Chris, Nice video. And great to see a master at work. The thoroughness of your methods is admireable by almost any of us I think. I know I'm certainly impressed. There's a lot to be learned from this video for almost anyone I think. Of course I have some questions: - I've started using a 12L/3 gallon bucket that I just fill up with water that's anywhere from 18-20c/65-68f degrees and then add hot water from my watercooker until it's the desired temperature (20C/68f). After I've done that I've got a HUGE supply of water that's right at the desired temperature which is enough for one developing 'session' (mostly a couple of tanks for me). I have one 'scooping' graduate that I just use as an oversized laddle to transport the water to the graduate I'm actually measuring in. I couldn't help but notice you had the tap running probably about half the duration of the 50 minute video. That's a lot of water wasted! - Is there any reason you're not using the 'Ilford washing method' as opposed to just letting the tank sit under the tap? An average, normal faucet (like the one you're using) uses about 10L/2.5 gallons of water a minute, that's a LOT of water over the course of rinsing the film. Filling up a 30 ounce tank three times takes not even ONE gallon. Much better for the environment, cheaper and on top of that, it's much faster too! Thanks for making these videos! Incredibly helpful.
The Ilford Wash method is fine if you live somewhere where water is in short supply, but it is not as archival a wash method as using running water. Where I live, water is extremely abundant. It rains in Indiana about every 3 days on average. The city I live in gets its water from one of the three rivers that flow through the city, and water is inexpensive here. Keep in mind that I use far, far more water for everyday things like bathing, washing dishes and clothes, and drinking. I develop film about once a week. My son and I EACH take a shower every day. One shower takes about the same water I use for developing a tank of film. So does a couple of loads of laundry. My neighbors water their lawns, which is dumb considering how much it rains here. I don't do that, so I don't feel bad about developing film.
Christopher Crawford Ok good point! What about the bucket though? I've recently started using that and I couldn't be happier. Like you're doing now, I was always fiddling around with the water temperature, which costs a lot of time. Ever since I've started using a bucket I have to measure my temperature once and that's that. Absolutely perfect!
Christopher Crawford That's great to hear! I figured you would've though about it and had a good reason not to do it. It's reassuring to hear that you don't see any downsides to it! Now the big question remaining is whether you're going to change your workflow after 25 years and adopt the bucket into it! ;)
Hi Chris I had heard that you had done some work with a Polaroid SX 70 with the new film and I was curious if you had done any modifications to the camera or if you were able to get good pictures with the camera as is. Thanks for sharing your experience and processes with us. I learned a lot from your videos.
Thanks, I'm glad my tutorials were helpful for you. My SX-70 was modified by a company called Retrospekt to use the 600 film. The SX-70 and 600 films are identical in size, the difference is their ISO speed. I did the modification for two reasons. One is that I needed the higher film speed. The maximum aperture of the SX-70 camera is only f8 and I cannot handhold long shutter speeds well because I had a stroke when I was 37 that made me a little shaky. The other reason is that the unmodifed SX-70 cameras do not give accurate exposures with the SX-70 film being made now. The original SX-70 film was an ISO 100 film, and that is what SX-70 cameras were calibrated to use new from the factory. For some unknown reason, the new Polaroid company decided to make their version of SX-70 film have an ISO speed of 160. This means that photos shot with it will be overexposed 2/3 of a stop unless you turn the lighten/darken control toward the Darken side (the actual correction is one and a half marks on the dial). That makes it hard because you must remember this correction each time you shoot. The folding SX-70 cameras reset their exposure control to 'normal' anytime the camera is closed. Also, even if you always remember it, there will be times you need to use the darken control for certain subjects and will find that the amount you can darken is reduced since the new normal with the film is using up part of your 'darken' control. You can get SX-70 cameras recalibrated for the new faster SX-70 film, but I decided to go for the 600 conversion instead. Aside from that, my camera is not in any other way modified. You can see my SX-70 work at sx70project.com
Chris, Great edu video! may I ask..., when you open a fresh bottle of TMAX developer and use some here and there; how do you store it so as to protect its' longevity/life? Do you keep it in its original bottle or...???
