Developing my first roll!

[tevo]

Day 38: February 10, 2013 by theofficialtevo, on Flickr

 

[bsinmich]

It is very common for people to have a clear roll of 35mm film. The film does not get caught on the wind spool and therefore does not ever go through the camera. If you have a rewind crank you can see it turn when film is winding. The auto wind and rewind miss that. If that is really a D76 clone you should try mixing it 1:1 with water. That will give more manageable time control and agitation. a rinse with water will work. Plain distilled vinegar with about 1/2 oz. to 15 1/2 oz of water will work as a stop solution for 1 minute, rinse and then fixer for 10 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of wash in water. Fixing time should be double the time it takes for the film to clear. Use a small end piece to try this.

 

[Compaq]

Just be sure to fix sufficiently! Here's a tip I learned from a friend:

When you pour fixer into the tank, be sure to pour a little bit of fixer into a small cup. In this cup, you put a small part of the film leader. You can cut this film leader part off when you get the film onto the spool. When you have poured fixer in the small cup with the film leader, observe how long it takes for the leader part to completely clear. Note the time, and double it - that's the approximate time required to sufficiently fix your film (with a little room). This way, you can observe with your eyes when your fixer solution is getting old. It's nothing more than a rule of thumb, though, but it works great. I look back on my negatives from before I started doing this, and see definite foggyness on them, they're not sufficiently fixed.

 

[bsinmich]

I must have the fixing of negatives down pretty good. I took about 80% of the pictures in my HS yearbook for my last 2 years of HS. They are still good and I graduated in '56. I pulled some out to print for the last reunion and they were very good yet. We have a reunion every year since we were a small school.

 

[tevo]

Just be sure to fix sufficiently! Here's a tip I learned from a friend:

When you pour fixer into the tank, be sure to pour a little bit of fixer into a small cup. In this cup, you put a small part of the film leader. You can cut this film leader part off when you get the film onto the spool. When you have poured fixer in the small cup with the film leader, observe how long it takes for the leader part to completely clear. Note the time, and double it - that's the approximate time required to sufficiently fix your film (with a little room). This way, you can observe with your eyes when your fixer solution is getting old. It's nothing more than a rule of thumb, though, but it works great. I look back on my negatives from before I started doing this, and see definite foggyness on them, they're not sufficiently fixed.

Great tip! Thanks much. Any method for testing developer?

 

[Compaq]

Maybe one can measure the reduction potential in the solution or something, with proper potensiometric equipment, and consult table values... but I don't really know. Testing on a roll you don't care about might be the best way.

 

[dxqcanada]

Great tip! Thanks much. Any method for testing developer?

Hmm, are you mixing one-shot developer and then dumping ... or you make a large working solution then dump as you go ... or large working solution and replenishing ?

 

[tevo]

Hmm, are you mixing one-shot developer and then dumping ... or you make a large working solution then dump as you go ... or large working solution and replenishing ?

I've only developed one roll and I just disposed of all the chemicals I used since I was afraid of pouring them back into their respective containers

 

[dxqcanada]

I do one-shot developer (mix and dump), and keep Stop Bath and Fix.

If you use Indicator Stop Bath, then you can tell by the colour.
With the Fixer, keep a running tab of how many rolls (35 and 120), then you will get a general idea of when it may be exhausted (the manufacture data sheet will have numbers of rolls you can do).

Undiluted chemicals in the bottles will last a long time if you compress the air out of.

 

[tevo]

I do one-shot developer (mix and dump), and keep Stop Bath and Fix.

If you use Indicator Stop Bath, then you can tell by the colour.
With the Fixer, keep a running tab of how many rolls (35 and 120), then you will get a general idea of when it may be exhausted (the manufacture data sheet will have numbers of rolls you can do).

Undiluted chemicals in the bottles will last a long time if you compress the air out of.

I use water as a stop bath, so that's no problem. So I think I can save fixer and use Compaq's rule of thumb with that, and just dump developer and buy new when needed. What about the HCA / Photo Flo?

 

[dxqcanada]

Hmm, I don't use hypo.

Photoflo ... use a small cap-full. The stuff lasts for decades.

 

[Josh66]

How would I compensate fixing times if I use water instead?

Your times won't necessarily change, but your fixer will last much longer if you use stop bath. I usually get around 60 rolls out of a gallon of fixer (using stop bath). That figure was about 40% less when I was shooting a lot of Efke film (you can't use stop bath with Efke - just water).


Stop bath is insanely cheap - there's really no reason not to use it. A bottle of Kodak Indicator Stop Bath is like $6 ... I've been working out of one bottle for like 2 years now... It turns purple when it's spent. I mix up a liter at a time.

If you do the math, stop bath is actually cheaper than water. That one bottle will make about 30 liters of stop bath. You get like 50 rolls per liter...

 

[Josh66]

I do one-shot developer (mix and dump), and keep Stop Bath and Fix.

If you use Indicator Stop Bath, then you can tell by the colour.
With the Fixer, keep a running tab of how many rolls (35 and 120), then you will get a general idea of when it may be exhausted (the manufacture data sheet will have numbers of rolls you can do).

Undiluted chemicals in the bottles will last a long time if you compress the air out of.

I use water as a stop bath, so that's no problem. So I think I can save fixer and use Compaq's rule of thumb with that, and just dump developer and buy new when needed. What about the HCA / Photo Flo?

Yeah - I count my rolls with fixer. I just put some masking tape on the bottle a make a mark for every roll I fix. I try to always have a fresh bottle of anything that I have mixed in case I have to make a new batch - but when my fixer gets up to about 30 rolls - I make sure I have a spare bottle of fixer, just in case. When it hits 50 rolls, I test it before using each time. If in doubt, I make a new batch.

35mm (36 exposure) and 120 are both the same area, so count either of them as 1 roll. 220 would be 2 rolls. If you wanted to get really picky, you could count 24 exposure (35mm) rolls as 2/3 of a roll (I do count them as 2/3 of a roll for C-41, but I don't get that picky for B&W...).

 

[StoneNYC]

Hmm, I don't use hypo.

Photoflo ... use a small cap-full. The stuff lasts for decades.

Everyone uses hypo... Hypo is Fixer...

Hypo Clear is what you probably mean...


~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tevo]

Hmm, I don't use hypo.

Photoflo ... use a small cap-full. The stuff lasts for decades.

Everyone uses hypo... Hypo is Fixer...

Hypo Clear is what you probably mean...


~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

HCA = Hypo Clearing Agent

..is what I meant.