(Part 2) Best darkroom supplies according to redditors

I just found a film developing tank from when I took a photography class in college. What's even worse is that it's only been 3 years since I used it so I should have known I had it. Will probably sell it. Or just leave it in the art studio at my college.

I've developed around 200 rolls of film and have never set foot in a dark room. You only need darkrooms if you want to make prints. To go from undeveloped to developed negatives you only need a "daylight" tank (Paterson is a popular brand) and a Dark bag.

Here is everything you need to get started with black and white stand development:

1 reel tank

Dark bag

Church key bottle opener

Scissors with long-ish blades

Adox Rodinal

Fixer

10ml syringe - you will need this to measure rodinal and fixer accurately

generic measuring cups

Optional but nice:

Film clips - you can also substitute laundry clips or use the clips on pants hangers.

Film Squeegee - you can also just use your fingers coated in a bit of water with a drop of soap in it.

Negative Holders




The process is pretty easy.

1) shoot film and rewind entirely into cartridge

2) put tank, reel, lid, cartridge, bottle opener and scissors into bag. Shut off lights - it doesn't need to be perfectly dark, just no intense light.

3) open cartridge with bottle opener, remove film, cut off leader, spool onto reel, put reel into tank, close lid, remove everything from dark bag.

4) mix up a 1:100 solution of rodinal to water making ~300ml (3ml rodinal, 300ml of water)

5) add mixture to tank (do not remove the inner lid), agitate a few times and set a timer for 1 hour

6) during that 1 hour you should mix up a 1:9 solution of fixer (30ml fixer, 270ml water)

7) after an hour, pour out developer, fill and empty the tank with water a few times. Then fill and agitate 5 times, empty, fill and agitate 10 times, empty, fill and agitate 20 times, empty

8) add fixer solution. Agitate for 30 seconds. Then for 6 minutes agitate for 5 seconds every 30 seconds. While you do this, run your shower on its hottest setting until done (this will eliminate most airborn dust in your bathroom)

9) pour the fixer in a air tight container and store it in a dark place (you can use the same mix of fixer about 3 times, adding 2 minutes each time) and repeat the rinsing procedure from step 7

10) open the tank, hang the film somewhere in your bathroom (I usually hang mind from the shower curtain rod using coat hangers), squeegee the film off in 2-3 passes and leave it to dry

11) after 1 hour you should cut the film into strips of 6 exposures each and store in your negative holders

And there you have it, you have developed black and white film! The process is very easy and gets easier every time you do it. Stand development is also VERY economically efficient as you barely use any rodinal per roll and you can reuse the fixer. It massively raises your films apparent sharpness and contrast and can correct for missed exposures to a ridiculous degree. Also, if you want to develop multiple film speeds in one tank, it can do that!

I am happy to answer any questions ANYONE has about home film developing.

Black & white film is very easy to do at home. The main things you need are film tanks and reels (get the metal ones, the plastic ones suck), developer and fixer. A thermometer that can be accurate in the 20º C/68º F is also a must.

You'll need bottles and stuff, but at least initially you can use empty water jugs or something as long as they seal tight. You also need film clips, but you can probably find something laying around the house that will work.

I wouldn't bother with C-41 film these days. It's too pricey and digital is an adequate substitute.

Disregard the other commend about a "red light." Unless you're using hard to come by orthochromatic films you'll fog your film if you try to develop by inspection under a safe light. You have to load the film in total darkness. And a safe light is a distinct thing from like a red party bulb.

You might find this helpful, though it's largely about printing.

There are varying types of film cameras. I prefer medium format, but the least expensive is a 35mm camera. You can get them cheap on eBay, or pawn shops. Watch for them at garage sales as well.

Developing film is pretty easy. You'll want to get a kit. This is similar to the one I bought for myself at college https://cinestillfilm.com/products/start-kit-black-friday-universal-developing-tank-2-film-reels and it worked really well. This is black and white only, to develop color you'll need A LOT more. Here's a short quick guide on B&W film developing https://www.ilfordphoto.com/beginners-guide-processing-film/?___store=ilford_brochure&___from_store=ilford_brochure

Film has it's own unique properties and development times. You'll figure that out as you learn. Here's a guide for times for film https://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php

As far as printing, that's a bit more tricky as you'll need a room with good ventilation and one that has no light leaks. You'll need equipment https://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php and https://www.amazon.com/Beseler-Cadet-II-Enlarger-Black/dp/B0000A9ZBD/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3N7UJM0U1XEJF&keywords=film+enlarger&qid=1573246901&s=electronics&sprefix=film+en%2Celectronics%2C162&sr=1-3 there are cheaper options for both, but this gives you an idea of what you'd need. You'd also need the chemicals, and measuring cups, a way to dry prints, as well as some filters for contrast for the enlarger.

