Post by cooltouch on Jun 7, 2015 14:46:34 GMT -5
Hi Folks,
I'm new here, but I got a request to share how I develop my own C-41 and E-6 films. So I thought I'd share what I do here. Feel free to comment if you have questions or suggestions.
For this procedure, you need a styrofoam box or cooler, bottles of the right size for the chems you'll mix, and an accurate thermometer. Don't skimp on the thermometer -- it's your most important tool for this process.
First off, I realized I needed a way to keep the chemicals' temperatures stable, since this is the most important aspect of developing color films. The temps I tried to maintain were around 104F --- I'd have to refer to the individual chemicals to find out the exact temp, but that value is close.
To keep the temps stable, I decided to use a styrofoam container to use for a bath to keep the chems' temps stable. For this I have a box that was used to ship steaks via mail-order. These boxes are packed with frozen steaks and dry ice to keep them frozen. The walls are quite thick -- about 2" all the way around. The interior is big enough to hold about a 12-pack of beer, to give you a rough idea of size.
If you don't have one of these boxes, that's ok. You can also buy for cheap at your typical grocery store a styrofoam cooler designed to keep beer or sodas cold. Its sides won't be as thick, but they're thick enough to hold the heat in.
So I start by running my sink's hot water until it's temp is about 120F. Then I add the chemical bottles to the styrofoam box and pour the hot water in. I remove the cap on at least one of the bottles, drop the thermometer inside and wait. As the water brings the temp up in the chem bottles, it will lose temperature. I've found that, by the time the chem's temps are about where they're supposed to be, the entire set-up has reached a temperature equilibrium very close to where I want it. I can then add either cold or hot water to the bath to get the temps exactly where they need to be.
Once the chems' temps are correct, start the development process, following the directions for the specific chems you're using. I prefer to use a tank that I can invert for agitation, but use what you feel most comfortable with. Keep a close eye on the temp in the box or cooler and the temp in the bottles still in the bath. Sometimes, when I'm in the middle of a developing step, I find I need to bring the temp in the bath back up. I do this with a small drinking glass. I bail out water from the cooler and add the same amount of hot water to the bath. I do this until the temp is back up where it should be. Continue the developing process. If there's room in your cooler, rather than setting the tank down on your bathroom counter (or wherever you're doing this), place the tank in the bath so it will stay warm between agitations. If you don't have room, that's OK -- neither do I, and it hasn't affected the colors of my films.
After you've finished all the steps of the process, following the directions of the chems you're using, open the tank, flush the film for the required amount of time, wipe the film down with a darkroom sponge, and hang the film up to dry.
Enjoy! The chem directions will give you an idea of how much film you can reliably process. I've found that they're playing things conservatively. If you develop several rolls at a time -- so the chems don't have time to degrade from just sitting there -- you can usually get good results for more rolls than they recommend. You need to be the judge as to how many you can reliably develop.
Also, I store my chems in plastic bottles. The bottles I use depend on the amount of mixed chemicals I have. For example, the E-6 chemicals I've been using mix up to one pint for each, whereas the C-41 chems mix up to one liter. So I buy bottles of the appropriate sizes at the market that might be used for tea or flavored water like Power Aid, etc. I drink the contents and wash out the bottles well. I then use a permanent marker, like a Sharpie, to indicate which chemical goes into which bottle. When I'm finished developing, I squeeze the bottles so there's no air left in them before I screw the cap down tight. This way you don't have to develop all your rolls at the same time.
I've found that, if I wait until I have several rolls to develop at the same time, I can get the effective cost of developing down to as little as a couple dollars per roll. This sure beats processing costs that labs charge these days.
I buy my chemicals from Freestyle. Here are links to the ones I use:
E-6:
www.freestylephoto.biz/1181-Arista-Rapid-E6-Slide-Developing-Kit-1-Pint
C-41:
www.freestylephoto.biz/10123-Unicolor-Powder-C-41-Film-Negative-Processing-Kit-1-Liter
Incidentally, just in case you aren't aware, Freestyle is a great source for film as well. Good prices and an extensive selection.
