Using coffee and vinegar for developing

[lightshot]

I haven't started darkroom work yet, but this really intrigues me.

I was looking up a Purma Special and some pics taken from one, and the guy who took the pics used coffee as a developer and vinegar as a fix. Has anyone on here ever tried this? If so, does it work?

 

[feenej]

Lots of people 'round here have tried coffee with good results, but with normal fixer.

 

[lawrence]

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29780

http://www.flickr.com/groups/diybw/discuss/72157611047259873/

http://photojojo.com/content/tutorials/coffee-caffenol-film-developing/

 

[ZeissFan]

I would definitely use this with some test shots rather than anything that you would consider important. Not that it doesn't work -- only that it takes time to get a feel for developing when using new chemicals.

 

[Muggins]

Sod the coffee... go for the Purma Special! One of the maddest cameras, and one of the best examples of British resourcefulness in the face of not being able to afford to build a Leica, about.

It's worth a roll just for its insaneness. Go on, go on, go on, go on.....

Adrian

 

[David William White]

Need to add something alkaline to the coffee, like washing soda.
Swap urine for vinegar and you've got it.

 

[oftheherd]

Doing a forum search for "coffee developer" gave the following along with others:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36321&highlight=coffee+developer

http://www.digitaltruth.com/data/caffenol.php

http://shardsofphotography.blogspot.com/2007/03/developing-film-in-coffee-1-roll-of_03.html

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16987&highlight=coffee+developer

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14031&highlight=coffee+developer - which will lead you to:

http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/VitC/vitc.html

I have been wanting to experiment with cafenol for years but just never get around to it. Show some examples if you do try it. RFF forum member RML, who started one of the threads above, used it quite a bit as I recall.

 

[Muggins]

Actually, thinking back, the first time my young lady read about caffenol (over my shoulder, on RFF) her comment was "That would be worth a go...!". Now I just need to sort the darkroom...

Adrian

 

[batterytypehah!]

What the others said. Another good intro is here:
http://www.frugalphotographer.com/info-formulary-coffeedeveloper.htm

Vinegar for fixer must be an error. You can use it for a stop bath, though. Plain water is fine if you're not reusing your fixer.

 

[Benjamin Marks]

Don't think vinegar would work as a fixer. It is typically used as a stop bath. I dilute 1:1, when I am using it that way. In order for something to work as a fixer, it must make water soluble, undeveloped silver salts so that they may be washed out of an emulsion. Don't think simply using vinegar (dilute acetic acid) is going to get you there.

Ben Marks

 

[oftheherd]

Thanks batterytypehah! and Benjamin Marks for pointing that out. I was so busy looking at the posts I mentioned, I ignored the soft warning bell in my head. I have heard of sea water being used for that but I don't know how its done or how effective it might be.

 

[batterytypehah!]

I have heard of sea water being used for that but I don't know how its done or how effective it might be.

Explained somewhere on the page I linked above. Apparently a myth, or only practical if you're out at sea with an unlimited supply. The Navy did, to conserve drinking water, but I suppose they didn't have to worry about archiving the negatives for long.

Frugal Photographer recommends sourcing sodium thiosulfate from pool supply places. I haven't been able to find it any other place than photo stores. I tried several pool and aquarium suppliers in my area.

 

[David William White]

I think sea water was reportedly used as a final rinse, to clear the fixer (i.e. hypo clear), and not for fixing per se.

 

[Sparrow]

3 double espressos
2tbl spoons washing soda
500ml hot water

stop with gaggia espresso-machine de-scalier

fixed with fixer (couldn't find anything else)

 

[Sparrow]

I think sea water was reportedly used as a final rinse, to clear the fixer (i.e. hypo clear), and not for fixing per se.

I read somewhere about sea water as a fixer, but I can't see how it would work

 

[David William White]

3 double espressos
2tbl spoons washing soda
500ml hot water

stop with gaggia espresso-machine de-scalier

fixed with fixer (couldn't find anything else)

Seriously? This is fantastic!

 

[ampguy]

here is some hybrid developing, coffee, with a bit of d76, water stop, standard fixer (non rapid), hand scanned. no photoshop or cropping.

here

 

[drewbarb]

I'll just chime in to repeat that vinegar doesn't work as fix, but rather as stop bath. I use distilled white vinegar which is very cheap at the grocery store, non-toxic, and has lots of other uses in cleaning and cooking. Dilute it and use it as stop bath for film and paper- but you still definitely need a real fixing agent.

 

[Sparrow]

yep, but beware it's very variable, PM Keith he has more experience than me

ps I'm not sure why flickr is putting that in the corner

 

[Sparrow]

pps, sorry but that's an f3 and a 105 not an RF