Chemical/items list for film development

[javimm]

Hi.

I'm going to the shop in a couple of hours, and I want to buy my film development equipment. I've made a search in the forums, and found some useful info, but I want to check everything out. So here I go.

Equpiment list:
- Film opener: I've tried a bottle opener in a useless roll, and it workds great, so no need to buy one.
- Tank: A two reel tank, Jobo or Paterson.
- Termomether.
- Clips: I think I can use some cloth ones.
- Film sleeves.
- Film: Tri-x
- Squegee
- Syringe for HC-110

Chemicals:
- HC-110 concentrate, 1l.
- Stop bath: I've read it's optional. Do I really need to use one?.
- Ilfor Rapid Fixer: I need this one or Kodak. How about Ilford Hypam fixer? Differences?. It seems that the Kodak one comes in two solutions, A and B. Maybe it's easier to use the Ilford one.
- Ilford Washaid or the Kodak one: I've read this is for hypo clearing. Is it necessary?.
- Photoflo or Ilford wetting agent.

Containers/measures.
This one, I have no idea of what to buy. I know I need some measures. How many and which size?. I plan to use HC-110 as a one shot developer, So I need one to have it mixed, but not to store them. What do I need for the other chemicals?. I don't know if Stop, Fixer, Hypo clearing and Photoflo are reused. How many in total to mix them and store the working solutions?.
I need a tray to keep all the chemicals at 20 ºC, filling it with water.

I don't know if I forget something. Please, let me know.
Thank you.
Javier.

 

[mr_phillip]

You've got most things covered, and you've made a great choice of developer. There's just a few things I'd mention:

• forget the squegee unless you really *want* to scratch your film
• clips – get the proper Paterson ones with pins that pierce the film, dropping film is no fun at all
• get the stop bath. Development times for Tri-X in HC-110 are around the 6-7 minute mark, and it's better to stop development on a dime by using a stop at this kind of time. With longer dev times (12mins +) you can just use plain water to stop the development, but this way the dilute developer takes a little extra time to exhaust itself.
• you don't really need a hypo clearing agent with modern 35mm films, just clean them in flowing water for 20-30 minutes.
• I'd also recommend a water filter and a suitable hose (for film washing) for your tank. Again, Paterson supply good examples.

For measures, get a good quality 600ml grad, a 1ltr jug (for getting water up to temp before mixing) and some good storage bottles for the stop and fix (some folks like glass bottles, some are happy with the plastic concertina models).

Enjoy.

 

[juhor]

I have a HUGE bottle of Kodak Stop Bath that mixes 1+64 I think but I don't use it. Plain water in to the tank a couple of times in and out is my method. As far as I know it doesn't affect my negatives. Just be sure that the water is the right temperature. (I remember once when I developed in a hurry and poured some nice 10-15C water in to the tank, the negs came out fine if I remember correctly.)

I also read some topics about the stop baths acids pinholing the negatives. Use the search function for more info.

 

[javimm]

Thanks a lot.
So no Hypo clearing, and I'll add the clips.
About the stop bath. I did a search same days ago, and there were a lot of discussions about using it or not. I think I'm going to use dil h for HC-110, so times will be longer than 6 minutes. If I don't use stop, it's one more chemical I don't need to use and take care of its freshness. but don't want to kill the negs, overdeveloping them.

 

[iml]

I'd ditch the squeegee too, I just run the film through my fingers a couple of times. The one time I used a squeegee I got a scratch, despite cleaning it first.

I don't use stop bath, just two 30 second water rinses with continuous agitation. Works fine.

You need an accurate timer, but something from a kitchen supplies shop will do if your watch doesn't have one.

A for containers/measures, I have 3 measuring jugs - 1 litre, 300 ml, and 150 ml, 5 air-tight 1 litre containers for storing mixed developer in, and a few 750ml glass beakers for measuring developer and fixer into, and mixing with the required amount of water prior to pouring into the tank.

Ian

 

[steamer]

If you use hypo clearing agent then you only need to wash the film for 5 minutes.

 

[javimm]

Well, seems that stop is not necessary then. I have casio watch that has chronometer, so I'm covered there. No squegee either.

About the air tight bottles, I'll need only one for fixer, as the developer is one shot and photoflo doesn't need one, I think. I don't plan to develop a lot of film, so the less chemicals used, the better for me (storage time that they last is short). Maybe I can buy one bottle for developer too, to pour from it to the tank instead that from a jug, but not to store it.

So two 1 l. air-tight bottles, a 600ml grad, a 50 ml grad, 1 l. jug. Seems correct?

I'm planning on buying some marbles or glass balls to fill the bottles and keep them full so no air can degrade the chemicals.

