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helen's First Attempts @Developing

cam

Active member
what a sweet thing! and you're telling me -- i went to Goddard for a few years.... my favourite place on earth to be at that time of year. the reds just slay me!
 
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Oxide Blu

Guest
Helen, welcome to the dark side of photography. :D

Bob casually mentioned it, let me drive the point home: STAY OUT OF THE CHEMISTRY!!!

Or to rephrase that; STAY OUT OF THE CHEMISTRY!!!

Metol is one of several chemicals used in photography that can cause an allergic reaction in your skin. You may not have an initial reaction, it may be delayed. But once you get a reaction it can take 20+ years to go away, supposedly. I have know several photographers with the condition, one that still had the reaction 15-years after his last contact with photo chemistry.

You should be wearing vinyl gloves (available wherever household cleaning supplies are sold -- as a woman you prob already know that :D). After loading your film, you put on your gloves BEFORE you pop open the chemistry. Make it a habit.

Next, there is oodles of info on developing film, less on fixing it. I'm going to suggest you move to TF-4 fixer (or TF-3, if you make it yourself -- cheaper). It is good stuff, makes developing a whole lot easier and faster, both film and paper.

TF-4 is here: http://www.photoformulary.com/Deskt...&tabindex=2&categoryid=3&selection=0&langID=0

They are ammoniun thiosulphate fixers, archival quality results, much higher pH (close to the developing pH) than the commonly used lower pH acid fixers. No need for stop bath, wash times are seriously shortened. Again, both for paper and film.
 

helenhill

Senior Member
Helen, welcome to the dark side of photography. :D

Bob casually mentioned it, let me drive the point home: STAY OUT OF THE CHEMISTRY!!!

Or to rephrase that; STAY OUT OF THE CHEMISTRY!!!
D**N, and here I thought the Inhaling & Drinking while Souping was doing Wonders for my Skin..... No Seriously I take your ADVICE to heart and DO ALWAYS wear Gloves
I have stayed away from xtol & D76 (even though I want to use them but don't like the aspect of powders)

Many Thanks for your Link & Advice :)
 
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maddoc

New member
Helen, the first one looks great !! Very well done !! :) Welcome to the dark side of photography ! (... the real photography ! ;))

I dunno what happened in the last one, looks a to grainy to my eyes (but could also be over sharpened after scanning ?). Rodinal ? Remember with Rodinal to keep the temperature exactly at 20 degrees Celsius or a tad below ! I usually use 19 to 19.5 degrees Celsius.

Keep going !!

Cheers,

Gabor
 

helenhill

Senior Member
Hey Gabor...Hello
I'm Embaressed to say after all your Fine Help
The other shots and ones posted in 'more leica M Fun ' analog thread
I followed YOUR recipe !! It was Brilliant ...THANX ;)
however this last shot I got spaced out and DID 1:4 instead of 1:50 /rodinal at 20 celsius

So I killed the Film with that ratio- too strong / it was arista 400
One would have thought neopan 1600 with all that grain
(I DO LOVE neopan 1600 /one of my favorites )

Don't know what I was thinking when mixing :ROTFL:

Best to You :cool:
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
Helen,
Well now you know how to get that effect :)
Sometimes darkroom accidents generate new techniques.
-bob
 
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Oxide Blu

Guest
... however this last shot I got spaced out and DID 1:4 instead of 1:50 /rodinal at 20 celsius

So I killed the Film with that ratio- too strong / it was arista 400
One would have thought neopan 1600 with all that grain

You can get that grain without "killing" your film :ROTFL: by using any phenol developer (like Rodinal) on a tabular grain film (like Kodak T-max or Ilford's Delta), process warm (above 20C) following the recommended dev times, and shake the crap out the tank when you agitate. No gentle agitation. Be sure to tap the tank after agitating to dislodge any air bubbles you got on the film abusing it during agitation. ISO 400 films work great, a mid-point on the graininess you are going to create. Higher ISO films produce exponentially grainier results using this developing scheme. :thumbup: Even ISO 100 tabular grain films can be made grainy and they have more contrast than ISO 400 and up.

I haven't followed Freestyle's products in years, but their 'D' film was -- past tense, don't know any more -- was being made in an Ilford factory that closed, re-opened making generic film that was amazingly similar to Ilford product. At the time some folks speculated it was rebranded Ilford film. It also worked with this scheme to create grainy negs.
 
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