Again...ready to develop my own

[dave lackey]

It has been a long time since I decided to develop my own film and I actually was able to do that at Serenbe in the summer but have been somewhat pre-occupied ever since. I must do this as I cannot afford an M9/M-E and film is barely affordable alone. I need to process my own film.

So, here is the meager equipment I have personally to eventually use at home:

Supplies

1- Measuring Cup
2- Kodak Thermometer
3- 1 small dark jug labelled “HYPO” – Clearing Agent
4- 1 small dark jug labeled “DEV”
5- 1 gallon dark jug – KodaFixer
6- 1 gallon dark jug – Developer
7- 1 gallon dark jug – Stop
8- 1 small plastic tank w/ 2 reels (black with red top)
9- 1 large Paterson System 4 plastic tank w/ 2 plastic reels
10- A spare bathroom with one window that can be blacked out when needed.

So, what else do I need to pick up at Wing's this week?😕

I would like a rolling table/cart to keep things in and can push the cart into a closet when I don't need it...any ideas?

 

[v_roma]

Dave,

Since I am about to do the same (first time for me, though), I have my list handy. Comparing yours to mine, the only things I do not see are probably not critical and, more importantly, can mostly be replaced with household items. For what it's worth:

- Clips for drying
- Funnels
- Beer bottle opener
- Scissors
- Timer
- Mixing utensils

EDIT: For the rolling cart, I don't have any specific suggestions of what you could use but you could check craigslist for your area.

 

[lynnb]

What about a dark bag? I find a bag a lot easier than trying to load film into the reels in a dark room or wardrobe!

 

[philipus]

Syringe for very small dilutions?

Is it necessary to have several measuring cups (risk of contamination using one for several fluids)? I've seen different info abou this.

Cheers
Philip

 

[zauhar]

Flashlight
Scissors
Bottle opener
Clips for hanging film to dry

Randy

I see that Roma already included these, sorry

 

[alienmeatsack]

I've been doing B/W and Color at home myself for a few months and it's pretty easy.

- I agree a changing bag is important. Make sure to get small sharp non-pointed scissors. You don't want to accidentally cut or poke a hole in that changing bag when using them inside of it.

- I also highly recommend having a extra set of reels handy. It's much easier to dry the Paterson tank and parts to reuse, but drying the reels is a different story. When I am doing more then 2 rolls of 35 or several rolls of 120, I rinse, tap out and hang the wet reels up to dry, then grab the next one that's dry and use it for the next film. Also, these reels do sometimes fail in the ball bearing area and having extras is a good thing for that reason too.

Measuring cups - I use glass beakers personally for most of my measuring. They rinse well between solutions and thus far I've not had any issues with cross contamination. I have broken 2 of them tapping them in the sink on accident however. If you are going to be extra careful and have room to store it all, having one for each solution isn't super expensive and isn't a bad idea.

Drying Clips - Make sure that your weighted end clips are plenty heavy. I added extra weight to mine for older film that tends to curl when drying and it helps.

Opening cassettes - Take a spare cassette with you to the store and try the bottle openers before buying. I've found that some work great, some don't. The trick is to find one with a thin edge to catch on the film cassette's lid lip.

Clearing agent - Dispensing this (since it's a few drops) is very easy if you use a dropper or old eye drops bottle. I use an old Visine bottle I washed out well for the non-diluted solution. It's small and I can put one in each of my kits (color and B/W) out of the way. Then I can store the main Photoflo or similar bottle elsewhere.

Paper towels - I got through a lot of these during the process of developing film. I buy the ones that can be ripped into smaller pieces and then dab up leaks and wipe off things as I go.

Rubber/latex/vinyl gloves - I have some OCD so I use these for cooking, cleaning, working in the garage, etc. They are also very handy (no pun intended) for developing. No solution gets on your hands, you don't touch film with greasy/oily/sweaty hands, and when done take them off and your hands are clean. I wash my hands after (sweat) and I'm done. I also like to wad up the paper towels I used for that session and hold them in my hand and pull the glove off over them so the chemicals are contained on the papertowels inside of the gloves. Keeps my dog or any critter from eating the papertowels in the trash with this stuff on them.

 

[zauhar]

Regarding dry reels - I put wet reels in a shoe box with a hole in the top, to accommodate a hair dryer. Setting the dryer on low heat dries the reels out in twenty minutes or so, and they do not get too hot.

If you use photoflo, get an old toothbrush to scrub the reels while rinsing, and be sure to clean the little ball bearings that ratchet the film. There has been contentious argument about the necessity of this, but I have been convinced that photoflo does leave a residue behind that can gum up the reels.

Randy

 

[philipus]

If you use photoflo, get an old toothbrush to scrub the reels while rinsing, and be sure to clean the little ball bearings that ratchet the film. There has been contentious argument about the necessity of this, but I have been convinced that photoflo does leave a residue behind that can gum up the reels.

Randy

(This may be evident for those who are more experienced than I am but) Is it necessary to use a toothbrush also for stainless steel reels?

 

[burancap]

Thermometer: You mentioned, but I bought one of those "pokey" cooking style ones at the local Publix -incredibly accurate and instantaneous! I'll get the make.

Ice: We live at the same latitude, use it for lowering/stabilizing the water temp during the coming heat, and to cool your cocktail.

Agree with mention of a changing bag.

 

[zauhar]

(This may be evident for those who are more experienced than I am but) Is it necessary to use a toothbrush also for stainless steel reels?

From what I have gathered, this issue only has to do with plastic. The steel ones are easy to clean, and more to the point do not have the ratcheting mechanism to load the film.

Randy

 

[notraces]

Why not refer to this document from Ilford?

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/aboutus/download.asp?n=386

 

[ruby.monkey]

Syringe for very small dilutions?

Is it necessary to have several measuring cups (risk of contamination using one for several fluids)? I've seen different info abou this.

Cheers
Philip

eBay is great for disposable syringes (sealed but out-of-date). I buy them in sizes from 5ml up to 30ml to cover all my developer-measuring needs, and just bin 'em once they get too manky.

 

[whitecat]

If you can afford them, get the Kinderman reels. Night and day for loading film and I have been developing for 40 years. A good thermometer is second.

 

[dave lackey]

Thermometer: You mentioned, but I bought one of those "pokey" cooking style ones at the local Publix -incredibly accurate and instantaneous! I'll get the make.

Ice: We live at the same latitude, use it for lowering/stabilizing the water temp during the coming heat, and to cool your cocktail.

Agree with mention of a changing bag.

Wow, good stuff here!

Wings has the bags in large and small...

Jeff, what make is that thermometer? Publix is only a block from the house here.