Getting back into processing film

anselwannab

anselwannab

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Before I plop down the cash on an M digital, I thought I’d dust off my old CL and run some film through it, on a regular basis. I’ve Shot the CL from time to time and lab processed film, but it’s been about 10 years since I’ve done the black-and-white processing myself.

Most of my experience is with Kodak film and chemicals. I was looking to do a high-low mix on film speed, with the lower biased towards image quality and low grain. For fast I was thinking Tmax400. For slow, my fist thought was giving Pan F a try.

But am I giving much up if I stick with Tmax100, which I have experience with?

On the chemicals side, I’m interested in looking at the balance of shelf life and performance.
I prefer single shot developers, so opened undiluted shelf life would drive my selection.
Stop- with indicator. Can you not ship acetic acid based indicator stop? It seems you can with citric acid based stop?
Fix- Kodafix? Fast, hardener- what kind if shelf life for opened stock and diluted solutions?
Wash- hypo clear from powder. How long a shelf life?

Looking to do 4-8 rolls a month
 
I'd recommend just using one film until you get back into the swing of things.

If you are a Kodak adherent then the developer for you is HC-110. Just dilute it for use.

You do not need a stop bath or hypo clearing agent. Just develop and fix. A few rinses in water after the developer will stop development. KISS. Hypo clearing agent isn't important for film. It will wash quickly without it. Fixer is good for six months at least diluted for use. You'll probably exhaust it before it goes bad. I've never used fixer with hardener. Most films these days have hardened emulsions so you don't really need it, and hardener makes the wash take longer. Up to you though. Doesn't matter either way...
 
Freestyle Photo has 500 ml bottles of Rollei R09 One Shot (Rodinal) developer. It's a nice addition to HC-110 for something different and not a lot of cost. For the low cost of an indicator stop bath, add it. For fixer, Ilford Rapid Fix. Easy to mix, long shelf life. Photographers Forumulary http://stores.photoformulary.com has a good selection of storage bottles. If you split a one liter bottle into four 250 ml bottles there is less oxidation. Wallgreens has stoppers and syringes for bottles making it easy to draw up the proper amount without spilling it. When I first started developing at home, after many years, I would run the water for a pre soak, as a stop and then wash. Then I got a water bill. Now it's adjust the water temperature to mix the developer, fill the tank and let it soak for five or ten minutes and fill a couple of beakers for the Ilford low water usage wash. Stick with one film to start and have fun! If you really want to save time and water, check out the Cinestill Monobath developer/fixer thread.
 
Forget Pan F until you get back into the swing. Nice film, but demanding of technique. Why not T-max 100 as you are already familiar with it, and try a roll or two of T-max 400 for a ccomparison. For Developer with a good shelf life, could do a lot worse that HC-110 or Ilford Ilfotec HC. They are functionally equivalent so get whichever is cheapest where you live. Water can serve as a stop bath to save on chemistry. Good luck.
 
stick with a film you know. nothing wrong with either tmax. FP4 would be a good choice as well.


as stated, you can use a water stop. long term fix, for me is either c41 fix or photo formula tf-5.


for developer, you have a lot of choices. I would go with pyro-hd in glycol. long, multi year shelf life, single use and great results with a lot of films. some people are afraid to use it as its potentially toxic, but most chems are. just use common sense and you will be fine.



john
 
Dig out my old tanks and found some chemicals circa 2005-7. Does Kodak indicator stop in the container go bad? It’s still orange. Does Kodak hypo clear powder go bad?


Also I found an unopened copy of The ECONOMISTS 2002 the year ahead issue, pamphlets for like a M7 and MP, and a CD with Canon’s DPP version 1.1...
 
anselwannab said:
Dig out my old tanks and found some chemicals circa 2005-7. Does Kodak indicator stop in the container go bad? It’s still orange. Does Kodak hypo clear powder go bad?


Also I found an unopened copy of The ECONOMISTS 2002 the year ahead issue, pamphlets for like a M7 and MP, and a CD with Canon’s DPP version 1.1...
Click to expand...

Hypo clear is mainly for paper development and is just an unnescessary extra step with film.
 
Hypo clear has been helpful with tmax films but not necessary. Use it if you got it and the fix washing will go faster, or just wash a bit longer.
 
Anthony Harvey said:
Lovely range of tones, Russell, and the clouds come through too. The vintage lens probably helped as well!
Click to expand...

Thanks, Anthony. I think TMax 400 is my 'go to' film nowadays. The camera cost me fifteen pounds in a charity shop!

Need to try Perceptol though - I use mostly ID-11 but have used HC-110 and DD-X too. Out of the three I think ID-11 has the edge. Rodinal is different but I like it.
 
Anselwannab, Good for you. You can expect to have much better consistency when you process your own film. I agree with those who advise leaving Pan F. It is a demanding film with IMO a narrow range of characteristics. i agree that Ilford FP4 is a brilliant film and my go to from 35 to medium & LF. Unless you're set on TMax 400 (which is a great film)... there is something to be said for using FP4+ & TriX to start out. They're just more forgiving to exposure/development inconsistencies.... & you can get great results. TMax films will give great results, no question about it, but be prepared to work on your exposure & developing technique.
My go-to developer is Pyrocat HD in gylcol. pennies a roll and one shot. Water stop bath and a non hardening fixer (usually TF5). I get my chemicals shipped from Photoformulary in Montana. Also available through B&H or Adorama or Freestyle Photo. Welcome back & best of luck
 
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