Coffee, anyone?

S

Stephanie Brim

Mental Experimental.
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Thought about using one or two rolls of the new stuff I'm getting soon (Tri-X, of course) and developing them in coffee. I know you can do it so that isn't the problem. The main problem is, of course, what kind of coffee do I use? I have plenty of choice around town (Millstone, Starbucks, cheapo Folgers beans) and a decent pot to use. What kind of coffee is best? What kind of grind is best? How long do you want to wash it for after you get done with the developing before you fix it?

Sounds like a lot of fun to me.
 
depends on your pH. like so many developers (got a pH meter?) pH10?
if you don't maintain a pH you might be all over the place trying to develop with coffee. Try Kodak Balanced Alaki or even baking soda to adjust and a buffer to preserve (some type of potassium or sodium) the coffee class ..Andy Davidhazy a professor at RIT used to try such things in his "Wierd" Photographic Classes...I remember undergrads playing all kinds of developers-I mean soup and coffee. I think they were half an hour (in coffee)4X??8X the exposure... I don't know what temperature, but not too hot!
one lump or two?
 
The cheapest instant coffee is what you need.
I used the Harris-Teeter brand and it worked great.
The trick is to 1st dissolve the washing soda until no grit is left, then add the coffee.

Lots of good info here:
http://www.apug.org/forums/article.php?a=22

Donald Qualls (imagemaker) is probably the person with most experience with caffenol.

From my own expeirnece. Longer times are preferrable, Tri-X should be in the 45 min time frame for development.
Donot use the solution warm.
If you want to minimize the stain add 1 tsp of vitamin C before adding the coffee, this also makes development faster

Be ready for having fun and having "disasters"

Best of luck

Stephanie Brim said:
Thought about using one or two rolls of the new stuff I'm getting soon (Tri-X, of course) and developing them in coffee. I know you can do it so that isn't the problem. The main problem is, of course, what kind of coffee do I use? I have plenty of choice around town (Millstone, Starbucks, cheapo Folgers beans) and a decent pot to use. What kind of coffee is best? What kind of grind is best? How long do you want to wash it for after you get done with the developing before you fix it?

Sounds like a lot of fun to me.
Click to expand...
 
Disasters are what I know will happen. I'll be surprised if I actually succeed in this. I just want something interesting to do on a day I have off next week. :)
 
The cheapest instant coffee is what you need.
I used the Harris-Teeter brand and it worked great.
The trick is to 1st dissolve the washing soda until no grit is left, then add the coffee.

Lots of good info here:
http://www.apug.org/forums/article.php?a=22

Donald Qualls (imagemaker) is probably the person with most experience with caffenol.

From my own expeirnece. Longer times are preferrable, Tri-X should be in the 45 min time frame for development.
Donot use the solution warm.
If you want to minimize the stain add 1 g of vitamin C before adding the coffee, this also makes development faster (I used on eof those pinch (1/4 tsp) spoons)

Be ready for having fun and having "disasters"

Best of luck

Stephanie Brim said:
Thought about using one or two rolls of the new stuff I'm getting soon (Tri-X, of course) and developing them in coffee. I know you can do it so that isn't the problem. The main problem is, of course, what kind of coffee do I use? I have plenty of choice around town (Millstone, Starbucks, cheapo Folgers beans) and a decent pot to use. What kind of coffee is best? What kind of grind is best? How long do you want to wash it for after you get done with the developing before you fix it?

Sounds like a lot of fun to me.
Click to expand...
Caffenol: 500 ml water 4 tsp washing soda 8 tsp coffee
Caffenol-C: 500 ml water 4 tsp washing soda 1 g vitamin C 8 tsp coffee Works very well increasing density of the midtones-highlights
 
Out of curiosity, what would happen, if anything special, if you left a negative in coffee grounds for a few hours or days?

A few experimental filmmakers come to mind who did things like burying their film for years in the background, but I'm curious what I could do with all those espresso grounds....
 
I think after a while (an hour?) the film will swell, stain and any development will already have been completed...just time enough for a coffee break to soup my film....
depends on how strong you like your coffee too!
 
Nop is the tannins that give the black/brown color to coffee or tea.
Very similar to pyro.
There was an article in the RIT website of a developer out of mint leaves as well.

However, the concentration of coffee is quite brutal for drinking

f/stopblues said:
Is it the caffeine that developes it? Something about the bean? I wonder if tea, etc would do anything similar.
Click to expand...
 
I know the Massive Dev Chart has a recipie for a coffee developer. And I am pretty sure I heard somewhere that it is not the caffiene that does it, but either the tannic acid, or a phenol present in the coffee. Check me on that one. But it really makes you wonder, with so many people drinking so much coffee, what is the coffee developing? :D

Drew
 
I did it using old Folger's instant that had been sitting in the back of a drawer in my office for years. My results and sample images should be linked to the APUG link above.

I think Patrick Gainer tried using No-doz tablets to demonstrate that the caffeine is not the developing agent. Tea and mint tea can be used to develop film, as can Tylenol. I have seen speculation that there might be enough catechol in human urine to develop film in the right formula, but I haven't read any test results. Maybe Andres Seranno has tried it.
 
David Goldfarb said:
I have seen speculation that there might be enough catechol in human urine to develop film in the right formula, but I haven't read any test results. Maybe Andres Seranno has tried it.
Click to expand...

Now that's funny :D :D :D

Todd
 
I've got a very steady supply of dog urine if anybody wants it. A simple trade for an m4 is all I ask...
 
I remember when that article came out and looking in store shelves for washing soda. Nothing there called that.

What is a substitute, or what is it by a brand name? Anybody know?
 
In the US you could look for Arm & Hammer, otherwise just ask in your local store and make sure you get sodium carbonate and not sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)

John

oftheherd said:
I remember when that article came out and looking in store shelves for washing soda. Nothing there called that.

What is a substitute, or what is it by a brand name? Anybody know?
Click to expand...
 
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