b&w developing kit

[adam.watts]

oh, and thanks guys for all the tips (and Anthony for the containers). i found that rolling the backing off (while separately rolling the film) made it much easier in the dark (roll #2) rather than trying to untangle them before loading on the reel (roll #1). now i just need to get comfortable with this developer and get my process down. really fun stuff.

[KJ Smith]

Nice shot, .......... real nice.

[venchka]

Originally Posted by heespharm

He's gotta learn to crawl before he walks .... But I agree... Try this in a year ...

He is running already. See above.

[venchka]

Originally Posted by adam.watts

the rest of my chemicals came in this afternoon. here's a pic from the first roll.



mamiya 6, 75mm
Kodak Tri-X 400
T-Max 1:4

i only had one snafu: after i dumped in the developer, i forgot to put the lid on the tank before I started agitation. about 1/3 of it went down the drain as i was doing my 180 before i realized what happened. oops, that's not supposed to happen. so i put the lid back on and kept swirling, swishing and flipping it until the 6 minutes were up. i lost three frames in the very center of the reel (way under exposed), i think because they didn't get enough developer on them.

the other three rolls went really well and i'm pleased with the results. now i need to go clean up my mess before the wife gets home.

Are you pouring developer in the dark with the tank lid off? Why?
Put the lid on in the dark. Pour. Start timer. Dump developer with about 15-20 seconds to go. Pour stop when the time goes off.

[adam.watts]

Originally Posted by venchka

Are you pouring developer in the dark with the tank lid off? Why?
Put the lid on in the dark. Pour. Start timer. Dump developer with about 15-20 seconds to go. Pour stop when the time goes off.

The Paterson tank that i have has two lid thingys. One is an internal funnel/lid that clicks into place after the reel is put in (in the darK). Once that is done, the tank is lightproof, and I can turn the lights back on and pour in the developer. But, it then has a thin cap/lid that keeps the liquids in when agitating. That is what I forgot to snap on. Yeah, I messed the timing up on the first two batches. I waited too long to dump the developer (like you said, do it 15 sec before the timer goes off). I was probably about 20 seconds late by the time the stop got in there.

[venchka]

Ok. I've been there. Done that. No worries. Practice makes perfect.
I aim for developer/dilutions/temperatures that yield ~10 minutes minimum time. That way a few seconds + or - aren't fatal.
That is a seriously good photo. Everything is perfect. Including the scanning, which one is it?

[adam.watts]

thanks, that one was from today while the kids were waiting to practice for their piano recital. they occupied themselves by tearing up plastic cups and drawing faces on them and putting them on their heads. a nice feeling knowing i can now have same day development.

i have an Epson V600. i like to scan at 2400 dpi (overkill for web stuff) so if i need to print something off later I can. it's been great so far.

[Alex_Holland]

Wow. Stunning photo. If you've got the willing models why not work with them. Anyways, I think you done good. Your contrast and all looks great.

Also, a tip on reeling film during the day:

If you use a bathroom with a tub, I like to sit in the tub with the shower curtain drawn, that way you don't have to put a towel on the door, you can just rely on the curtain to kill the light crack. Works well for me. And then, everything you need is right there in the tub.

[KD5NRH]

Originally Posted by Alex_Holland

If you use a bathroom with a tub, I like to sit in the tub with the shower curtain drawn, that way you don't have to put a towel on the door, you can just rely on the curtain to kill the light crack. Works well for me. And then, everything you need is right there in the tub.

My preference, rather than light-sealing the closet, is to work in there, facing away from the door and use a couple of cheap black sweatshirts as a changing bag. It's not a bag I would trust in room light, but when it's just the crack under the door I'm not really worried. Never had a problem yet.

Also, look into stand developing with one of the "similar to Rodinal" developers. It's not a method you'll want to use every time, but I've found it to be a great way to get usable negs from a "found in the bag, have no idea what's on it or what speed I shot it at" roll. (Or the occasional "started at speed, but had to switch to a 3 or 4-stop push or pull to get the shutter speed workable later" roll.) The tiny amount of dev needed and the complete lack of interaction during the 1-3 hours (or more; since you're actually depleting the chemical, it doesn't matter if you leave it longer - some folks have reported good results after forgetting about the roll and leaving it in for several days) of dev can come in handy if you want to process some negs during a trip.

Anyway, BW processing is like any other art; don't be afraid to play with it and break a few rules from time to time. I keep a Sharpie in each film camera's bag to mark any rolls with "once in a lifetime, don't screw this up in the tank" shots for careful adherence to published times with fresh, precisely measured chemicals and exact temperatures. Other rolls, I experiment a bit or a lot.

[Alex_Holland]

I think there's a company called Jobo that makes a model 2400 tank. I think the gimmick behind it is that you can load it in the light. You put in the canister somehow. Maybe someone can find a wiki page on it or something.

[wclavey]

This shot is really great, on many levels, but especially for a "first developed roll" shot!

Originally Posted by adam.watts

i lost three frames in the very center of the reel (way under exposed), i think because they didn't get enough developer on them.

The Paterson tank has a plastic center column that goes up the center of the reels from the bottom and catches the bottom of the funnel shaped part on the inside of the lid. If your underexposure was due to too few chemicals (because you dumped some out), it would be the top half of all the negatives, not the center 2 or 3. I suspect that you may not have had the center column in place or not connected correctly to the bottom of the funnel. The center column maintains light tightness with the funnel and leaving it out often kills the first 2-3 negatives nearest the center.

I could be wrong here, but this was a symptom I saw often teaching new developers who were using Paterson tanks, back when I ran the school's darkroom. I even did it myself a time or two - - and you'd think I would know better...

[venchka]

Originally Posted by wclavey

This shot is really great, on many levels, but especially for a "first developed roll" shot!



The Paterson tank has a plastic center column that goes up the center of the reels from the bottom and catches the bottom of the funnel shaped part on the inside of the lid. If your underexposure was due to too few chemicals (because you dumped some out), it would be the top half of all the negatives, not the center 2 or 3. I suspect that you may not have had the center column in place or not connected correctly to the bottom of the funnel. The center column maintains light tightness with the funnel and leaving it out often kills the first 2-3 negatives nearest the center.

I could be wrong here, but this was a symptom I saw often teaching new developers who were using Paterson tanks, back when I ran the school's darkroom. I even did it myself a time or two - - and you'd think I would know better...

Thanks for the reminder. I think this was mentioned in recent darkroom talk. Possibly not in this particualr thread. JOBO & Paterson knockoffs from Beseler, Freestyle, etc. tanks have a similar center tube for the same reason.

No center tube = No lightrap = Ruined film.

However, Adam did say that other rolls were ok. The lack of developer coverage was one contributing factor. If it ever happens again, pour in some more developer.

[Anthony Martinez]

Looks great Adam! Glad the containers worked out for you.