DD-X! The all-time easiest 2-stop push developer! Stand for 45 minutes, 3 inversions, dilution of 1:9. Works for Foma 100, 400, all the Deltas, HP5, Trix, everything I've tried. Shadows on zone 4. It'll hold the highlights too - in fact it won't hurt to do +0, +1, or +2 in the same tank. Great stuff sir!
I prefer using leader retriever over can opener and try to not get leader in the canister if possible. You can cut it in light and put the ends on the reels with lights on (I usually do multiple rolls in same time). There is about 4-6" of blank in the end to start with. Anyone unsure of loading can always try with a test roll a couple times to get hang of it. Developing b&w is so easy probably everyone gets decent results from the first time.
I haven't developed myself in a lot of years but used to do 35mm. I prefer to leave a bit of film out of the cassette as mentioned in the video. It's just easier to get the film on to the spool when it's not dark. Usually you can feel when the film is almost into the spool and some cameras with auto rewind let you choose it as an option. One more thing you should have when developing yourself - a dust free room for drying the film (the bathroom mentioned is often a good candidate).
Instead of running the shower you can also get a small garment steamer and turn it on. It will use a lot less water than running the shower for 5 or 10 minutes.
That is the same process I use. Your explanation and demonstration is terrific. I practiced loading one roll of "sacrificed" film on the spools many times before I tried it with good film to be actually developed.
Looks easy, but..loading film especially 120 can be a pain, the film can curl inwards making contact with the reel grooves difficult or impossible, therefore I keep the end of film which has paper glued onto it, on and start with that end. That provides a spine of sorts and ensures that there is enough width to make contact with the reel. Works for me. Also I keep spare reels on hand because for whatever reason, the film simply refuses to load on a particular reel and I simple swap out reels. Ive used the same bottle opener for decades to crack open 35mm cassettes and one thing you did omit in this excellent tutorial is a list of appropriate curse words when it all goes sideways. Trust me it will. 😮
I thought I knew pretty much everything about developing black and white and have the massive dev app but didn’t know you could alter the temperature, well worth it for that alone!
Bonus tip: I found I have to wear gloves for loading the film. If you get sweaty/clammy hands the moisture is enough to impact how well the film goes onto the reel. Latex gloves fixed this for me.
As someone that shoots 35 and wants to get into 120 as well you skipped the one part I wanted to see assuming we all knew which was prepping the film for loading onto the spool! I’ve never had to deal with removing the backing so I have no clue.
It's fairly simple. You just unroll the film until you get to the end where it's taped on to the backing paper. Then just pull it off, and pull off the tape.
Be very careful with the thermometer you choose. Some thermometers have mercury which could be very bad if you break it. The Patterson kit thermometer broke on mine after a few uses (my fault) so be very gentle with it. Great video Kyle.
Great film thank you very much. Could you make a follow up to this video with the next process, scanning and post processing to the final image please?
Do you only use the chemicals once? I havent developed a ton of film but quite a few rolls when i went to photography school for a year. We had chemicals and developing stuff at school and we used the same chemicals for like 10-15 rolls i think without a problem, kodak d76. No idea if this was the correct thing to do but sure worked fine! Same with stop and fix!
You can get two rolls of 120 onto a single reel! This skill needs a bit of extra practice but is totally worth it for scaling up and optimising the yield :)
Wow.... that brings back memories! Was a big fan of Rodinal. Used to have a Durst Mod70 with Multi grade head. What do you use to print? or do you just scan?
Love this... it's so easy to do. I recommend Ilfosol too as it's cheap. I run at 1:14 so one 500ml bottle lasts ages... but watch how you store it. Tank can come from eBay, and rather than graduates... you can use mixing jugs from home stores for dirt cheap. As long as you can measure reasonable accurately. Also, rather than the carplan water... in the UK, look up "spotless water". It's what the window cleaners use and is purified. It's 23p a gallon! Perfect.
Same rules, but you typically reduce B&W development time by about 15% from the stated value (8:30 in this case, instead of 10:00) thanks to the constant agitation. For C-41, you don't reduce the time.
Yep, as mentioned, colour is the same, B&W rotary you deduct 15%. You can actually factor that in with the app I showed and it will adjust time accordingly.