Mike, there are a lot of things that can cause dust on your film. Its possible that your water is dirty, and if so you can fix it by installing filters on your water lines before they connect to your faucet. That's not a very common problem, though. I would look at two things. First, are you washing out your measuring graduates, and thermometer. right before using them? This is important because dust WILL collect in them when you're not using them. Also, watch the inside of your developing tanks. If you leave them sitting out with the lids off when you're not using them, you'll get dust in them just like your measuring equipment. Second, dust can collect on film while it is hanging to dry. If the air is dusty in the room, dust will land on the film while it dries, and any that hits the emulsion side will embed in the soft emulsion and will be near impossible to remove once the film dries and hardens. You don't want any air circulating in the room. No fans running, and keep heating and AC vents closed. Don't let people walk around in the room, that can stir up dust. Laundry rooms are very dusty, so don't hang film in there. I hang mine in my basement. No one goes down there; its just used for storage and for my film developing.
Thanks for the detailed response. I've done every thing you mentioned except for thee filter faucet. However, this seems to only happen when I'm using radinal 1+50 dilution with tmax films . I was told ordinal doesn't like hard water to wash with distilled water for final washing.
I use distilled water to mix all of my chemicals. My developers, fixer, and photo-flo are all diluted using distilled water. I use tap water for washing, but the final rinse is done in the Photo-Flo that's made with distilled. You might try soaking the film in plain distilled water for a minute with constant agitation after washing and before the Photo-Flo. That might help if your tap water is dirty.
I just realized my mistake. I was not adding enough developer to my dilution which was causing thin negatives. The negatives look darker now and it's not picking up all the dust, strange.
Another Q? what fixer do you use; i shoot 35mm and use Kodafix cause it has a built-in Hardner? Thoughts? I fix for a full 10mins.! This according to directions
+Vigor Halieoni You should use a rapid fixer like Kodak Rapid Fix, Ilford Rapid Fixer, and Ilford Hypam. Any of these three would be good. They fix in just 5 minutes. Hardener is not needed with modern films, and is believed to reduce the lifespan of the negatives. The Ilford fixers are non-hardening. Kodak Rapid Fix comes with hardener in a separate bottle that you add to the fixer if you want to use it.
Wow. So much to say and ask. I'm overwhelmed with the amount of water that's wasted in your process. Borderline OCD. Can a brush be used to clean out developer and fixer? Or hot water and brush? All other vids I've seen use buckets or pans with hot water to bring to temp. I guess I'm too anal about the environment.
There's no such thing as "wasting" water. It covers 70% of the planet's surface. If some places have a shortage of water, that is a matter of our inefficient distribution of it. The water in Fort Wayne (The Indiana city where I live that has three large rivers running through it) comes from the Saint Joseph River, it treated and comes to our homes. What goes down the drain goes back to the treatment plant then to the Maumee River. The St. Joseph River is one of the two rivers that form the Maumee, so the water is still ending up where it would have gone if left to nature. Nothing is wasted.
Christopher< Thanks for the tips... Does the fixer have a shelf life? diluted or stock solution. What about chems like HC-110 in stock solution I heard it will last forever but have bottles that are 3 years or so old. Thanks!
Most manufacturers say that the life of the fixer concentrate is good for two years and the diluted fixer for 6 months. Because I process a lot of film, I've never had any fixer around more than a few weeks so I can't say if it will last any longer than those recommended time periods. I have never used HC-110, but if you're still getting good results from a 3 year old bottle, then go ahead and use it. I have used 20 year old Rodinal (another developer reputed to last forever) with results identical to what I got from a brand-new bottle.
I just made a video tutorial demonstrating how I process black and white film, from start to finish. While I am developing the film, I discuss and demonstrate important skills, such as agitation, temperature control, how to properly measure chemicals, and keeping your processing equipment and film clean. ua-cam.com/video/bwFaOJcdaiQ/v-deo.html
Great Demonstraion. Many Thanks.
Great video, Thanks!
Chris,
Nice video. And great to see a master at work. The thoroughness of your methods is admireable by almost any of us I think. I know I'm certainly impressed. There's a lot to be learned from this video for almost anyone I think.
