This is primarily aimed at beginners loking for info, but any contributions are welcome.
there are three main chemicals,
developer - ID11 (developes the film)
stop bath - IlfoStop (arrests the development) N.B this stinks
fixer - Rapid Fixer (fixes the developed negatives) NB this REALLYstinks
(i use ilford chemicals, so i'm going to describe what i know)
i begin under the asumption that a film has already been loaded into the developing tank.
all chemicals mixed @20'c (except id11 stock)
DEVELOPER
the developer comes as a powder with two parts, A and B.
A is mixed into 750 ml of water @ 40'c (i dont know the 'f equivalent)
once this is done, part B is mixed in and a further 250ml of water is added.
this makes one litre of STOCK.
NB- in powder form this chemical is DANGEROUS.read the safety warnings first and take adequate precautions.
the stock is then diluted either 1:0, 1:1 or 1:3.to make 375ml per film
1:0 around 6 minutes (check label for time)
1:1 13 minutes
1:3 20 minutes
with all agitate for 10 seconds EVERY minute
developer can only be used once, so after the appropriate time, pour it down the drain(unless you have a chemical recycling plant in your area)
STOP BATH
the stop bath is mixed in the ratio 1:20 to make 375ml per film
pour this in and agitate as before for about 5 minutes
stop bath can be re-used, so pour it into a jar.when it is fresh it will be a yellowish colour,if it is 'spent' it will turn more brownish.or if it has an indicator, purple.
FIXER
fixer is mixed in the ratio 1:4 to make 375ml per film.
after pouring out the stop bath, pour in the fixer. agitate as before for five to ten minutes.
the fixer can be re-used a few times aswell.
your film is now safe to be exposed to light, so take the lid off of the developing tank and put it under a running cold tap and go have a cuppa tea.
splash in a few drops of Wetting Agent if you have it, remove the film and hang it in a warm dust free room to dry e.g. an airing cupboard. never over a radiator.
at no point before fixing should the film ever be exposed to light, even red safelighting will damage it.
The film has to be loaded into the developing tank in pitch darkness, but the chemical process can be done under normal light provided the main lid isn't opened(this is generally a screw top lid with a second rubber lid that can be removed to pour in chemicals)
Agitation is achieved either by using the stirring rod that comes with the tank, or by up-ending the tank twice and tapping it to remove bubbles, though with this method, even with the rubber lid on the tank tends to leak all over the place.
always make sure to pour out all of the previous chemical before the next is added.
you will smell like fixer for about two days afterwards if it gets spilled on you.
there are three main chemicals,
developer - ID11 (developes the film)
stop bath - IlfoStop (arrests the development) N.B this stinks
fixer - Rapid Fixer (fixes the developed negatives) NB this REALLYstinks
(i use ilford chemicals, so i'm going to describe what i know)
i begin under the asumption that a film has already been loaded into the developing tank.
all chemicals mixed @20'c (except id11 stock)
DEVELOPER
the developer comes as a powder with two parts, A and B.
A is mixed into 750 ml of water @ 40'c (i dont know the 'f equivalent)
once this is done, part B is mixed in and a further 250ml of water is added.
this makes one litre of STOCK.
NB- in powder form this chemical is DANGEROUS.read the safety warnings first and take adequate precautions.
the stock is then diluted either 1:0, 1:1 or 1:3.to make 375ml per film
1:0 around 6 minutes (check label for time)
1:1 13 minutes
1:3 20 minutes
with all agitate for 10 seconds EVERY minute
developer can only be used once, so after the appropriate time, pour it down the drain(unless you have a chemical recycling plant in your area)
STOP BATH
the stop bath is mixed in the ratio 1:20 to make 375ml per film
pour this in and agitate as before for about 5 minutes
stop bath can be re-used, so pour it into a jar.when it is fresh it will be a yellowish colour,if it is 'spent' it will turn more brownish.or if it has an indicator, purple.
FIXER
fixer is mixed in the ratio 1:4 to make 375ml per film.
after pouring out the stop bath, pour in the fixer. agitate as before for five to ten minutes.
the fixer can be re-used a few times aswell.
your film is now safe to be exposed to light, so take the lid off of the developing tank and put it under a running cold tap and go have a cuppa tea.
splash in a few drops of Wetting Agent if you have it, remove the film and hang it in a warm dust free room to dry e.g. an airing cupboard. never over a radiator.
at no point before fixing should the film ever be exposed to light, even red safelighting will damage it.
The film has to be loaded into the developing tank in pitch darkness, but the chemical process can be done under normal light provided the main lid isn't opened(this is generally a screw top lid with a second rubber lid that can be removed to pour in chemicals)
Agitation is achieved either by using the stirring rod that comes with the tank, or by up-ending the tank twice and tapping it to remove bubbles, though with this method, even with the rubber lid on the tank tends to leak all over the place.
always make sure to pour out all of the previous chemical before the next is added.
you will smell like fixer for about two days afterwards if it gets spilled on you.