I'm new here, but I got a request to share how I develop my own C-41 and E-6 films. So I thought I'd share what I do here. Feel free to comment if you have questions or suggestions.
For this procedure, you need a styrofoam box or cooler, bottles of the right size for the chems you'll mix, and an accurate thermometer. Don't skimp on the thermometer -- it's your most important tool for this process.
First off, I realized I needed a way to keep the chemicals' temperatures stable, since this is the most important aspect of developing color films. The temps I tried to maintain were around 104F --- I'd have to refer to the individual chemicals to find out the exact temp, but that value is close.
To keep the temps stable, I decided to use a styrofoam container to use for a bath to keep the chems' temps stable. For this I have a box that was used to ship steaks via mail-order. These boxes are packed with frozen steaks and dry ice to keep them frozen. The walls are quite thick -- about 2" all the way around. The interior is big enough to hold about a 12-pack of beer, to give you a rough idea of size.
If you don't have one of these boxes, that's ok. You can also buy for cheap at your typical grocery store a styrofoam cooler designed to keep beer or sodas cold. Its sides won't be as thick, but they're thick enough to hold the heat in.
So I start by running my sink's hot water until it's temp is about 120F. Then I add the chemical bottles to the styrofoam box and pour the hot water in. I remove the cap on at least one of the bottles, drop the thermometer inside and wait. As the water brings the temp up in the chem bottles, it will lose temperature. I've found that, by the time the chem's temps are about where they're supposed to be, the entire set-up has reached a temperature equilibrium very close to where I want it. I can then add either cold or hot water to the bath to get the temps exactly where they need to be.
Once the chems' temps are correct, start the development process, following the directions for the specific chems you're using. I prefer to use a tank that I can invert for agitation, but use what you feel most comfortable with. Keep a close eye on the temp in the box or cooler and the temp in the bottles still in the bath. Sometimes, when I'm in the middle of a developing step, I find I need to bring the temp in the bath back up. I do this with a small drinking glass. I bail out water from the cooler and add the same amount of hot water to the bath. I do this until the temp is back up where it should be. Continue the developing process. If there's room in your cooler, rather than setting the tank down on your bathroom counter (or wherever you're doing this), place the tank in the bath so it will stay warm between agitations. If you don't have room, that's OK -- neither do I, and it hasn't affected the colors of my films.
After you've finished all the steps of the process, following the directions of the chems you're using, open the tank, flush the film for the required amount of time, wipe the film down with a darkroom sponge, and hang the film up to dry.
Enjoy! The chem directions will give you an idea of how much film you can reliably process. I've found that they're playing things conservatively. If you develop several rolls at a time -- so the chems don't have time to degrade from just sitting there -- you can usually get good results for more rolls than they recommend. You need to be the judge as to how many you can reliably develop.
Also, I store my chems in plastic bottles. The bottles I use depend on the amount of mixed chemicals I have. For example, the E-6 chemicals I've been using mix up to one pint for each, whereas the C-41 chems mix up to one liter. So I buy bottles of the appropriate sizes at the market that might be used for tea or flavored water like Power Aid, etc. I drink the contents and wash out the bottles well. I then use a permanent marker, like a Sharpie, to indicate which chemical goes into which bottle. When I'm finished developing, I squeeze the bottles so there's no air left in them before I screw the cap down tight. This way you don't have to develop all your rolls at the same time.
I've found that, if I wait until I have several rolls to develop at the same time, I can get the effective cost of developing down to as little as a couple dollars per roll. This sure beats processing costs that labs charge these days.
I buy my chemicals from Freestyle. Here are links to the ones I use:
E-6:
www.freestylephoto.biz/1181-Arista-Rapid-E6-Slide-Developing-Kit-1-Pint
C-41:
www.freestylephoto.biz/10123-Unicolor-Powder-C-41-Film-Negative-Processing-Kit-1-Liter
Incidentally, just in case you aren't aware, Freestyle is a great source for film as well. Good prices and an extensive selection.
Film has this sort of excitement that comes from anticipation, even if it's just the same day. That is something that digital can never have, virtually by definition.