On 9/7/07, P. J. Alling <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 1. Someplace dark to move film around, (I use a closet after midnight, > but I'm thinking of investing in a film changing bag).
You can get a film changing bag from B&H for $25 or so. Works quite nicely, once you get the hang of loading film onto reels. I would recommend sacrificing a few rolls of old/expired/cheap film (doesn't matter color or B&W) towards the effort of learning how to pop open a film cartridge and load it onto a reel. > 2. Film developing tank, (I prefer stainless steel with PVC plastic > tops, but almost any will do). I like the all-plastic ones with the built-in funnels myself. That, and I find it easier to load film onto the ratcheting plastic reels than onto metal spiral reels. I use a tank big enough for 3 reels of 35mm, which also comes out to 2 reels of 120 film. If you're using D76 diluted 1:1, you'll only be able to run 2 full 36-shot reels of 35mm film in a full tank of developer, anyway. > 3. Reels to match the tank, and your film format. (I prefer Kinderman, See above about the plastic reels. A hair dryer with a no-heat setting (or a disconnected element) works well for drying the reels. Don't dry your film that way, though. > 4. Minimum three bottles for working solutions. One for Fixer, one for > Stop, one for Developer). You can skip the stop bath, and just rinse the > film with water, but it's cheap and Ilford produces a citric acid > version that's very environmentally benign. You can use a varsity of If you're REALLY in a bind for stop bath, go to the supermarket, buy a bottle of white vinegar, and mix it 1:1 with water. "Standard" stop bath is simply acetic acid, with a pH indicator mixed in, so you can tell if it's used up. If you use rapid fixer, be prepared to do a LOT of rinsing, or get some fixer remover (hypo clearing agent). If you don't use rapid fixer, fix your film for a minute longer than you think it should take, and change out your fixer often. > other chemicals as well to make your live easier. I usually treat my > film with Kodak photo flo, (really just a very concentrated detergent, > which improves chances that the film will dry spot free). Never made a > stock or working solution. an old cap from a bottle that takes a screw PhotoFlo is very necessary around here, thanks to the somewhat-hard water. I squeege my film with my fingers after treating in PhotoFlo, and hang it up to dry. > 6.) Some kind of timer. (I've been using my watch, a dedicated timer is > nice but not necessary, if you're capable of enough organization to have > gotten this far a watch is all you need). Darkroom timers are actually decently cheap on ebay. Even Alton Brown uses one on his cooking show to time things in the oven. But a cheap digital cooking timer is more than adequate. Oh yeah, and when doing this in your sink at home, make sure you clean up any mess you leave. The chemicals have a tendency to stain if left to sit on counters and other surfaces. The darkroom I use has a strict policy about cleanup, and a mop and sponges available. -Mat -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
