That’s the way I was taught.”

Even so, the disadvantages to using acid stop bath are:

● When sodium carbonate, one of the most commonly used alkali in film developers, comes into contact with acid, carbon dioxide gas is released which can cause blistering in the emulsion of both film and paper. The problem is more critical in film where it is appears as a pinhole, usually in dense areas of silver deposits such as the sky. …

● The fumes which emanate from acetic acid stop baths are perhaps the single greatest health hazard in the darkroom. Over time, these fumes can cause damage to the delicate membrane of the sinuses, resulting in respiratory problems. …

While a running water bath will not stop development as rapidly as an acid stop bath, it will slow it down to the point that the amount of residual development is insignificant.
*******************************************************************************************************************

Thank a lot, compur, the info is very interesting and useful.

 

[gsgary]

I start the loading on the real before it goes in the changing bag with 35mm because you have plenty at the start of the film that has already been exposed while loading

 

[Gary A.]

I start the loading on the real before it goes in the changing bag with 35mm because you have plenty at the start of the film that has already been exposed while loading

How do you retrieve the leader?

 

[gsgary]

I start the loading on the real before it goes in the changing bag with 35mm because you have plenty at the start of the film that has already been exposed while loading

How do you retrieve the leader?

I dont fully rewind

 

[480sparky]

I start the loading on the real before it goes in the changing bag with 35mm because you have plenty at the start of the film that has already been exposed while loading

How do you retrieve the leader?

Or use a leader retriever.

 

[Gary A.]

On my next batch of film with will try the Ilford 5-10-20. As for agitation, I invert a couple of times at the start of development and then maybe once or twice over the full development. I sorta expose for this agitation methodology. It works for me. But this is on the extreme end of agitation which why I suggested to reduce your agitation over time.

 

[Gary A.]

I start the loading on the real before it goes in the changing bag with 35mm because you have plenty at the start of the film that has already been exposed while loading

How do you retrieve the leader?

I dont fully rewind

I used motors so not an option for me.