Thanks so much, Roger. This is excellent.
all the best,
Mark Street
On Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 6:14 PM, Roger D. Wilson rogerdwil...@sympatico.ca
wrote:
This may help you out Mark, it's a post from my blog.
Hand Processing 16mm black and white film
Materials for processing film as negative:
Kodak D-76 Developer (powder)
Kodak Rapid Fixer with Hardener (do not mix in hardener if you plan to
tint and tone film)
2 - 4 litre photographic chemical storage containers
1 Flat-top thermometer
1 Measuring graduate
4 - large 10 litre pails (purchase paint mixing pails from Home Depot)
1 Funnel
1 Pair rubber gloves
1 Face mask
1 Pair scissors
1 Length of string and clothes pegs
1 Pair goggles
1 Photographers loupe
1 Watch that glows in the dark
You should process film in a room that has running water. The room
should also have good ventilation. You will need complete darkness to
process the film so the room also needs to be light tight. Bathrooms work
best and most have a ceiling fan. If your bathroom has a window you can
cover it with black foam core or any material that will prevent light from
leaking in. Turn lights off and wait a few minutes and let your eyes adjust
to the darkness. If you see your hands in front of your face it is not dark
enough.
Caution: Remember you are working with chemicals so be careful and use
goggles, rubber gloves and process the film in a well ventilated room.
Step by Step Instructions
To develop film as negative:
1. Pre-mix chemicals using Kodak’s instructions on packaging. Store
chemicals in proper photographic storage containers. Label the containers
with contents and date of mixing. I usually replace developer after 1000’
of 16 film or after it has sat for more than two months. Fixer lasts longer
so check mixing instructions for how long to store chemicals.
2. I usually use warm water to mix the chemicals so I allow the
chemicals to sit until they get to room temperature before I start to
process film. Kodak recommends processing the film in developer that is
between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius temperature. The warmer the water the
shorter the develop time.
3. Place side by side on the floor or in tub your 4 pails. Pour into the
first pail the Kodak Developer then fill the pail directly beside it with
water. In the third pail pour in the Rapid Fixer and fill the fourth pail
with water.
4. Double check that your room is light tight, if not fix light leaks
before processing film.
5. If room is completely dark then take your roll of exposed 16mm film
out of its film can. Unravel in your hand the amount of film you wish to
process. The less you process at a time the cleaner your results will be
(less scratches and unprocessed areas). Place film that you will not be
processing back into film can and secure it so light does not expose it
when you turn the lights back on.
6. Take the film that is in your hand and dunk it into the D-76
developer, continuously agitate the film during processing. I usually
process black and white film for 3.5 minutes in D-76 chemicals but I
recommend doing your own tests as well because this also depends on how you
expose your film in camera.
7. At the 3.5 minute point take film out of Developer and dunk in water
and rinse film, agitate film in water for 2 minutes.
8. At 2 minute point pull film out of water and dunk in Rapid Fixer.
Agitate the film in the Fixer for 4 to 6 minutes.
9. After the film has been fixed pull it out and place it in the final
water rinse. At this point you can turn the lights back on. I usually rinse
the film for at least 20 minutes, replenishing the water a couple times.
10. After rinsing hang the film up on a string to dry.
11. After the film has completely dried find tail end and roll back onto
spool/core.
12. Exposure times using G-3 Morse Tank and D-76 Developer
Developer 8 minutes: 8 passes through tank (1 pass would be transferring
entire roll from one reel to the other), each pass should take about a
minute.
Rinse in water 6 minutes: I like to really rinse my film off well so
that my chemicals last longer. I fill the tank up with fresh water between
each full cycle pass (full cycle pass would be transferring the entire roll
of film from one reel to the other and then back again to first reel). I do
this three times, each full cycle taking 2 minutes in total depending on
how fast you turn handle.
Fix in Kodak Rapid fixer 12 minutes: 12 passes through tank (1 pass
would be transferring entire roll from one reel to the other), each pass
should take about a minute.
Final Rinse in water 25 minutes: Rinse film off well because any fix
left on film will leave white marks behind. I fill the tank up with fresh
water between each full cycle pass (full cycle pass would be transferring
the entire roll of film from one reel to the other and then back again to
first reel). I do this eight times, each full
