Do you develop your own B&W film?

[GeneW]

I've always thought that rangefinders and B&W kinda went together naturally. But I'm wondering how many folks still develop their own B&W?

Although I no longer do any darkroom printing, I've dusted off my developing tanks and for the past year, started developing film again. Mainly HP5+ and sometimes Tri-X (I can buy HP5 cheaper) 🙂

I usually develop in Rodinal or HC-110, then scan the negs after they're dry and cut.

Tried some XP2 and some T400CN and liked both, but I'm still drawn to the older emulsions and a bit of DIY.

Anybody else?

Gene

 

[HelenB]

Yes,
I still develop my own B&W, but I don't wet print any more. Recently I've been using DiXactol most of the time.
Best,
Helen

 

[jacemanuel]

Yes, I develop my B&W, and I still go into the darkroom to make prints. I even like the smell - and I make rather many prints in 12x16 or 16x20.

Jacques.

 

[rover]

I do not though I am considering starting again. My father has an enlarger in his attic he has been begging me to take home, infact he wants to come over and help me set up a dark room. He bought all of the equipment to develop film and print B&W when I was in high school. We did quite of bit of film then, and I would like to start again. I am considering developing 120 film and perfecting (I mean learn how to) my scanning skills and print digitally. I have taken photography classes at a local community college, and they have some B&W Darkroom classes which may gain me access to their equipment.

 

[rover]

You made me go look on B&H to see if they had a basic film development kit. You guys are bad, very bad.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I read these posts and turn green with envy... 🙁 I even learned to drop words like Rodinal and started thinking of making my own soup, getting myself a timer or taping a cassette with directions read off some DIY manual, just to learn how to develop my own stuff. I don't think it'd lead to savings, though, but I imagine it'll lead to a larger control over the final product: you shoot it, you develop it, you scan it and you print it.

Wow!

Rover, you can develop film! You just gave me one more reason to envy you!

 

[back alley]

after not photographing for a few years, i recently started shooting again. (rff photo project)
i am back to developing and will start printing again also.
i like the ilford films, mostly delta 400 & 3200. i 'soup' them in ddx and my old standby ilfosol s. the latter is not the best at anything but i seem to like it.
i use an old bessler 23c for both 35 and 120 negs. i discovered the beauty of fuji enlarging lenses years ago and have 2.
someday i might start scanning for the ease and quickness of it but i have yet to research my needs and costs. (i'm a very poor human service worker).

joe

 

[Doug]

While I'd like to claim "yes" I have to admit to "no." Not recently, anyway. I have a darkroom with a big sink, mixing faucets, and a Beseler 23C with dichroic head. But, sigh, it hasn't been used for a few years, and in the meantime it's been cluttered with "temporary" storage, so it's actually unusable until it's cleared out. Which I intend to do! I bought a package of Diafine to run some Tri-X I have in the fridge, a few rolls of Pan-F loaded from bulk, and some 110 Verichrome Pan I hope is still good because you just can't get it any more. But I really am a fan of Ilford's chromogenic B&W; it's more challenging to develop due to the high temp and short time, but that didn't stop me before!

 

[rover]

I think you are right Francisco about the lack of savings from developing film. For B&W the real expense is in the printing, specifically the paper. But if you were to develop the film and scan the negatives you're in business.

And my darkroom skills, it has been almost 20 years, but it really isn't that hard. The hardest thing I remember is getting the film on the reel and into the tank in total darkness, and that gets easier with practice. Of course, it got easier when I was 18, we will have to see now.

 

[oftheherd]

I haven't developed my own film for many years, I think since about 1989 when I was in Korea and it was easy to get to an Army Craft Shop. Used to do b/w. slides, and even color. Always enjoyed it. Never considered myself a good printer, but I enjoyed that too.

When our house was rebuilt, I insisted there be a sink in the utility room for developing, and built a sturdy wood bench for that. Sadly, I never did so. Due to this month's project, I am looking to doing my own MF developing again, and have gotten some D76 for that. I will also develop my own when I get up the gumption to start using an 8x10 I have. Then I can start with some of the different chemicals. I doubt I will mix my own chemicals though. I did that the first time I was in Korea, because it was easy to get chemicals. It was a fun experiment, especially as it was difficult to get things like rodinal and diafine, but now easier to purchase them. Ah, the sweet smell of darkroom chemicals in the morning.....

 

[GeneW]

I think developing your own film makes shooting B&W pretty inexpensive. You need about $100Cdn of starter gear -- developing tank (I use Paterson plastic tanks and reels), changing bag for loading the reels in darkness, a few storage containers, and some chemicals. Developers like Rodinal and HC-110 are concentrates that last a long time and the only other chemicals I use are Kodak Fixer (mixed from powder) and a hypo clearing agent to remove any residual fixer from the negs.

In Canada I can purchase 3 x 36exp rolls of HP5+ for $10. I scan each roll to make a digital contact sheet and only work on a few keepers (parallel to what I used to do in the darkroom). I can't shoot col film this cheaply and when I process my own, I get much cleaner negs.

