HP5+ development / lesson 1 (newbie)

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Good day people of RFF
i am new to film developing and am going to become a master of it soon 😀 now i am working far from home and while i have time i want to learn as much as possible about film developing and to order all necessary equipment i will need for it when i back home. at the moment i have absolutely no idea about chemicals i will use, i've red a lot of reviews and articles here but now it is all mixed up in my head. to say i am confused is to say nothing. i have ordered HP5+ according to polls here)) It looks like it is one of the favorite here.
So can you please people of RFF kindly advice what is the best technique to develop HP5+ at home (step by step) and what equipment and chemicals i need (model, type, price, eBay link)? i am not looking for cheap compromises, neither looking for $2000 film processor. approx 3-4 rolls a week
ps: i understand that i am not the first who ask such a question so please don't be angry 🙂 just give me a relative topic links.
i will post my first developed roll here for your critique

Thx
Eugene
 
I'd say get Kodak HC-110.(liquid concentrate). everyone who uses it says it is very forgiving to many exposure errors. If you want quick success, with good results.

At rated speed:

I use Kodak Xtol 1:1 (A powder mix for 5L) Affords a high degree of sharpness with good tonal range. But, you will need to tweak the time/agitation/temp for best results..

Kodak D76, (Powder) The Old standby... yields very good results and good sharpness.

Rodinal: (liquid concentrate), another great one. very versatile, delivers great tonal ranges. Popular here with many RF users.

Tools:

Paterson System 4 Developer tank... they come in 2/4/8 reel sizes.... 2 reel is fine for your needs... (only comes with 1 reel, so you need to buy another one.

  • 32oz Beaker,
  • 16oz beaker for stock solution measuring.
  • Child's Hollow spoon measure for measuring 1ml to 5ml of concentrate (Rodinal, 1:25, 1:50, 1:100)
  • Changing bag if you can't get a room 100% dark after being in it for 5min.
  • 3 1 gallon jugs, brown
  • 3 1L jugs for used Stop/Fix/Photo-Flo
  • 1 Thermometer for chem. temp taking. (at least 5" long)
  • 1 Jug large enough for stock developer if you are mixing powder.
  • Android Phone App: "BW film developer" (like the iPhone app called "Master Developer Guide") OR "The Darkroom Timer" (but you build your developer step list and it includes custom agitation intervals)
  • cloth Pins for drying
  • Charcoal water filter add on for your sink tap.
  • Developer
  • Stop Bath
  • Fixer (non harder)
  • Kodak Photo-Flo
  • a few hand towels you don't mind getting ruined by chem stains.
  • COST: Under $150.00
hope this helps...
I was the 1st to reply. but, it so long to type it out, it may be down the page by the time I hit POST.. 😀
 
DNG said:
I'd say get Kodak HC-110.(liquid concentrate). everyone who uses it says it is very forgiving to many exposure errors. If you want quick success, with good results.

At rated speed:

I use Kodak Xtol 1:1 (A powder mix for 5L) Affords a high degree of sharpness with good tonal range. But, you will need to tweak the time/agitation/temp for best results..

Kodak D76, (Powder) The Old standby... yields very good results and good sharpness.

Rodinal: (liquid concentrate), another great one. very versatile, delivers great tonal ranges. Popular here with many RF users.

Tools:

Paterson System 4 Developer tank... they come in 2/4/8 reel sizes.... 2 reel is fine for your needs... (only comes with 1 reel, so you need to buy another one.
  • 32oz Beaker,
  • 16oz beaker for stock solution measuring.
  • Child's Hollow spoon measure for measuring 1ml to 5ml of concentrate (Rodinal, 1:25, 1:50, 1:100)
  • Changing bag if you can't get a room 100% dark after being in it for 5min.
  • 3 1 gallon jugs, brown
  • 3 1L jugs for used Stop/Fix/Photo-Flo
  • 1 Thermometer for chem. temp taking. (at least 5" long)
  • 1 Jug large enough for stock developer if you are mixing powder.
  • Android Phone App: "BW film developer" (like the iPhone app called "Master Developer Guide") OR "The Darkroom Timer" (but you build your developer step list and it includes custom agitation intervals)
  • cloth Pins for drying
  • Charcoal water filter add on for your sink tap.
  • Developer
  • Stop Bath
  • Fixer (non harder)
  • Kodak Photo-Flo
  • a few hand towels you don't mind getting ruined by chem stains.
  • COST: Under $150.00
hope this helps...
I was the 1st to reply. but, it so long to type it out, it may be down the page by the time I hit POST.. 😀
Click to expand...
WOW 😱 This is absolutely very very helpful. Thank you very much. Now i am going to find it all on eBay. $150 is a good price for all equipment 😀
can anybody post also a technique how to mix all these things? i would like to try xtol 1:1. i've already found it for purchase
 
I also use XTOL but I would recommend against it for starting out, if only because the smallest amount of stock solution you can make is 5 liters. For this reason it's a PITA. XTOL is also rather sensitive to dissolved minerals in the water used to make it, so I strongly recommend mixing XTOL with distilled/deionized/demineralized water.

