Seasonal developing adjustments

[dfranklin]

At this time of year, the coldest water that comes out of my tap is about 76º F. So, if I use my normal 68º process for film development, I have to be very careful in the wash stage, slowly bringing cooled water up to 76º before washing the film in running water.

The alternative is to use chemistry at 76º (easy enough, because this also happens to be the ambient temperature in my darkroom at this time of year), and adjust my development time accordingly.

I've tried both methods, and have found the results of the higher-temp process to be acceptable. It's a lot more convenient to work at the same temperature as my tap water, so I think that's the way I'll do it in the hot months from now on.

I'm just wondering whether others make seasonal adjustments to their developing process?

 

[Bingley]

I develop a lot using diafine in the summer. Like you, my tap water is pretty warm. If I use another developer that is more temp sensitive, I put the graduates in the fridge to cool down while I load film on reels.

 

[giganova]

I thought about this today, too: tap water is 76º F, so I put two ice cubes into the graduate when I mix the developer to bring the temp down to 68º F. However, that's not enough: the developing tank and ambient air are also 76º F, and the temp of the developer rises during the developing time, so I reduce it by one minute (9 min instead of the usual 10 min at 68º F) to compensate. That gives me perfect negatives.

I don't care about the temp of the stop bath, fixer and wash. They are all at room temp and I never had a problem with that. Doesn't seem to make any difference at all.

 

[charjohncarter]

I use ice to cool down my development, stop, fixer, and hypo clear in the Summer. In the winter I heat the water at the tap. I like the idea for putting the warm Summer water in the refrig until 68 degrees.

 

[KenR]

I’m an ice cube guy. My water just went over 70 degrees so I cool it down tO 68 with ice cubes prior to processing. I don’t adjust times as I assume that things don’t change that much in the 8-12 minutes that I usually use for processing.

 

[Timmyjoe]

Once my developer and fixer are mixed, they go into the freezer until they are at 67ºF in the summer (the time in the development tank raises the temp to 68ºF or 69ºF). I'm fortunate that my tap water (used for stop & wash) will get to 68ºF if I let it run long enough.

For B&W processing, I'm not sure the temps have to be quite this accurate.

Best,
-Tim

 

[css9450]

When summertime arrives, I bring my chemicals and a couple big jugs of water into work with me and put them on the floor in the office. Fortunately for me, the boss likes to keep the offices cool and the AC runs often; the containers on the floor are consistently about 68.5 to 69 degrees.

About the tap water: I am curious now since I've never checked how cool it comes out. Its easy to moderate at 68-70 degrees though.... I might check today since I have my thermometer handy.

 

[DennisM]

Seasonal Developing Adjustments

Seasonal Developing Adjustments

In my case, i process B&W film in a basement darkroom in NJ. My process Summer or Winter is to fill an 11x14 tray with water and adjust temp with ice cubes or hot water until it is at 68 degrees; once there it remains essentially constant for the remainder of the processing time. Then chemicals (developer, stop bath, fixer, and first rinse) are mixed in plastic beakers which are placed in the tray; I use Ilford Rapid Fixer which is a liquid. Temps in the chemicals are adjusted to 68 degrees with ice cubes and/or hot water in plastic baggies; individual thermometers and stirrers in each beaker. After processing, I follow Ilford recommended wash instructions: fill tank with water three times, and agitate 5, 10, and 20 inversions; this supposedly provides long term protection for negatives. In addition, I use the 11x14 tray water for additional wash cycles; in cooler months, I remove the tank cover and wash for an additional 5-10 minutes with tap water which I can adjust to temperature (68 degrees) at the tap. Note that I use a stainless steel tank which is placed in the 11x14 tray between agitation cycles. No issues in over 20 years.