Of course I have some questions:
- I've started using a 12L/3 gallon bucket that I just fill up with water that's anywhere from 18-20c/65-68f degrees and then add hot water from my watercooker until it's the desired temperature (20C/68f). After I've done that I've got a HUGE supply of water that's right at the desired temperature which is enough for one developing 'session' (mostly a couple of tanks for me). I have one 'scooping' graduate that I just use as an oversized laddle to transport the water to the graduate I'm actually measuring in.
I couldn't help but notice you had the tap running probably about half the duration of the 50 minute video. That's a lot of water wasted!
- Is there any reason you're not using the 'Ilford washing method' as opposed to just letting the tank sit under the tap? An average, normal faucet (like the one you're using) uses about 10L/2.5 gallons of water a minute, that's a LOT of water over the course of rinsing the film. Filling up a 30 ounce tank three times takes not even ONE gallon. Much better for the environment, cheaper and on top of that, it's much faster too!
Thanks for making these videos! Incredibly helpful.
The Ilford Wash method is fine if you live somewhere where water is in short supply, but it is not as archival a wash method as using running water. Where I live, water is extremely abundant. It rains in Indiana about every 3 days on average. The city I live in gets its water from one of the three rivers that flow through the city, and water is inexpensive here. Keep in mind that I use far, far more water for everyday things like bathing, washing dishes and clothes, and drinking. I develop film about once a week. My son and I EACH take a shower every day. One shower takes about the same water I use for developing a tank of film. So does a couple of loads of laundry. My neighbors water their lawns, which is dumb considering how much it rains here. I don't do that, so I don't feel bad about developing film.
Christopher Crawford
Ok good point!
What about the bucket though? I've recently started using that and I couldn't be happier. Like you're doing now, I was always fiddling around with the water temperature, which costs a lot of time. Ever since I've started using a bucket I have to measure my temperature once and that's that. Absolutely perfect!
TijmenDal The bucket of temperature-controlled water is a great idea!
Christopher Crawford
That's great to hear! I figured you would've though about it and had a good reason not to do it. It's reassuring to hear that you don't see any downsides to it!
Now the big question remaining is whether you're going to change your workflow after 25 years and adopt the bucket into it! ;)
Thank you !
Hi Chris I had heard that you had done some work with a Polaroid SX 70 with the new film and I was curious if you had done any modifications to the camera or if you were able to get good pictures with the camera as is. Thanks for sharing your experience and processes with us. I learned a lot from your videos.
Thanks, I'm glad my tutorials were helpful for you.
My SX-70 was modified by a company called Retrospekt to use the 600 film. The SX-70 and 600 films are identical in size, the difference is their ISO speed. I did the modification for two reasons. One is that I needed the higher film speed. The maximum aperture of the SX-70 camera is only f8 and I cannot handhold long shutter speeds well because I had a stroke when I was 37 that made me a little shaky.
The other reason is that the unmodifed SX-70 cameras do not give accurate exposures with the SX-70 film being made now. The original SX-70 film was an ISO 100 film, and that is what SX-70 cameras were calibrated to use new from the factory. For some unknown reason, the new Polaroid company decided to make their version of SX-70 film have an ISO speed of 160. This means that photos shot with it will be overexposed 2/3 of a stop unless you turn the lighten/darken control toward the Darken side (the actual correction is one and a half marks on the dial). That makes it hard because you must remember this correction each time you shoot. The folding SX-70 cameras reset their exposure control to 'normal' anytime the camera is closed. Also, even if you always remember it, there will be times you need to use the darken control for certain subjects and will find that the amount you can darken is reduced since the new normal with the film is using up part of your 'darken' control.
You can get SX-70 cameras recalibrated for the new faster SX-70 film, but I decided to go for the 600 conversion instead. Aside from that, my camera is not in any other way modified. You can see my SX-70 work at sx70project.com
Great ! I love shooting film even in 2015 ;)
Chris,
Great edu video! may I ask..., when you open a fresh bottle of TMAX developer and use some here and there; how do you store it so as to protect its' longevity/life? Do you keep it in its original bottle or...???