Other things you'll need-negative film holder pages, a way to dry the film (dust free way to hang them if possible-I used to use my empty bathroom right after a thorough cleaning.) A good timer that does not have a light source if you are printing.

its $36 for this kit here. and $19.99 on amazon... here

this is the exact kit i used in college. works great. the only thing you need to develop the photo is water.

Walk into your local camera store and ask to see their photography papers. If that doesn't suite you, Amazon, Ebay, Craigslist, they'd all have papers. Most people I speak to tend to use Ilford papers. It can be cut to size very easily, but needs to be done in a darkroom (you can have some redlights on though). That means that the laser cutter would probably be a bad idea.

While I don't have the model number/name, I uses to use something similar to this, if I recall.

Hello all! I'm going to be developing film for the first time and have some questions about chemicals and proportions.

I'm going to develop black & white film (Kodak T-Max 400) using these 5 chemicals:

1. Kodak Professional T-Max Developer
   
   
2. Kodak Indicator Stop Bath
   
   
3. Kodak Rapid Fixer
   
   
4. Kodak Hypo Cleaing Agent
   
   
5. Kodak Photoflo
   
   There's challenging opinions as to how much I should dilute these chemicals in water and temperature. If someone is willing to help me decide on what proper ratios I should be mixing these chemicals with, that would be amazing!
   
   Thank you! :)

Yes, that's awesome, but this is more than adequate. I have one and it's pretty good. You'll also want a bag for opening the film canister and loading the tank. I think they're like $10. There are a lot of options for chemicals, you can even make your own developer out of household stuff, which is kind of fun to experiment with.

Hey Dom!
thats the stuff I use:
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00FSJOXO2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and antibacterial wipes
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B006H4R4D4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and something like that
https://www.amazon.de/Jabra-6305-Kaiser-Blasebalg-Mini/dp/B00472CAE6/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1474118024&sr=8-6&keywords=mini+blasebalg

I used to use the same method (with a wrist watch, pre smart phone days). It works pretty well if your times aren't long. Consider getting an extension cord with in-line switch to make it easier.

After getting sick and tired of looking at my watch, I started using these photo enlarger timers which is what I've been using ever since. Well, I have a digital one now but essentially the same thing.

As far as the vacuum, I've not needed one for my stuff but I don't do a lot of fine halftones or complicated index prints. If you DO want to do process or index prints, you will probably need the vacuum.

I'd love some input on my current homemade record washing fluid dilemma! Basically multiple questions.

I've used up my record washer fluid that came with my cleaning system (VinylStyl). Now I want to make one of two cheaper, homemade record washer fluids but I don't know which one is a better idea. I also use a vinyl vac for when I don't need to do deep cleaning.

I have a VinyStyl Record spin cleaning system (basically what I think is a better spin clean) and don't want to buy the manufacturer record washer fluid again.

Option one is tergitol with distilled water. And if I do this, would buying a pint of tergitol for ~$22 be more cost effective than buying a product called tergikleen for $22 from Amazon?

Option two is making the more well known 4 part distilled water/ 1 part 99% Isop. alcohol / 0.5 % Ilford Ilfoto wetting agent for ~$23 (cheaper on B&H).

I'm leaning towards option one, with a tergikleen/distilled water setup. My further question is if tergikleen is ok to use with a plastic and goat hair brush spin system like the vinyl styl? Would it have a bad reaction in any way? Or is sticking with an alcohol washer fluid like the manufacturer gives you a better idea?

Also, the con of the tergikleen method is having to rinse in water after. So idk. Tergikleen doesn't contain alcohol (which does damage 78 RPM shellac-based records) so that's nice.

Here are the discussion sources I gathered my cleaning fluid info from: 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 .

Lastly, the prices that record cleaning companies are able to charge for their small volume cleaning fluids is a sham.

These should work.

I wouldn't trust something that's not rated for chemicals over the long term. If you need something bigger, try something like containers meant for photo chemicals - http://www.amazon.com/Chem-Seal-Plastic-Photographic-Chemical-Container/dp/B00009R82G

Is there a specific type of vinegar? I don't want to mess this up my first time.

Also, what fixer do you use? I was thinking of using this one.

Potatolicious has the basics down pat -- not much to add except: Start simple with the chemistry.

You can get some basic Kodak chemicals (D76 developer, fixer and stop bath) for less than $20 on Amazon (link: http://www.amazon.com/Kodak-Black-Developer-Powder-Gallon/dp/B00009R76N -- check out the "frequently bought together" deal on the page)

Over time, if you get into it, you'll find that different film/developer combinations will give a huge range of results that will help you both account for different contrast situations and develop (no pun intended) a personal style. But D76 is pretty basic, forgiving stuff and a geat place to start.

Good luck!