Looking to start developing

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kozik

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Hello everyone,

I have been shooting C-41 film up until now but as my stock of B/W C-41 is dwindling down i have decided that I want to start developing my own B/W film.

This is pretty new to me so I am looking to put together a beginning darkroom kit.

Here is what I have been looking at so far:
Arista Darkroom Kit
Ilford Rapid Fixer
Photo Flo
3 1 Liter Bottles
Kodak Stop Bath, Might just use water instead
Kodak Hypo Clear
D-76 Developer

I would be picking up Arista Premium 400 (which is Tri-X 400 to my knowledge) and will probably experiment some with pushing / pulling once I get the hang of developing.

Does this look like a good starting point for a beginner? Also are the chemicals one shot or reusable (particularly the developer)?

I'm interested in any recommendations I can get and hoping to get some advice as well. I have a dark closet I can use to put the film in the tank so I'm not worried about getting a changing bag.
 
Hold off on your list.

First buy a reel -- get the one you think you would want use long term. Heck, get one in stainless steel and one in plastic to see which one you like. Sacrifice one roll of your C41 film.

Close your eyes or blindfold yourself or get inside a room that is in total darkness -- NO PEEKING. Now, pop open (a can opener works great) the roll of film, and load it onto the reel. Then practice, practice, practice. This is the only step that you do in total darkness. Once this becomes second nature, then you can start thinking about other things to buy.
 
What you have listed is perfectly adequate. With the Ilford Rapid Fix you don't even necessarily have to use the Hypo Clear because Rapid Fix is non hardening. The negs therefore wash more quickly. Be aware that if you don't use a stop, your fixer will not last as long as Ilford says.

D76 is a good start and can be used either one shot or reused. I often use D76 like developers 1:3 for one shot. Better one shot options are HC-110 or Rodinal. Have lotsa fun. You've started on a wonderful journey!
 
kxl - thats a great tip, I will definitely practice loading up film before I try to develop any rolls. I had not thought of practicing so you probably saved me a few rolls.

Fawley - how many times can you usually reuse D-76, also what is meant by 1:3, I assume this means the dilution with water?
 
Hy Kozik, I'm not Fawley, but 1:3 does indeed refer to the dilution with water. With D76, first one dissolves the entire packet of powder in hot water. Dilute this solution to the volume listed on the package, and there is your stock solution. It is best to keep stock solution in an accordion bottle, so you can keep the air out, which shortens it's life.

Now take 1 part of the stock solution, and mix it with 3 parts of water to make four parts of the diluted solution. So a pint of D76 stock solution makes a half-gallon of D76 1:3.

Since part of the developer gets used up when you develop a roll of film, the strength of the developer gets more dilute with continued use. While you may get a usable roll out of a second time through, you will need to add more time to the development. This just throws another variable (or two) into the process. Film development requires a consistent process from roll to roll. I very rarely use developer over.
 
Kozik, I'd practice loading those reels with the lights on until you get the hang of it, then try it with the lights out or your eyes closed.

You might find loading the reel is easier if you do use a changing bag on a desk or table. Remember, too, that the closet needs to be totally dark. Go inside and close the door. Wait several minutes for your eyes to adjust. Then, if you can see any bit of light creeping in, it isn't totally dark.
 
Chris - thanks for clarifying that I think I'll start just using 1:3 one shot, even with using it this way I come out way ahead from C-41 so I should be in good shape.

wgerrard - good advice, I'll have to check to see if there's any light coming through, if not I guess I'll pickup a changing bag
 
kozik said:
kxl

Fawley - how many times can you usually reuse D-76, also what is meant by 1:3, I assume this means the dilution with water?
Click to expand...

Its been a long time since I reused D76. Like Chris said, you are better off doing one shot. One thing you have to be careful of if diluting 1:3, is having enough developer quantity. I actually use Ilfords D76 equivalent, ID-11. My tank is 700 ml, so I use 165 ml of developer for 1:3. This gives me 6 rolls per liter of developer. Ilford says the capacity is 10 rolls per liter if you reuse developer. So if you have a small tank, you should use a 1:1 ratio. 1:1 also develops faster.

With respect to fixing it is important not to overfix. Read the Ilford literature. Rapid fix is specifically designed for short fixing times so that films wash more quickly. If you follow Ilfords directions for fixing and washing, your films will still look good when you're an old man.
 
