Take your film, scissors, processing tank, and bottle opener into your darkroom. Before turning off the light, lay all these items out so that you will know where they are in the dark. (Remember; there should be no light at all in this room.) You should have practiced loading the film onto the tank spool before you try it in the dark. Once the lights are off, pop the top off the film canister using the bottle opener. Carefully remove the film from the canister, and cut the attached spool off. Proceed to load the film onto the processing tank reel. Take your time, it's easy to panic in the dark especially at first. It sometimes takes a couple of tries to get it on correctly. Going slow will also assure that the film doesn't get out of line on the reel. If it does, it won't develop correctly.
Once the film is on the reel, put it in the tank and make sure the lid is replaced securely on the tank. You are now finished working in the dark. The remaining steps can be carried out in light. TIP: if you have difficulty loading the film properly, don't get crazy and turn on the lights!! Load the film into the tank without the reel, cover tightly, and cover it to protect it from light. If I have to do this at home, I bury the tank in the back of the linen closet and close the door before turning on the lights. It gives me a minute to check my reel and clear my head. Turn the lights back off before retrieving the tank and try again. Even pros have trouble loading a reel occasionally. Also, a wet reel is especially hard to load.
1. Your developer should be diluted to work for developing 1-3 rolls of film, and at the right temperature. You can set your tank aside and prepare enough developer to fill the tank. I use tap water, and adjust it till it's the right temperature 65-75*, and then mix my developer. Time, temperature and agitation are crucial for proper development, so take the time to get the temperature right.
Time for 65*-six
minutes/30 seconds
Time for 70*-seven minutes
Time for 75*- seven minutes/30 seconds
You can now pour in the developer. Be sure you know how much time and agitation is required beforehand. The time that the developer will need to stay in the tank will vary according to the temperature ( see list above). You also have to agitate every 30 seconds and let it rest for 30 seconds. When you pour the developer in make sure to allow for the time that you pour the chemicals in and out of the tank. Start your timer, pour the developer in quickly, tap the tank lightly on a counter top, and start the recommended agitation process. Be sure to strictly adhere to the agitation and time recommendations. Over agitating or too much time in the developer can ruin your negatives.
Dump the developer (pour down the drain),
Water Rinse 3X-Ideally the water should be the same temperature as the developer. You are now ready to stop bath the film.
2. Pour in the indicator Stop Bath, agitate for 45 seconds, and then pour back into bottle..
Water Rinse 3X before fixing . (DO NOT OPEN THE TANK.) Ideally the water should be the same temperature as the developer. You are now ready to fix the film.
3. Pour in the
Fixer,
and agitate/rest every 30 seconds for 5 minutes.
You usually have to agitate the film during the entire fixing process. After the
recommended time, you can inspect and rinse the film. TIP: if the film looks
cloudy when you take it out of the fixer, put it back in, and agitate for
another 2-3 minutes. That will clear it up.
Water Rinse
for at least 3x after fixing.
4. Pour in the Hypo-clear (this reduces the final water rinse time) and agitate/rest every 30 seconds for 6 minutes.
Wash the film for at least 5 minutes after hypo-clear.
Using only a drop of Photo-flo, place drop in tank- fill with water ( should get real bubbly)
Use your fingers to squeegee to remove excess water. Hang the film up to allow it to dry. Blow-drying is not recommended.
Allow ample time for negatives to dry. The emulsion will be sticky, and easy to damage while damp. After thorough drying the negatives are ready to use. For extra protection, cut the negatives into strips to fit in plastic negative sleeves.
Photo developing chemicals are hazardous. Always use care, and avoid spending prolonged periods of time in unventilated areas.
Developer _________
Water Rinse ___________
Stop-Bath _________
Water Rinse ___________
Fixer ________
Water Rinse ___________
Hypo-Clear ____________
Water Rinse ___________
Photo-Flo ___________
Hang to dry