"A pre-rinse is not recommended as it can lead to uneven processing." -- from the Ilford FP4 Plus technical information. But it may be different for other films.
May want to check out Figital Revolution YT channel's "Pre-wet for Film Processing" from July 17, 2021 about the why and how of prewash. TL;DW version: wet with distilled water at development temperature for 2 minutes (for stand development 10). As he always says: test & verify for yourself.
I use "Spotless Water" in the UK. 23p a gallon. It's what the window cleaners use these days. There must be clean water suppliers worldwide, but it solves my hardwater issues cheaply.
Great video - super helpful. As someone coming back to film after almost 2 decades in digital, id love to see you do a video of the entire process, from taking photos, developing (maybe even a link to this video), scanning, editing and then posting.
Thanks kyle great video. I was wondering if you reuse stopbath and fixer. And if you do ho you store those and for how long you use it? Maybe you did mention it in the video but i did not got it😊
I do. Probably not enough though. I usually mix them up and use them for a developing session, which will often be around 3 batches of film (four sheets of 4x5, 3 times). I could probably get much more mileage out of them.
Where I live the water is pretty hard so I use the de-ionised for mixing chemicals otherwise the film looks like it was processed in a salt pan 🤪 Also if you want a deep dive into BW developers have a look at John Finch's book "The Art of Black and White Developing". Amazing level of detail. (not associated just impressed)
You missed an important phase. First step is washing the film. Simply pour tapwater to the tank and agitate or roll the tank for five mins. There are two benefits: some film has dirty (e.g. bamboo soot) anti-halation layer which can pollute your developer. The another benefit is that the gelatin and the emulsion will swell and your film absorbs the developer better. And if you don’t want to buy stop bath you can use white vinegar from kithen (10% vinegar: 10 ml to 1 liter water).
Personally I do a pre-wash of the film before putting the developper in. Also I remove the excess water with a piece of kitchen towel before letting the film dry. I would advice not to use a film squeegee as It scratches the film (been there!)
Some tips: a) What really helped me when loading film was using disposable gloves in the changing bag. This prevent hands sweating and the film getting stuck to the reels from the moisture. b) A second tip is to fold the tape of 120 film over the film border to stiffen up that end and use it to lead onto the spiral. It can retain more water when you're done with developing which will then pour over your film and potentially cause stains so it's best to hang the film so that the tape is on the bottom, or just cut it off after you're done. c) If you use Photoflo or similar chemicals to prevent water stains its important to rinse the spirals and tank with hot water to get rid of it, because it has a soapy sticky consistency that can lead to the film sticking on the spiral if there is residue. d) don't use squegees to dry film. Inevitably you will get a bit of grit on it and then it will rake across your negatives.
The first 500 people to use my link skl.sh/kylemcdougall09241 will get a 1-month free trial of Skillshare premium!
Fuck you for using a sponsor. We have enough advertisement on TH-cam without having yet another TH-camr trying to sell us something.
DD-X! The all-time easiest 2-stop push developer! Stand for 45 minutes, 3 inversions, dilution of 1:9. Works for Foma 100, 400, all the Deltas, HP5, Trix, everything I've tried. Shadows on zone 4. It'll hold the highlights too - in fact it won't hurt to do +0, +1, or +2 in the same tank.
Great stuff sir!
I prefer using leader retriever over can opener and try to not get leader in the canister if possible. You can cut it in light and put the ends on the reels with lights on (I usually do multiple rolls in same time). There is about 4-6" of blank in the end to start with. Anyone unsure of loading can always try with a test roll a couple times to get hang of it.
Developing b&w is so easy probably everyone gets decent results from the first time.
Leader retriever ftw every time
I haven't developed myself in a lot of years but used to do 35mm. I prefer to leave a bit of film out of the cassette as mentioned in the video. It's just easier to get the film on to the spool when it's not dark. Usually you can feel when the film is almost into the spool and some cameras with auto rewind let you choose it as an option.
One more thing you should have when developing yourself - a dust free room for drying the film (the bathroom mentioned is often a good candidate).
Another blessing from Lord McDougall 🙌
Instead of running the shower you can also get a small garment steamer and turn it on. It will use a lot less water than running the shower for 5 or 10 minutes.
