Beginner's Question on Chemicals

[pepeguitarra]

I am buying my first chemicals to start developing my B&W film. So far, I have in my list:
1) Kodak D-76 Black & White Film Developer, Powder to Make 1 Gallon.

2) Kodak Fixer Black & White Film and Paper, Powder to Make 1-Gallon.

3) What do I need to buy to stop the developing?

4) What is the other product that is put at the end after fixing it, to remove the water and ensure no dry water spots stay on the film?

Is that all in terms of chemicals? Is this the easiest way for a beginner?

Thanks,

 

[Ong]

Basically for the stop bath regular tap water or distilled water will suffice and will stop the developer and fixer reactions.

The other thing you're after would be Photoflo which helps with removing water spots.

Sounds about it, don't forget the change bag and developing reels/tanks and have fun!

 

[nikon_sam]

Try to be consistent when developing...a timer and thermometer are good tools too...
Keep notes on your developing times, alter if the results aren't suiting you...once you have a set time, temp, agitation schedule, rinse time, fix time stick to it...

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Developer and fixer are the basic chemicals you need to develop film. Some people use a stop bath to neutralise the developer and to prolong the life of their fixer solution. You can also use a water rinse to stop development, prior to fixing, many people also use this approach. Which you prefer is, to some extent, a personal preference, as either approach can be entirely satisfactory. Speaking only for myself, I used to use a stop solution (Ilfostop from Ilford) prior to fixing. I got out of the habit a few years ago, when I was making a real effort to reduce dust or other contaminants on my films and save time later when scanning them. I noticed, one day that there was a lot of particulate matter in my stop solution. I could have filtered this out, of course. But I began using a water rinse instead. Even where I live in the bush, in rural Tasmania, water is cheap enough that I allay any concerns against using water rinse instead of stop (Eg. increased carry over of active developer agents into fix bath, with consequent reduction in fixer working life; inadequate cessation of all developing activity, compared to stop solution) simply by inverting the tank for thirty seconds, discarding the first water rinse, and repeating this once more. Some people may argue this is unnecessary, but I do like to be thorough, and I have to say I have personally not been able to notice any difference between films I previously used stop solution with, versus later ones I've water rinsed. Fixer longevity is unchanged. The above is simply my own perspective on the topic, other members will certainly have other points of view, with equal validity.

Re: Question 4, you are thinking of Photoflo, which will reduce surface tension of residual water on the surface of your films and promote more rapid and even drying of them and eliminate water spots. I've used the Ilford alternative, Ilfotol, for some years with excellent results but Photoflo is also excellent, it's certainly a good idea to obtain one or the other and use it in the recommended quantity as part of your overall scheme to attain best quality results.

An accurate thermometer, sundry jugs, plastic tubs, an accurate measuring vessel, a few plastic syringes in the 0-10mm and 0-25mm or so sizes can be very handy for accurately measuring small volumes of concentrated developer or even Photoflo, and a light proof changing bag may be worth acquiring (depending on the extent of your darkroom facilities). Depending on the purity of your local water supply, some demineralised water for the final rinse and Photoflo may also promote cleaner films with fewer spots. Potable tap water is normally quite adequate for everything else.

Don't breathe in the dust from your powder sachets when mixing them. If you forget everything else you read here, remember that. In liquid form the chemicals are much less harmful however ingesting dust from the packaged powder mix can be much more damaging to your health.

It's easier than a lot of people think, so have fun.
Cheers,
Brett

 

[bmattock]

I agree with everything Brett has said above.

On the other hand, for those who wish to limit the complications, Diafine is an alternative. It develops, as they say, 'to completion', which means no stop bath required, and neither time nor temperature are critical beyond basic limits. It consists of two developer baths, A and B. You basically pour A in your developing tank, give it 3 minutes, pour it back in the bottle, then pour in B, give it 3 minutes, pour it back in the bottle, then pour in fixer. Fix for 10 minutes, pour it back in the bottle, then rinse for 15 minutes. Done. Any reasonable 'room temperature' is fine, and times beyond 3 minutes will do no harm (I typically go 5 minutes).

