First results in the darkroom!!

[dirojas]

Hi, I want to share with you guys my first results developing a film. I am very excited because it actually worked fine at the first time without any important problem 😛. Reading this forum is what put in my mind the idea of developing myself my film.

The darkroom was my bathroom, the tank is a Paterson one (very easy to load the film), the developer was D76 1:1 (following suggestions from here), and the film was Neopan SS.

My biggest problem is water marks on the negatives after drying, I think I should work with distillated water next time, and the fact that I am scanning the negatives with a macro lens attached to my Canon 30D.

Let me share with you some results, these are not going to win any awards, but after some photoshop and dust and scratches look like pictures, which is what I was after. Taken with a Leica IIIa & Summar from the 30´s:

You guys rock! 😉😉

 

[sienarot]

Looks good! It sure feels magical when you pull those negs out for the first time and see something on there, doesn't it? 😀

 

[dirojas]

That´s exactly the feeling indeed, magical!

 

[Bassism]

Those are some great results!

I still get that magical feeling when I pull the film off the reel.... it's what keeps me coming back.

As far as the water marks go, I've started doing a final rinse with water from a Brita and Photo-Flo, and haven't had any problems since. Using a brita works out cheaper than distilled for me, and I don't have to worry about running out of water. It might be worth a try.

 

[sienarot]

Brita! I don't know why I didn't think of that. I think I may have to try that out. It's a pretty cheap solution if it really works.

 

[petronius]

God ones for the first try!
I developed my first film 30 years ago and I think the magic moment of looking at the wet negatives has even become stronger! Keep on developing.
I have no problems with watermarks since I use Tetenal Mirasol at the end of the process.

 

[Florian1234]

Good to see. I plan to set up an own darkroom in the coming months. There's only little stuff to get, since I already have bought an enlarger.

 

[l.mar]

Congratulations! You'll find that it just gets better and better --- and I still get the feeling of being some kind of magician, every time I pull a freshly developed roll out of the tank!

 

[vdonovan]

Congratulations! I agree with the others--the magical feeling never goes away. It's probably what keeps people coming back to the darkroom. Wait until you start printing! Talk about magic.

I also agree that a little wetting agent and some good water (I didn't think about a Brita either!) will help with the spots. Also, if you are hanging film in the bathroom, run the shower on hot for a few minutes beforehand. This will help get some dust out of the air. Then keep the door closed while your film is drying. Airborne dust can be a real headache.

 

[Ronald M]

Brita gets minute charcoal lumps in the water. I filter tap water with cotton between two coffee filters which serve to hold the cotton in place. Save a bunch of water bottles and then filter 20 gallons at a time.

I also have an in line 3 micron water filter.

 

[Bassism]

Ronald, are you sure it's not the inline water filter that is making the difference for you?

Admittedly, I have little to no knowledge in this area, but it seems surprising to me that cotton would make an effective water filter. Still, it's an interesting idea, I'll have to give it a try.

 

[dirojas]

Thanks for your answers guys, it is very nice to find support from you. I guess I am going to take Vince advance regarding running the shower hot before hanging the negatives. I am also going to prepare some clean water in my coffee machine, using cotton instead of coffee and then letting the water cool down to ambient temperature. After a couple of runs it should get pretty clean I guess. I´ll use this water for the final wash. I need to shoot another roll though...

Thanks

 

[shadowfox]

Something that hasn't been mentioned. For stubborn watermarks, I found out that I can clean them after the negative is dry. Try finding them before scanning, so you don't have to scan twice.

On my films, the residue is always on the non-emulsion side, so I took a bit of wet paper towel and carefully wipe them off. Don't do this to the emulsion side.

 

[Haigh]

Nice going, especially for a first try. I still process my own b&w even though digtal is so much more convenient for me. Show us more and have fun as well with your processing.

 

[dirojas]

Hi guys, I have more results now! I have to say thanks for all the advice you are providing. Using distilled water at the final stage of cleaning the negatives in the tank and running a hot shower prior to hanging the negatives have solve my problems with water marks. I am seeing dust at the sensor of my SLR know :bang:, but that has an easy solution.

I developed FP4 this time:

 

[jtzordon]

Great results for a first go around. I love the grain on the first set.

 

[Sisyphus]

They look good, and like what others have mentioned, I like the grain too.

Keep experimenting there is a lot you can do in the darkroom.

:s:

 

[clayne]

Welcome to film, my friend. You now see why so many love it and will form a partnership with your cameras and negatives.

 

[shadowfox]

Good job, now start thinking about darkroom printing.

If you think pulling the negative with pictures out of the tank is magical, wait until you see your first print 🙂

 

[kipkeston]

It's gritty. I love it.