Good idea.
I really do miss the smell of fixer in the morning. Good vid 👍
That is the same process I use. Your explanation and demonstration is terrific. I practiced loading one roll of "sacrificed" film on the spools many times before I tried it with good film to be actually developed.
Looks easy, but..loading film especially 120 can be a pain, the film can curl inwards making contact with the reel grooves difficult or impossible, therefore I keep the end of film which has paper glued onto it, on and start with that end. That provides a spine of sorts and ensures that there is enough width to make contact with the reel. Works for me. Also I keep spare reels on hand because for whatever reason, the film simply refuses to load on a particular reel and I simple swap out reels. Ive used the same bottle opener for decades to crack open 35mm cassettes and one thing you did omit in this excellent tutorial is a list of appropriate curse words when it all goes sideways. Trust me it will. 😮
I thought I knew pretty much everything about developing black and white and have the massive dev app but didn’t know you could alter the temperature, well worth it for that alone!
Such a handy feature!
We need one for color development!!!
Bonus tip: I found I have to wear gloves for loading the film. If you get sweaty/clammy hands the moisture is enough to impact how well the film goes onto the reel. Latex gloves fixed this for me.
The film bag sweats are for real😂
@@dan.allen.digitalnothing fills me with more rage than getting sweaty in there and not being able to get the film rolled on.
Great video, thank you Kyle!
Now we need some guide how to darkroom printing 🙏
Thanks. Darkroom printing is something that I haven't done in a long time. Need a refresher!
As someone that shoots 35 and wants to get into 120 as well you skipped the one part I wanted to see assuming we all knew which was prepping the film for loading onto the spool! I’ve never had to deal with removing the backing so I have no clue.
It's fairly simple. You just unroll the film until you get to the end where it's taped on to the backing paper. Then just pull it off, and pull off the tape.
Great video, thank you for posting.
You're welcome.
Distilled/de-ionized water is an absolute necessity where I live, Bristol water leaves spots all over my negatives if I just use tapwater
Yeah, a must for me as well.
Be very careful with the thermometer you choose. Some thermometers have mercury which could be very bad if you break it. The Patterson kit thermometer broke on mine after a few uses (my fault) so be very gentle with it. Great video Kyle.
This is such a great video!!!
Great film thank you very much. Could you make a follow up to this video with the next process, scanning and post processing to the final image please?
I've done quite a few scanning/conversion videos in the past sharing the process. I have a few more coming as well, in the near future.
Thank you Kyle
You're welcome.
Do you only use the chemicals once? I havent developed a ton of film but quite a few rolls when i went to photography school for a year. We had chemicals and developing stuff at school and we used the same chemicals for like 10-15 rolls i think without a problem, kodak d76. No idea if this was the correct thing to do but sure worked fine! Same with stop and fix!
Developer yes, but stop and fix I'll use multiple times. You can get replenishers for the developer, which is what was likely used at your school.
You can get two rolls of 120 onto a single reel! This skill needs a bit of extra practice but is totally worth it for scaling up and optimising the yield :)
Did that once, and completely killed both of them hah. One thing that I need to practice.
Wow.... that brings back memories! Was a big fan of Rodinal. Used to have a Durst Mod70 with Multi grade head. What do you use to print? or do you just scan?
Just scan at the moment.
@KyleMcDougall I've got so close to buying a mechanical film camera, but unless I can develop and print it seems a bit pointless.
Love this... it's so easy to do. I recommend Ilfosol too as it's cheap. I run at 1:14 so one 500ml bottle lasts ages... but watch how you store it. Tank can come from eBay, and rather than graduates... you can use mixing jugs from home stores for dirt cheap. As long as you can measure reasonable accurately. Also, rather than the carplan water... in the UK, look up "spotless water". It's what the window cleaners use and is purified. It's 23p a gallon! Perfect.
I'll look it up. Thanks!
Can you reuse any of the chemicals?
Developer no. Stop and fix, yes.
Does the same rules apply if using a rotary film processor, as the rotation is constant?
Same rules, but you typically reduce B&W development time by about 15% from the stated value (8:30 in this case, instead of 10:00) thanks to the constant agitation. For C-41, you don't reduce the time.
@@Shaka1277 great! Thank you!
