First time developer

[flippyot]

So here are a few samples from the first three rolls I've ever developed.

The pictures titled 'Twins' and 'smoke break' are HP5+ @ 1600

The picture titled 'Athens' is Afga APX-100 @ 100 pushed to 1600 (slightly photoshoped, just covering random dust marks)

Microphen at 1+1 @ 70F for 6min, tap water 'stop bath', Kodak fixer (does this matter?) for 10 min, 25 min cold water wash, hung to dry for 3 hours.


One thing that is really anoying is loading the film onto the reel, I have stainless steel reels but I've heard that plastic is easier to load. My film just keep getting stuck at certain spots and I feel it denting in and pressing against the previous row, I correct this as much as possible but I usually get one spot that I didn't catch:bang: .

Still having a great time knowing that I'm doing all the work and getting the results I want.

 

[FPjohn]

SS reels

SS reels

Hello:

Welcome to the world of silver based photography!

SS reels take some practice but become second nature and more reliable than plastic ones which suffer from the need to be utterly dry before reuse.

A caveat for SS is that the cheap reels are often out of true and never load properly. Hewes and Kinderman reels are worth paying for at 5-10x the cost of flimsy ones.

best of light
Frank

 

[Max Power]

Well done!!!

Welcome to the club, and here's to hoping that you never leave!

As for the reels, IMHO, you go with whatever works for you. I used to use a Paterson system until I broke my tank. 35mm was a breeze, but 120 was a nightmare.

I ended up going with SS Kindermann reels and tanks for both, and now wouldn't ever go back to plastic. SS reels are harder to load, but in my own experience, once you get the hang of it, they're better. In my case, it took a lot of practice time in the light with a length of 35mm and 120 until I finally got the hang of it.

Cheers,
Kent

 

[Keith]

Stainless reels!!!! :bang: I can sit there and load a practice film time after time perfectly onto a stainless reel .... the instant I have to do it in the dark it goes horribly wrong!

Pastic reels are no problem ... but the slightest trace of moisture makes them totally useless and they need to be kept perfectly clean and bone dry. I won't give up trying with the stainless ones though because one day I'll 'get it!'

By the way congrats on your first films ... it's a good feeling! 🙂

 

[shadowfox]

Congrats...

I am slooooooowly inching in your direction...

 

[40oz]

nice job!

I use plastic reels, and as long as they are dry and I snip the leading corners of the film off, they are cake. I'm sure the wire reels are great if that's all you have and you figured out how to make them work. But if you are having an issue with wire reels, you might give these plastic ones a try: http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_prod.php?cat_id=1603&pid=1473

Anyone know how interchangeable reels are? I've only used the plastic reels that came with my plastic tank.

 

[danwilly]

just keep extra plastic reels on hand.

 

[40oz]

just keep extra plastic reels on hand.

^ simple and cheap solution for a simple problem 🙂

 

[Trius]

Stainless reels!!!! :bang: I can sit there and load a practice film time after time perfectly onto a stainless reel .... the instant I have to do it in the dark it goes horribly wrong!

Practice with your eyes closed, then examine your results.

This advice is for loading film, not other activities often done in the dark. Sheesh, Keith, get your mind out of the gutter! 😉

 

[FPjohn]

Paterson and Jobo reels do not interchange. There are Jobo SSs. Durst plastic reels fit Kindermann size tanks

 

[Keith]

The only stainless reel I have is for 120 ... but I find that 120 film when I detach the nagative from the paper backing is so tightly coiled it's a nightmare. Stretch it out straight and let it go and it snaps back so fast it will near amputate a finger if you're not careful. That combination with a steel reel just seems impossible to me and certainly not a piece of cake with a Paterson reel either. Do any of you geniuses have a solution to this ... the last 120 film I processed was so tightly sprung I popped it into the developing tank just on it's own and left it for an hour or so to calm down! 😛

 

[flippyot]

Also does anyone know a place to buy a bulk load of Microphen?

I'm starting to run low on this developer and I'm really liking it. I'm thinking of diluting it to a 1:14 but not too sure about the time adjustment any suggestions?

 

[drewbarb]

A caveat for SS is that the cheap reels are often out of true and never load properly. Hewes and Kinderman reels are worth paying for at 5-10x the cost of flimsy ones.

This is SO true. The Hewes/Kinderman reels are so much better than the cheap flimsy ones that it amazes me that the cheapies are still made. One point that all of you who have a hard time loading SS reels should note is that part of what makes the difference here is how easy the good expensive Hewes reels are to load. They have a little tab which grabs the sprocket holes on the film. It's nearly impossible to mis-load. They not only keep the leader in place, they keep the film aligned as it goes on the reel. Plus, since the metal wire is thicker guage than cheap reels, they last much longer and stand up better to abuse and the odd three foot drop onto the floor.

Anyone who struggles with SS 35mm reels should try these; I'll go a step further and challenge anyone to try them. If you buy them, try them and don't like them, I'll buy them off you for $10 a pop. I can always use more, since I run a lab, and danwilly's point about keeping extras on hand is true no matter what you use.