Jumping Back In

[JoeV]

Hi Folks,

I haven't processed film for some years, having been fixated with pinhole and handmade cameras, paper negatives and Harman Direct Positive Paper. But I had three rolls of Ilford FP4 Plus, sitting on a shelf in my office, from I didn't know how many years back. I finally decided to get back into processing them.

It turns out they were seven years old, and processed nicely in R09 at 1 + 25 for 8 minutes.

Now, with that as inspiration, I've loaded my Minolta X700 with some HP5 and now find myself itching to shoot and develop film once again.

I wrote a blog article about my experience. I hope this serves as inspiration for others, to get back into film.

http://pinholeobscura.blogspot.com/2016/05/jumping-back-in.html

~Joe

 

[charjohncarter]

I read your blog even though I've been processing for almost sixty years. Your drying cabinet started me rethinking about building one. What is a laminar flow blower?

 

[JoeV]

Laminar air flow is what cleanrooms use to minimize particulate contamination. Basically unturbulent air flowing from the top down, filtered with a HEPA filter.

I made mine with a computer fan and HEPA filter cartridge from a vacuum cleaner. The cabinet is a wooden frame of 1" square sticks, sheathed in aluminum flashing (that comes in rolls from the hardware stores), attached to the frame with adhesive and screws. Light and strong construction. The fan/filter/lamp is on top, with switches and a fuse for safety, with a labyrinth trap in the bottom so the airflow can exit the cabinet without dust coming back in. The door uses a piano-type hinge and is sealed with weather stripping foam.

The base of the cabinet is on caster wheels, with a handle on either side. It's light enough to pick up and carry if needed, and tall enough for 36 exposure film rolls.

~Joe