Any more comments on hypo clearing?.
Thanks again.

 

[sepiareverb]

I wouldn't skip the hypo clearing- saves time and water, and is considered best practice. What if that first roll has some image you'll really want to print in twenty years? Having no stains then will make the extra step well worth the time savings.

 

[javimm]

Well, reading the ilford site for the hypo clearing thing, it seems that it saves a lot of water, and prevent the negative from going bad in the following years, as sepia suggested. I'll buy it then.

Let's see what they tell me in the shop. They're pretty knowledgeable too.

Thanks all for your answers, very informative and real fast!!. This forum is great.

Javier.

 

[javimm]

One little more question. How about Rodinal? Seems cheaper. Problems I see. Too much grain using it with Tri-x or HP5, although I like it's look (well, Sebastiao Salgado uses it, and sure gives a lot of grain, but a lot of accutance too). Does it store for long time, or it degrades?. HC-110 stores for very long times.

 

[iml]

I think that question is one you can only answer for yourself, once you've tried them both and got familiar with them. I'd pick one developer and one film to start with, whichever appeals, and spend a month or two getting used to using them together before experimenting with alternatives. HC-110 seems like a good all-rounder, but that's just me, my preference is always for fine-grain alternatives (I use Xtol).

Ian

 

[ibcrewin]

Wait.. one more bit.. Buy some negative sleeves.. Buy the archival ones. I hate it when I have a 36exp roll cut into segments of 6 and you have no where to put them..

 

[mr_phillip]

One little more question. How about Rodinal? Seems cheaper. Problems I see. Too much grain using it with Tri-x or HP5, although I like it's look (well, Sebastiao Salgado uses it, and sure gives a lot of grain, but a lot of accutance too). Does it store for long time, or it degrades?. HC-110 stores for very long times.

Rodinal lasts forever, but it isn't much of an all-rounder. Most people who use Tri-X with Rodinal report best results rating the film at 200ASA, and remember that Rodinal is no use for pushing film. If you plan on shooting in low light ever, HC-110 is a far better bet.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Rodinal is usable for pushing none other than Tri-X. Of course, you have to like grain...

 

[lilin menyala]

i have a potentially dumb question: what's the difference between a wetting agent and a clearing agent?

 

[iml]

Wetting agent: a salt-free detergent used in the final wash water, it helps the film dry without leaving drying marks. A bottle of Kodak Photo Flo wetting agent will last for ages (you just need a few drops in a bucket of water). Hypoclear: an agent to chemically remove fixer, which means less water washing afterwards. I've never bothered with hypoclear, just a good water wash: fill the tank with water, invert 5 times, discard the water; refill, invert 10 times, discard; refill, invert 20 times, discard; leave the reel under fresh running water for a few minutes; remove film from reel and give the film a final dunk in a bucket of water with some Photo Flo in it; squeegee through fingers a few times and hang up to dry. Works for me.

Ian

 

[lilin menyala]

thanks. in previous posts someone suggested that you'd need to run the film under water for 20-30 minutes without using a clearing agent. that seems like a pretty extortionate amount of time (and water). 😕

 

[lilin menyala]

fill the tank with water, invert 5 times, discard the water; refill, invert 10 times, discard; refill, invert 20 times, discard; leave the reel under fresh running water for a few minutes; remove film from reel and give the film a final dunk in a bucket of water with some Photo Flo in it; squeegee through fingers a few times and hang up to dry. Works for me.

Ian

perfect. thanks! 🙂

 

[ibcrewin]

I user the ilford washing method and it seems to save a good amount of water. Further, I think there was some research done and I think it was found that the ilford method is just as effective as any method for removing all the fixer.

 

[40oz]

I use two graduated measures - a 100cc and a 1000cc, both marked in ounces as well. Also use a baby syringe for the HC-110. I use the 1000cc for mixing and pouring.

I don't use a water bath. In the summer I just determine the temp of the cold water and use that as my dev temp (in the summer here "cold water" tap is usually ~74F). Both Ilford and Kodak provide a chart for a range of temps, as well as a chart for finding times for temps not explicitly given. In winter, I just mix hot and cold in the tap until the temp is 20C, and use that for mixing the chems. That's close enough to my room temp that I've never found the chems altered the temp of the mix.

I have some film clips that use the sprocket holes, and use one for hanging from and one on the tail for weight so the film dries straighter. You don't really need anything more than a clothes pin, however.

I have a few gallon and half-gallon brown plastic jugs for storing chemicals. They're from Kalt and Delta, and do a great job of preserving developers like D-76. I also have a few 1L Jobo bottles that seem to work pretty good as well.

I only use developer, fix, and a wetting agent. Seems to get the job done. Get back to me in 60 years 🙂