Developing My First Roll of B&W Film.
When I initially started shooting film over a year ago I started by shooting and developing color film. I recall being told several times to start with black and white film since color film is a bit temperamental when it came down to development. Looking back now I think that would have been a great idea, developing black and white film at home is a breeze. The major difference between black and white film and color is the temperature that the films are developed there is also a slight time difference depending on the film. Color film has to be at exactly 102F/38C in order for the chemicals to work correctly mess this up and the colors will be off or the film may not even develop. Let’s talk about black and white film which is all done at room temperature at a comfortable 68F/20C this makes the developing process a breeze and makes the process a lot less stressful.
I would encourage anyone that is interested in developing film at home to start with black and white the process is very difficult to mess up and this can be done in a bathroom. The process of developing film at home is also cost-effective a typical lab will charge up to $17 for a single roll of film that does not even include the enhanced scans or special developing instructions like pushing the film a few stops. Imagine having extra $$$ to spend on more rolls of film and becoming more involved in the film process. Let’s talk about what is needed:
Equipment
The Chemicals-
Developer (Example Kodak D76)
The most expensive chemical will the Perma wash which is around $20 however this chemical comes in a 1-quart bottle and 3oz of this concentrate will make an entire gallon. The other chemicals will cost around $10 dollars each. The developer is best to be mixed as a stock solution to cut down on developing time also to produce the best negatives reusing the developer is not recommended. The cost of the developer is around $10 and one gallon can easily develop up to 12 rolls of film. A lab would typically charge around $200 for 12 rolls of film the saving is already adding up. The fixer is reusable and can be used up to 20 rolls of film just make sure to test it before using it up that many rolls. The rapid stop bath will last a very long time since only a capful is required per developing cycle. The perma-wash is used to cut down the rinsing cycle and help with water conservation. when mixing your chemicals a secret to making them last longer is to use distilled water since it is pure from chemicals and metals.
Mixing Chemicals.
The process of mixing the chemicals is very easy just follow the instruction on the packaging.
Kodak D76 (Powder) - Heat up 3L of distilled water to 122F/50C and place this in the empty gallon container. Then slowly and carefully pour the powder into the bottle once the entire packet is in stir the contents and then add the remaining .8L of water. Now the developer is ready.
Ilford Fixer- Pour the 500ML bottle into an empty gallon container, The instruction indicates (1+4) this means 500ML*4 + 2000ML of room temperature water, shake, and that all the fixer is up and working.
Ilford Rapid stop- Dilution is not needed just use a capful at the time of development.
Perma Wash- add 3oz to one gallon of water tap or distilled.
Chemicals done!
The Developing Process.
The unique thing about black and white film is the developing time, each film will have its own dedicated time. After watching a film developing class I learned about digitaltruth.com this site has all B&W films and there developing times. This site also provides details on how to push or pull the film in the developing process. Using the site is very easy all that needs to be done is to select the developer and the film that was used.
https://www.digitaltruth.com
The film that I am using is the Kodak Tri-X 400 I also pushed this film +1 stop and I am using Kodak D76 in a stock solution. Also, another helpful tip is to download an app called Develop! this app is amazing and it’s free. I create my own recipes for developing my film I can add steps, timers, and intervals to assist with agitation. Let’s get started with the developing process since I am developing a roll of Kodak Tri-X 400 (+1) the developing time is listed as 6:45. The first step is to place the roll of film into the film reels and into the developing tank (in complete darkness) next I make sure that my developer is at 68F/20C if it’s a hot summer day I will usually place my chemicals in an ice bath to lower the temps.
Developer:
Once the chemicals are at the correct temp I first pour in my developer. The bottom of the developing tank will indicate how much developer to use typically for each 35mm roll it’s about 10oz of developer. I will agitate my developing tank for the first 30-40 sec when it comes to agitations its important to invert the tank slowly. If the tank is inverted fast or rough the negatives may have more grain or be less clear. This process is very important for sharp clean negatives just be gentle don’t be too rough or too slow. Once the 40 seconds is up I will agitate once every minute until the timer ends. When the developing process is complete I will pour out my developer and give the film a wash with room temp tap water.
Ilford Stop Bath:
Next, I will add one cap full of the stop bath and fill the tank with room temp tap water. I will let this sit for about 1 minute. Once the minute is up I will do a quick rinse to take pour out the stop bath which is bright orange.
Ilford Rapid Fixer
Next, we add the Rapid fixer into the tank about 10oz per roll of 35mm film once the chemicals are in agitate the tank for the first 10 seconds, then once every minute. Once the time is up this chemical is reusable for up to 20 rolls of film and this can be poured back into the bottle for later use.
Perma Wash
After the fixer is up do a quick rinse and add in the Perma wash for 2 min make sure this fills the developing tank. This chemical helps to reduce the chemicals on the film and cuts down on washing time. Just let the Perma Wash sit for 2 minutes no agitations needed.
Wash the film
The final step is rinsing the film for about 10-12 minutes at this time you can remove the lid to the developing tank since the film is no longer sensitive to light. Once this process is over simply get hang the film to dry and that’s it!
I really enjoy the process of developing black and white film it’s easier and much less stressful than my usual color developing. Again I would strongly encourage anyone that is looking into developing to try out black and white first it will provide a much more enjoyable experience.
Pictures from my first developed roll - Ilford HP+5-Plus - Pushed +1 stop - (800 ISO)