The major drawback of Diafine is that it gives an effective speed increase. The major advantage is it is simple to use - and an added benefit is that once you make it up into solution, it basically lasts forever. D76 has a distinct shelf life; once you mix it up, you have to use it within a certain amount of time.

 

[Bill Clark]

Get two clips to hang your film up to dry. One clip is used at the top to hang the film, the other on the bottom to keep it from curling. Try your best to dry in a dust free environment. Shower stall works. I used a coat hanger, took it apart, put the clip on the wire that runs where you might use for pants, put back together and use the shower stall curtain rod to hold the coat hanger with film clip. Let it dry overnight. Even tho it may look dry soon, the gelatin the emulsion is coated on can be soft and attract dust or get scratched.

If I were going to buy a thermometer this looks interesting:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/31/5566654/thermodo-thermometer-smartphone-hands-on-review

Try Amazon to see what they carry.

Use your smart phone or tablet computer for your timer.

Your choices for chemicals looks just fine. Master them, get to know their characteristics, especially the film developer before moving on. Things are confusing enough to begin with without having a bunch of different stuff to try.

Keep asking questions here as we want to help you.

 

[mike rosenlof]

When developing 35mm, I do a final rinse in distilled water (and a couple of drops of Photo-flow) and find that I have fewer problems with drying spots on the film. We don't have hard water here, but I do see it making a difference!

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I hate to be the first to talk about choices here but... here I go.

Instead of D76 (which has to be mixed and used within some 2 or three months), get T-Max developer. It comes in concentrate, liquid form. You simply dilute it 1:4 (1 part developer, 4 parts water) every time you need it, it has an almost eternal shelf life, and you don't need to worry about mixing it in a bucket, pouring it in a special plastic jug and the whole thing.

Fixer: use Ilford Rapid Fixer. Also comes in concentrate liquid form, you make it as you need it and it also has a very long shelf life (in my case, I made a solution in a regular water bottle and have used it and reused it several times; I always test it before using it, in case I need to make another batch, but it always clears the film tip in about a minute, so it's good).

There you go.

BTW, I did start with the same stuff (D-76 and Kodak fixer), and probably mixed them the wrong way because my results weren't satisfactory. That's why I switched to the liquid stuff.

Oh, I tend to rinse my film in between steps. I don't know what effect it may have, but I don't like the idea of pouring fixer that has been in contact with stop bath solution back in the bottle.

Take care and have fun! 🙂

 

[mpaniagua]

agree with Mike about Photo-flow.

 

[wjlapier]

I'd also look for 1000ml graduated containers. I have a tank that requires 650ml when I develop two rolls. I started with developing one roll at a time and had glass containers up to 700ml ( came in a kit I bought used along time ago ). Moved on two rolls eventually.

Print File for your negs. As mentioned above, keep notes regarding everything you do. Amazong how easy time goes by and you find yourself looking over some old negs and the notes.

 

[presspass]

Using a water bath instead of stop bath for film works fine. It does not work as well with prints - you should use stop bath there. Also, adding clear alcohol, Isopropyl 91 percent, with the Photoflow in the final film rinse works to eliminate water spots - 90 ml to a liter of distilled water works well. Other than that, be consistent with agitation and, if you have to make changes to get the desired result, only change one thing at a time.

 

[Dwig]

1. D-76 is an excellent developer and has been for a century. I would recommend starting with the quart size, rather than the gallon, as once mixed the shelf life is short. That said, I always preferred using liquid concentrates as opposed to mixing powders so the suggestion to consider T-Max developer is a good one.

2. Again, Kodak's powdered fixer is fine, but I preferred liquids which makes a rapid fixer (I used Kodak's for years) a preferable and an easier to live with choice.

With modern thin emulsion films (read: any regular camera film made since WWII) a simple water rinse between the Dev and the Fix is fine. Modern hardening fixers are acid enough to neutralize the small amount of developer in the emulsion. With papers, particularly fiber based papers, there is too much developer carryover and you need the acid stop to neutralize the alkaline developer quickly.

 

[BillBingham2]

A lot depends on the quality of your tap water. Big thing is watching the temp of the tap if you are using water for your stop-bath. No big temp swings produces much better results.