Keep a wary eye once you start looking at dilutions of the chemistry. Very often in photography, 1:3 actually means 1+3 (1 part developer added to 3 parts of water for a total of 4 parts.) If you read in in ratio form it would tell you that 1 out of the 3 parts is developer, which would not give you the correct dilution.

It's a common problem and even people experienced with developing get ruffled about the issue. In any case, enjoy!
 
blackwave said:
Keep a wary eye once you start looking at dilutions of the chemistry. Very often in photography, 1:3 actually means 1+3 (1 part developer added to 3 parts of water for a total of 4 parts.) If you read in in ratio form it would tell you that 1 out of the 3 parts is developer, which would not give you the correct dilution.

It's a common problem and even people experienced with developing get ruffled about the issue. In any case, enjoy!
Click to expand...

I had a bit of confusion about that in the beginning, thanks for helping to clarify.
 
blackwave said:
Keep a wary eye once you start looking at dilutions of the chemistry. Very often in photography, 1:3 actually means 1+3 (1 part developer added to 3 parts of water for a total of 4 parts.) If you read in in ratio form it would tell you that 1 out of the 3 parts is developer, which would not give you the correct dilution.
Click to expand...

Indeed. And also be wary of concentrate vs. stock and working solutions. Some developers come super-concentrated, so you're supposed to mix it once to make a stock solution, and then you dilute it again to make the solution that you actually develop the film with. Make sure you're looking at the right dilutions for the right step of the process.
 
imokruok said:
Indeed. And also be wary of concentrate vs. stock and working solutions. Some developers come super-concentrated, so you're supposed to mix it once to make a stock solution, and then you dilute it again to make the solution that you actually develop the film with. Make sure you're looking at the right dilutions for the right step of the process.
Click to expand...

What I am ordering is powder to mix 1 liter, so I assume the 1 liter that is mixed is the stock and I can further dilute it to 1:1 or 1:3 from there.
 
kxl said:
Close your eyes or blindfold yourself or get inside a room that is in total darkness -- NO PEEKING. Now, pop open (a can opener works great) the roll of film, and load it onto the reel. Then practice, practice, practice.
Click to expand...

Well, practice, practice. It's not that hard, with either plastic or stainless steel reels. I have plastic, use plastic. Steel reels (of adequate quality) are fine, too.
 
Thanks for the feedback everyone, I'll probably order my darkroom set / chemicals / film soon so hopefully by next week I can have some results to post.
 
I'm in the process of putting together darkroom kit and one suggestion I read was to get the Arista "Premium" tank and reels rather than the Arista "Classic" tank and reels that are with the kit you posted above. The reason being that the Premium reels have a big tab on them that you can feel more easily in the dark, which tells you where to start loading the film. The Classic reels don't have that tab. The pics on freestyle clearly show the difference.

I'm sure over time and after loading a lot of rolls the tab becomes a non-issue, but as a beginner it might help. I've practiced loading with the premium reel and for me the tab seems to help.

Interestingly, Freestyle has a Premium kit that costs the same as the classic kit:
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/5054-Arista-Premium-Darkroom-Kit
 
dfatty said:
I'm in the process of putting together darkroom kit and one suggestion I read was to get the Arista "Premium" tank and reels rather than the Arista "Classic" tank and reels that are with the kit you posted above. The reason being that the Premium reels have a big tab on them that you can feel more easily in the dark, which tells you where to start loading the film. The Classic reels don't have that tab. The pics on freestyle clearly show the difference.

I'm sure over time and after loading a lot of rolls the tab becomes a non-issue, but as a beginner it might help. I've practiced loading with the premium reel and for me the tab seems to help.

Interestingly, Freestyle has a Premium kit that costs the same as the classic kit:
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/5054-Arista-Premium-Darkroom-Kit
Click to expand...

Thanks for that tip, I had picked the classic as it came with a thermometer and the premium did not, but if the reels are easier to load then the premium seems worth it.
 
You're welcome and good luck The premium kit does say it includes a thermometer (next to the stirring paddle), although it doesn't seem to be shown in the pic.
 
dfatty said:
You're welcome and good luck The premium kit does say it includes a thermometer (next to the stirring paddle), although it doesn't seem to be shown in the pic.
Click to expand...

Well that pretty much makes it an obvious preference to me, thanks for pointing this out.
 
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