What do I suggest? Ilford ID-11.

ID-11 is pretty much the same as Kodak D-76, which is THE standard film developer, but ID-11 comes in a liquid concentrate which is easier to prepare accurately when you're starting out. I used mainly HP5 and D-76/ID-11 for many years. If that was the only film/dev combination I could ever use again, I'd be happy.

Rodinal is quirky, as it tends to produce relatively large grain. I personally don't like it for fast films like HP5+, so I don't recommend starting with it. And I'm not an HC-110 fan.

HP5+ (or Tri-X) and D-76 (or ID-11) are nearly universal standards, and with good reason.

Start there.
 
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Semilog is right on the money with Xtol... You need absolutely mineral free water. I had to mix a 2nd batch after discovering micro specks on my film... I'm talking way under 1mm size specks.
And I had to get a Charcoal Filter water attachment for my kitchen sink tap...

I think Ilford ID-11 will serve you better to start off anyway.. it won't disappoint you.
 
Semilog, DNG thank you very much, i think i'll try Ilford ID-11. Need to read how to develop.
Any recommendation on good fixer (non harder)?
 
Last edited:
Write out your steps and times on a sheet of paper. When you get down to doing it you are going to forget stuff unless you have it written out.
 
smile said:
Semilog, DNG thank you very much, i think i'll try Ilford ID-11. Need to read how to develop.
Any recommendation on good fixer (non harder)?
Click to expand...

If you are using HP5+ then Ilford's Rapix Fix is fine, as it also comes in liquid concentrate and is therefore easy to mix. Check out Ilford's guide to developing your first film, it's how many of us got started and you'll find it here: http://www.ilfordphoto.com/applications/download.asp?n=386

Cheers,
Rob
 
ibcrewin said:
Write out your steps and times on a sheet of paper. When you get down to doing it you are going to forget stuff unless you have it written out.
Click to expand...

I can absolutely second this. The first time I developed a film - which is not so long ago - I worked myself up into forgetting whether the 'stop' came before or after the 'fix' 🙁

Good luck - you will love the results!

RoyM
 
tapesonthefloor said:
For instance, this guy:

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/download.asp?n=481&f=2006216122447.pdf [pdf]
Click to expand...

You mean the one I have permanently taped to the wall of my laundry room? 😀

It is accompanied by this priceless gem:

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/applications/download.asp?n=430

I keep my developer and water at room temperature and then compensate using the chart. I find it easier than trying to control for exact temperature. This works most of the year except deep winter when the room temperature goes below 18°C in my basement. When I lived in an apartment I often developed at up to 25°C in the summer, but then you have to watch for short development times by going for higher dilution (which can add grain, up to you if you want that).

Regards,
Rob
 
^^ BTW: The Massive Dev Chart is a great resource. As long as you are careful with old versus new film types and use it as a starting point / guideline rather than sticking to it exactly. I, for one, am very happy it exists! (Just like RFF!)
 
thank you all! a lot of useful information here. i've already bought almost all i will need for developing my film

Eugene
 
^Cool, have fun! Remember to put the important rolls aside, and go out and shoot a couple of rolls specifically to learn and practice. When I was getting started I put aside a couple of rolls from recent trips, and instead practiced with crappy photos of the park next to my house. Was I ever glad I did that!
 
robbeiflex said:
^Cool, have fun! Remember to put the important rolls aside, and go out and shoot a couple of rolls specifically to learn and practice. When I was getting started I put aside a couple of rolls from recent trips, and instead practiced with crappy photos of the park next to my house. Was I ever glad I did that!
Click to expand...
i will follow your advice. for the last few months our local lab spoiled 6(!) rolls of my film. so i decided to quit processing there and start doing it at home with BW film
 
DNG said:
  • 3 1 gallon jugs, brown
  • 3 1L jugs for used Stop/Fix/Photo-Flo
  • 1 Jug large enough for stock developer if you are mixing powder.
Click to expand...
what are those brown jugs for?
is it acceptable to store chemicals in plastic bottles from beer?
och.jpg
 
I use 1L seltzer bottles to make my stock solution. I use it up so fast I don't think it has time to go bad. Just make sure you clearly mark it so someone doesn't try drinking it. I use the ilford film rinse method x2 when i'm rinsing out the bottles. 🙂
 
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