Nice video. When I develop I get lots of dust spots in my film. I was told it could be my water supply. Any thoughts on this?
Mike, there are a lot of things that can cause dust on your film. Its possible that your water is dirty, and if so you can fix it by installing filters on your water lines before they connect to your faucet. That's not a very common problem, though.
I would look at two things. First, are you washing out your measuring graduates, and thermometer. right before using them? This is important because dust WILL collect in them when you're not using them. Also, watch the inside of your developing tanks. If you leave them sitting out with the lids off when you're not using them, you'll get dust in them just like your measuring equipment.
Second, dust can collect on film while it is hanging to dry. If the air is dusty in the room, dust will land on the film while it dries, and any that hits the emulsion side will embed in the soft emulsion and will be near impossible to remove once the film dries and hardens. You don't want any air circulating in the room. No fans running, and keep heating and AC vents closed. Don't let people walk around in the room, that can stir up dust. Laundry rooms are very dusty, so don't hang film in there. I hang mine in my basement. No one goes down there; its just used for storage and for my film developing.
Thanks for the detailed response. I've done every thing you mentioned except for thee filter faucet. However, this seems to only happen when I'm using radinal 1+50 dilution with tmax films . I was told ordinal doesn't like hard water to wash with distilled water for final washing.
I use distilled water to mix all of my chemicals. My developers, fixer, and photo-flo are all diluted using distilled water.
I use tap water for washing, but the final rinse is done in the Photo-Flo that's made with distilled.
You might try soaking the film in plain distilled water for a minute with constant agitation after washing and before the Photo-Flo. That might help if your tap water is dirty.
I just realized my mistake. I was not adding enough developer to my dilution which was causing thin negatives. The negatives look darker now and it's not picking up all the dust, strange.
Another Q? what fixer do you use; i shoot 35mm and use Kodafix cause it has a built-in Hardner? Thoughts? I fix for a full 10mins.! This according to directions
+Vigor Halieoni You should use a rapid fixer like Kodak Rapid Fix, Ilford Rapid Fixer, and Ilford Hypam. Any of these three would be good. They fix in just 5 minutes. Hardener is not needed with modern films, and is believed to reduce the lifespan of the negatives. The Ilford fixers are non-hardening. Kodak Rapid Fix comes with hardener in a separate bottle that you add to the fixer if you want to use it.
Wow. So much to say and ask. I'm overwhelmed with the amount of water that's wasted in your process. Borderline OCD. Can a brush be used to clean out developer and fixer? Or hot water and brush? All other vids I've seen use buckets or pans with hot water to bring to temp.
I guess I'm too anal about the environment.
There's no such thing as "wasting" water. It covers 70% of the planet's surface. If some places have a shortage of water, that is a matter of our inefficient distribution of it. The water in Fort Wayne (The Indiana city where I live that has three large rivers running through it) comes from the Saint Joseph River, it treated and comes to our homes. What goes down the drain goes back to the treatment plant then to the Maumee River. The St. Joseph River is one of the two rivers that form the Maumee, so the water is still ending up where it would have gone if left to nature. Nothing is wasted.
Christopher< Thanks for the tips... Does the fixer have a shelf life? diluted or stock solution. What about chems like HC-110 in stock solution I heard it will last forever but have bottles that are 3 years or so old. Thanks!
Most manufacturers say that the life of the fixer concentrate is good for two years and the diluted fixer for 6 months. Because I process a lot of film, I've never had any fixer around more than a few weeks so I can't say if it will last any longer than those recommended time periods.
I have never used HC-110, but if you're still getting good results from a 3 year old bottle, then go ahead and use it. I have used 20 year old Rodinal (another developer reputed to last forever) with results identical to what I got from a brand-new bottle.
I just made a video tutorial demonstrating how I process black and white film, from start to finish. While I am developing the film, I discuss and demonstrate important skills, such as agitation, temperature control, how to properly measure chemicals, and keeping your processing equipment and film clean.
ua-cam.com/video/bwFaOJcdaiQ/v-deo.html