My father said Kodak used to do a lot of testing with water from different parts of the globe to make sure their chemicals all worked well (there is a dramatic difference in waters just here in the US) but I'm pretty sure that those days are LONG gone (it was the '70's after all).

Don't try to mix part of a power, you need to mix it all.

B2 (;->

 

[mfogiel]

As noted above, you need some photoflo. I also use some burning alcohol to mix into the rinse bath. The other thing you need is some demineralised water - the kind you put into the steam iron ( but without any flavours...).
Then, there's that little secret: Grolsch beer in 450cc bottles.

https://www.google.com/search?q=gro...hXEWBoKHS8SDDwQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=t8RpyYEiFlNIfM:

So,
Look around if you can buy this beer in the green bottles with a swing cap. You need to buy 8 bottles.
Drink the beer 😀
Clean the bottles.
Dilute your gallon of D76
Fill up the bottles to the brim and close them tightly ( control before diluting how much liquid you will actually need).
Put away for a couple of days at least ( D76 can get very active for some time after made. Then it stays stable for a few months if closed tightly) then you can use it.

I develop D76 1+1 - you have already guessed that my normal tank has 900cc capacity. If your tank is bigger, like 1 liter, you can dilute slightly more and adjust the time. Be careful not overextending the number of films you develop, as this can exhaust the developer. If you need to fill a bigger yet tank, look for bigger beer bottles 😀

I do not use stop bath nor water rinse - just make fresh fixer and go from developer to fixer directly.
Then, after the wash, I add a few drops of photoflo and about 5% of volume of alcohol to the final rinse water. This dilutes all impurities and avoids streaking. When you hang the strips, pour the final rinse solution over the negatives, and then grab them at the bottom and pull away from vertical for a minute to let the drops slide away along the edge.

The demineralised water is recommended for: diluting the developer when you make it, diluting further before development and above all for the final rinse. The fixer and the wash water can be from the tap.
Try to keep all the solutions within 2 deg C from each other. It is useful to put all the jugs into a water bath with controlled temperature while you load the films, this way everything should stabilise around the same value.

 

[BillBingham2]

...Fill up the bottles to the brim and close them tightly ( control before diluting how much liquid you will actually need).
Put away for a couple of days at least ( D76 can get very active for some time after made. Then it stays stable for a few months if closed tightly) then you can use it......

The two biggest enemies of D76 are Oxygen and Light. Plastic bottles while great for stopping liquid movement, don't cut it with respect to gasses. Dark glass while much harder to find (for free) these days is the way to go for every developer.

B2 (;->

 

[Bill Clark]

Well, I've found that using empty either 1 or 2 liter soda bottles works great for me. The cap seals it completely over and over. I keep the full bottles in my basement in a dark room. I have used D-76 that I mixed up 2 years ago and it still works great. I used to mix up D-76 I bought from Freestyle in packs each making 10 gallons (19 2 liter bottles!)

Just thought I would mention my experiences.

 

[pepeguitarra]

... The major drawback of Diafine is that it gives an effective speed increase...

Can you please explain this? I am not yet familiar with some of the terminology.

Thanks everyone who has contributed. I am glad I asked.

Thanks, Pepe

 

[kuzano]

Having a blast with Caffenol... grocery store chemicals or pool suppliers.

Caffenol - Folgers Instant Coffee, Washing Soda, and Vitamin C. Kick in the pants. Can do b&w, color and printing.

Stinks, but not in comparison.

 

[bmattock]

Can you please explain this? I am not yet familiar with some of the terminology.

Thanks everyone who has contributed. I am glad I asked.

Thanks, Pepe

It means that because the film is developed 'to completion' as they say, the film can generally be rated as if it were a faster speed. For example shoot ISO 100 film as if it were ISO 200.

However, different types of film get different effective increases. Tri-X can be rated at 1000 instead of 400, etc. Some examples are on the box.

I like Diafine because it is forgiving. I shoot at whatever ISO strikes my fancy, soup all my film together the same way, don't own a thermometer, development times are eh whatever and it all comes out fine. Lazy man's chemistry.