I think, as an analogy, it's like baking your own bread. You can purchase really excellent bread, but baking your own is always special. Besides, when I develop my own film it seems to irritate my buddies who have declared film is dead. I enjoy that 😎

Gene

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Need to learn that right away... I'm almost ready to do it; in fact, at home, there's a nook in the basement that, with a bit of water, could be turned into a dark room.

And there's a nice sink around too...

Dreaming is still cheap. 🙂

 

[r-brian]

I develop my own B&W and shoot maybe 80% B&W, and about 80% of that is 120 format. I feel like its all part of the creative process: shoot, develop, print. I built myself a darkroom in a large finished shed two years ago as a Christmas present to myself, but at age 52 and a 4 year old daughter and a 1 year old son, I don't have much time to use it (or energy).

I learned developing 14 years ago at the Vo-Tech school when I lived in Florida. There's just something about creating your own image. I print mainly 11x14 and have some 16x20 paper waiting to try. When you shoot the great outdoors, you need a print big enough.

Lately I've been using Rodinal just because it last forever after opening the bottle and because I'm trying to find a film/developer combo that really pops.

Chicken soup (ok, film soup) for the soul.

Brian

 

[back alley]

2 kids under 4 and you're 52!
brian, you are a dog!!!
i'm 53 and can barely take care of myself...

joe

 

[Stu :)]

Heck yes!
I live in New Zealand and I'm yet to see a pro-lab here correctly develop any non-C41 black and white film. Also I'm a student and apparently poor <quickly hiding the Hasselblad kit under the bed> and black & white is dirt-cheap.

But best of all, I love it! I have complete control over the process (which developer today?), you can experiment like crazy (hmmm... lets try putting a Zeiss Softar over the enlarging lens?), Zone System ('nuff said really), cheap prints at home bigger than A4, ISO 50 to 3200, etc etc.
And shock horror... Colorvir! If you haven't tried, give it a go.

Only thing stopping me from doing my own E6 and Cibachromes is the ultra scary cost of it all.

Also in this digital age of cheap-horrid inkjet prints, nothing bets giving someone B+W photo and hearing them exclaim, "Is this a real black and white photograph?"
"Yes..."
"Wow! It's even got that old fashion brown coloured effect..."
Carry on, carry on, etc etc...

Also if you like black & white photography, I can strongly recommend a British magazine called "Black&White Photography", by GMC Publications Ltd. Covers all aspects of B&W and a favourite section of mine is 'The Printers Art'- where all manner of negs are printed with step-by-step guides to dodging and burning, paper choice, grades, toning....

Stu 🙂

 

[GeneW]

Originally posted by Stu
Also in this digital age of cheap-horrid inkjet prints

Stu, I agree that nothing quite matches a real darkroom print for B&W. But I've seen some outstanding colour prints done on inkjets. Better than many of the old Cibachromes I used to admire. And some of the upscale inkjets, like the Epson 2200 with both black and grey inks, come really close to darkroom quality for B&W's.

Gene

 

[taffer]

Nope... nope... nope 🙁

it's something I still have to try... I wanted to join the photography club when I was in high school but both times groups were already full :bang:

now with the MF scanner (epson 3170), I suppose someday I'll give it a try mainly with 120 film (bigger and probably easier to manipulate in the dark or inside the bag).

a brand new complete negative developing kit is near 60€, so I really have no excuse apart from laziness 🙄

sorry guys, but still have some work to finish 🙁 but tomorrow from 11:30 and on I'll be free again !!! BCN markets are waiting for me...

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

I develop my own B&W. I started with patterson type tanks and hand processing. I stumbled across a couple of Unicolor rotary tank processors and haven't used the patterson since. I use the 8x10 unicolor print tank to develop 4 sheets of 4x5 at a time. The film tanks are adjustable to accept from 1 to 6 reels of 35mm or 1 to 4 reels of 120 at a time.

I shoot mainly T-Max 100 in 120, Kodak Tri-X in 35mm, and Arista 125 in 4x5. Kodak D-76 1:1 is my main developer.

I use a Beseler 45MX for the 4x5 and a Beseler 23CII With Color Diachroic head for 120 and 35mm printing.

Wayne

 

[GeneW]

I stumbled across a couple of Unicolor rotary tank processors and haven't used the patterson since. I use the 8x10 unicolor print tank to develop 4 sheets of 4x5 at a time.

Sounds like a nice setup, Wayne. I have an old Unicolor roller that I'm holding on to in case I ever get into 4x5. Lord, the last thing I need is to even think about another camera...

Gene

 

[maxy]

It is nice to know there are members out there who are still doing their own B&W film processing and printing.

After laying off photography for 25 years, I have made a come back a couple of years ago. Started off trying some digital stuff but the technology was not ready. Decided then to set up a wet darkroom in the spare room.

Things have really changed during my absence.....there are many convenient aids now....like the nova print processor (great space saver), print washers, enlarging exposure meters etc. Not to mention the really cheap prices these items are selling in the used market.

Really have great fun doing this darkroom stuff now compared to 25 years ago. The internet is a great resource that i did not had then.

Well, darkroom many not be anyone's liking. Very soon it is going to be very niched just like vinyl records.