Yep, as mentioned, colour is the same, B&W rotary you deduct 15%. You can actually factor that in with the app I showed and it will adjust time accordingly.
@@KyleMcDougall appreciate it! Keep up the great content 🙌🏾
Do you not have to worry about fingerprints on undeveloped film?
I've never had issues. I try to handle it with care.
I thought that's what daughters are for!!
No prewash?
Not needed with most modern films
"A pre-rinse is not recommended as it can lead to uneven processing." -- from the Ilford FP4 Plus technical information. But it may be different for other films.
May want to check out Figital Revolution YT channel's "Pre-wet for Film Processing" from July 17, 2021 about the why and how of prewash. TL;DW version: wet with distilled water at development temperature for 2 minutes (for stand development 10). As he always says: test & verify for yourself.
I only prewash Rollei IR400. The ilford FP4, HP5 and Delta don't need prewash
Not for B&W. For colour in the Jobo rotary, I prewash.
29:00 Do you need to filter your water if you live in a Hard Water area?
I use "Spotless Water" in the UK. 23p a gallon. It's what the window cleaners use these days. There must be clean water suppliers worldwide, but it solves my hardwater issues cheaply.
I always use distilled or deionised for a final rinse
@@KyleMcDougall I mean the tap water you used before that.
Oh, gotcha. I do for mixing colour chemicals, but just tap water for the BW.
@@KyleMcDougall I live in a hard water area so there's lots of calcium in the tap water - is that going to stain the negatives when I wash them?
all I need to do is remember not to get excited and dump my fixer down the drain and I'm good to go lol.
Great video - super helpful. As someone coming back to film after almost 2 decades in digital, id love to see you do a video of the entire process, from taking photos, developing (maybe even a link to this video), scanning, editing and then posting.
A fellow DD-X man I see
Thanks kyle great video. I was wondering if you reuse stopbath and fixer. And if you do ho you store those and for how long you use it? Maybe you did mention it in the video but i did not got it😊
I do. Probably not enough though. I usually mix them up and use them for a developing session, which will often be around 3 batches of film (four sheets of 4x5, 3 times). I could probably get much more mileage out of them.
Where I live the water is pretty hard so I use the de-ionised for mixing chemicals otherwise the film looks like it was processed in a salt pan 🤪
Also if you want a deep dive into BW developers have a look at John Finch's book "The Art of Black and White Developing". Amazing level of detail. (not associated just impressed)
I'll look it up. Cheers.
You missed an important phase. First step is washing the film. Simply pour tapwater to the tank and agitate or roll the tank for five mins. There are two benefits: some film has dirty (e.g. bamboo soot) anti-halation layer which can pollute your developer. The another benefit is that the gelatin and the emulsion will swell and your film absorbs the developer better.
And if you don’t want to buy stop bath you can use white vinegar from kithen (10% vinegar: 10 ml to 1 liter water).
Personally I do a pre-wash of the film before putting the developper in. Also I remove the excess water with a piece of kitchen towel before letting the film dry. I would advice not to use a film squeegee as It scratches the film (been there!)
Wow I was just thinking about diving into b&w development at home, thanks for this Kyle!
Go for it... you'll love it.
Hope it helps. Cheers!
Some tips: a) What really helped me when loading film was using disposable gloves in the changing bag. This prevent hands sweating and the film getting stuck to the reels from the moisture. b) A second tip is to fold the tape of 120 film over the film border to stiffen up that end and use it to lead onto the spiral. It can retain more water when you're done with developing which will then pour over your film and potentially cause stains so it's best to hang the film so that the tape is on the bottom, or just cut it off after you're done. c) If you use Photoflo or similar chemicals to prevent water stains its important to rinse the spirals and tank with hot water to get rid of it, because it has a soapy sticky consistency that can lead to the film sticking on the spiral if there is residue. d) don't use squegees to dry film. Inevitably you will get a bit of grit on it and then it will rake across your negatives.
How do you dispose of the used fix once it’s out of date?
This literally is what I was just looking for video-wise. I haven't done it in a while, so thank you for the refresher!
You're welcome. Cheers.
what changing tent do you use?
Photoflex Changing Room
@@KyleMcDougall thank you! 🙏