Finally ready to start developing film!!

C

camperbc

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Nov 13, 2011
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Fogo Island, Newfoundland (Canada)
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For those of you who do not know me, I am a landscape/nature photographer (living on a remote, windswept and stunningly scenic island off the northeast coast of Newfoundland) and a collector of vintage cameras. I have a large display cabinet filled with flawless old SLR's, rangefinders, folders/box cameras, and my personal favorite, a gorgeous Yashica 635 dual format TLR. I have not used most of these cameras; it has been many years since I have shot with film. This is about to change, even though I am bedridden most of the time, due to a serious and permanent spinal injury. Although immobile for the most part, I do experience the odd "good" day, and I am making it my mission to get up and about on my good days, and start using some of these lovely old cameras!

And not only that, but I have decided to do my own developing for the first time in 35 years! In fact, yesterday I went online and ordered what I hope is everything I will need to start developing my own b&w film, but it has been so long I fear I may have missed something. Here is a list of what I have ordered:

- Film (duh!)
- Paterson Super System 4 tank with two adjustable reels
- Ilford Ilfosol-3 Film Developer
- Ilford Ilfostop Stop Bath
- Ilford Rapid Fixer
- Edwal Wetting Agent
- Darkroom Thermometer
- ClearFile Archival Plus Negative Sleeves (6X6 and 35mm)
- Film clips
- Set of graduated cylinders
- Beaker cups (set... small to large)
- Funnels (set of 3)
- Digital timer
- Large graduated pitcher

Am I on the right track? Anything else that I need to begin? It has been a VERY long time since I have done this, so of course I am interested in hearing any/all suggestions you may be able to provide. I am about to order a new Epson V600 flat bed scanner; ($179.99) seems to be the best choice for my limited budget. (would love to hear from anyone who has this scanner, and what your thoughts are) I don't think I will need to buy a changing bag, as I have a light-tight room.

Because I live in such a remote region, there is nowhere within hundreds of miles to buy film or darkroom supplies. Also, any retailer in Canada is much more expensive than the USA, so although I would prefer to shop Canadian, I have to be realistic and watch my pennies, due to my very modest disability pension. So I buy most everything I require from either B&H or Freestyle; Even after duty/brokerage fees, it works out to about half the cost of buying here in Canada! (if someone can point me to an affordable Canadian retailer, I will be eternally grateful!)

Here is a list of 15 cameras that I plan to use over the next few months for capturing my Fogo Island (Newfoundland) landscapes:

- Minolta Maxxum 700si
- Minolta Maxxum 7000
- Canon AT-1
- Canon AE-1
- Cosina CT-1 "Super"
- Canon Canonet 28
- FED 2 (D6)
- Zorki-4
- Yashica Electro 35 GSN
- Minolta Hi-Matic "F"
- Yashica 635 TLR

Modified for 120 film:

- Kodak Duaflex I
- Kodak Brownie Flash Six-20
- Kodak Autographic 1A
- Kodak Brownie Target Six-16

The Canon AT-1 that I listed above is the very camera I used during my high school photography class back in 1977! My brother purchased it new and had allowed me to use it for my course. He recently informed me that he kept it for all of these years; had it sitting on a book shelf. You can imagine my excitement when he mailed it to me! I was amazed to see that it is still in beautiful condition! (only needed light seals) When I opened the parcel it brought back a lot of fond memories for me!

So, that's my story. This is all new to me again, so I will be posting soon to either show you my handiwork or to plead for assistance. I'm looking for all the advice I can get; hoping to hear from many of you with any pointers that may help me get through this!

Thanks,
Glen
 
That's a really nice site with lots of beautiful images in your sig, Glen.

Your list of equipment and photochemicals seems pretty complete. I can only think of a few little things that you surely already have on hand.

A church key (bottle opener) is handy for prying off the ends of a commercial 35mm cassette. If you're using reloadable cassettes, you won't need it as you can just pop off the ends.

Likewise, scissors are handy for cutting film off spools or trimming the corners before loading onto reels.

Some towels dedicated solely for film processing are nice to have around to clean up spills.

A tub or a sink to serve as a tempering bath for your chemicals and film developing tank. I have to cool my water down for processing, but you are more likely to need to warm yours up, I would think.

A small scale accurate to 0.1 or 0.01 grams will be handy if you ever decide to mix up your own photochemicals from scratch.

I can't think of anything else. It doesn't take much in the way of equipment to process film.
 
Looks like you're good to go. I'd get a GraLab timer; nothing like seeing that huge needle spin around for accurate timekeeping. I prefer to use a couple of fills of water instead of stop bath. If I may offer .02: Stick with one camera, one film and one developer for a year, perhaps. That way you can make adjustments with few variables. Good luck. And have fun.
 
Super story. Have fun with it, I got back into B&W film processing/printing a couple of years ago after a 10 year absence. It s a very rewarding way to spend your good days.
 
Hi Glen. May I suggest a bottle of HC-110 developer and some smaller bottles to decant it into. This syrup lasts a very long time indeed and if supplies are difficult to obtain in your remote location, one bottle will develop a lot of film and it will not go off in a hurry. That may save you a huge ammount in shipping costs alone, and it is always good to have a store cupboard item like this even if you use other developers too.

Regards, John.
 
Massive Development Chart App

Massive Development Chart App

Like you, I have recently started to develop my own B&W film at home. If you have an iPhone or iPod, the Massive Development Chart App is VERY helpful, complete with timer for most films and developers. You can create custom times and it includes a dilution calculator and temperature convertor as well. Very useful, and much cheaper than a dedicated darkroom timer!

http://www.digitaltruth.com/apps/

If you don't have iPod then could use the online chart:

http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php/

I have no affiliation with them, but have found their product to be extremely helpful.

Regards,

Kent
 
Wow, some great replies here; thank-you all!

Yes, I am pretty much all set now, including the above suggested bottle opener, scissors, towels, tub, etc. I can hardly wait to get back to developing after a 36 year hiatus; just waiting for my loot to be delivered, hopefully sometime next week. A heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for taking the time to jot down some good pointers for me; very much appreciated!

Glen
 
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