Hopefully once you are finished reading you can give it a try yourself!
I have divided this lesson into two parts, each with different steps to help guide you through the process. There is also a link to a video to show you the steps in action, see end of part 1 for that :)
PART 1: Preparing the Film
What you will need:
Preparing the film......
- A roll of film that is ready to be processed into negatives (this can be 35mm or 120mm)
- A developing tank and reel (most of these can be used for both 35mm and 120mm film)
- Black Bag
- Scissors
- Film canister opener (scissors can also be used, but be very careful!)
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| The equipment you need for removing your film from the canister |
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| Black, light-tight bag for processing - check out e-bay for one of these |
STEP 1
Put ALL the equipment listed into the black bag. Each step in this guide MUST be done inside the black bag.
I know that seems ridiculous to beginners or anyone reading about this process for the first time. To make it easier, try and find old negatives that you DO NOT want or need anymore, and practice doing this a few times before venturing into the darkness.
It may seem nearly impossible at first, but trust me, this can be done in a matter of minutes with practice and time.
The reason we do this in the bag is because, if you film is exposed to light, it is ruined. Completely worthless! You will loose your images, your time taken to get them and your money you spent buying the film.
So, Put everything into the bag and ensure it is sealed shut.
STEP 2
Remove the film strip from the canister. This is most easily done with the proper tools that can be bought fairly cheaply on e-bay. Otherwise, you can pry it open with scissors, but i have seen a few people nearly remove a finger or two in the process, so a film canister opener is the best method.
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| Just pop the top of the canister off as above and take your film out of the casing |
Once your film is out of the canister, carefully cutting the film strip of the plastic reel it is attached too. Try not to scrape your negatives with the scissors!
STEP 4
With the scissors well out of the way and your film free from the canister and reel, it's now time to feed it onto the bigger reel.
Simply feel around to find the two edges where your film should be fed into the reel. You can see the two edges parallel to each other in the image. Hold your negatives from the sides as you dont want lots of fingerprints going on.
STEP 5
Pull the edge of the film about 1/3 around the reel to ensure it is fed into it's place.
STEP 6
Start winding! This is the easy bit and you are well on your way if you are at this stage :)
Wind until all the film is on the reel.
STEP 7
Once you have no lose ends, it's time to put the reel into it's place in the developing tank. It is held in places by the black pillar that is put through the center of the reel.
Ensure it is in the full way and the flat bit at the bottom of the pillar meets the spoil.
STEP 8
Simply put your film spoil into the developing tank. (remember, this is all in the black bag still!)
There will be a bit in the center of the bottom of the tank to keep it centered.
STEP 9
Put the next part of your developing tank on. This is the part that prevents any light getting to your film when you are processing your film with the chemicals.
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| Make sure it is spun and clipped into place! |
STEP 10
Pop the lid back on and take your tank out of the black bag. That's the hard bit done :)
The next step is the chemical processing that will bring out the images on your negatives.
Here's a link you a quick movie on youtube.com of each step in action. Hope you find it useful!
PART 2: Processing Your Film
Processing your negatives.....
- Measuring jug (or 3, one large one, one about 800ml, and a smaller one, 100ml)
- Thermometer
- Water
- Developer chemical
- Fixer chemical
- Timer
STEP 1
Fill the largest measure jug with water. Use your thermometer to ensure the water is 20 Degrees Celsius. You can keep the thermometer in the water for the duration of use to ensure the water temperature is kept stable.
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| Water should be maintained around 20 degrees Celsius |
Measure out your film developer to be diluted, and leave it to one side.
Here is the rule I follow, as do most photographers depending on what film they are processing.
I use Ilford HP5+ Black and White, ISO400, 35mm film AND 120mm film.
For the 35mm I use the following formula:
30ml film developer : 270ml water
For the 120mm film I use:
50ml film developer : 450ml water
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| Be careful when using chemicals.... they do not mix well with eyes! |
Prepare you fixer for use later on in the process (it is best to have everything done so you can focus on the time and agitating)
Your fixer can be used again, so it is handy to store it in something like this as you can pour it back into the bottle!
For 35mm film, use 300ml of fixer
For 120mm film, use 500ml of fixer
Set your fixer aside for use later on.
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| Fixer - it can be re-used! |
Now time for the processing. Take your timer and set it to stopwatch. Minutes and seconds.
Leave it somewhere handy and somewhere it wont get we either!
THE DEVELOPING STAGE: Each film type tends to have different developing times, a chart of these can be found online, usually through google. Just put in the brand name of your film and find a processing times chart. They should have all types of film they produce listed.
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| Perhaps something along these lines |
I will use Ilford B&W HP5+ ISO 400 for this example.
- Pour in your 30ml:270ml FILM DEVELOPER mix and start your timer
- Agitate (turn tank upside down) for 30 seconds
- Thump tank on a flat surface to take care of air bubbles and wait for 1 minute.
- After 1 minute, agitate the tank three times (then repeat steps 3 and 4 until the time is up)
Once you have done this developing, pour the developer down the sink and pour some of the 20 degree water into the tank to give the film a quick rinse. Agitage it for around 30seconds with the water, then get rid of it and add.....THE FIXER.
- Pour your 300ml of fixer into the tank
- Agitate (turn tank upside down) for 30 seconds
- Thump tank on a flat surface to take care of air bubbles and wait for 1 minute.
- After 1 minute, agitate the tank three times (then repeat steps 3 and 4 until the time is up
STEP 5
It's now time to rinse your film. If you are lucky enough to have the use of one of these then that makes things a bit easier. If not, a sink with an overflow would work just the same. Aslong as the water isn't running too fast that it floods, then you should be able to have the sink full with a constant gentle flow of water running into it to clean your negatives.
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| Negative bath |
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| Thankfully we have film dryers in my college, ten minutes and they are done! |
And there you have it. One film, totally processed, by you! Enjoy your shiny new negatives!
Make sure you take care of them though. They can be cleaned by using mentholated spirits and a cloth that isn't fluffy. You should store them in a plastic Polly pocket or special negative sleeves that you can buy pretty easily online.
Last but not least, make sure you clean and dry everything for your next film. Nothing worse than bigger watermarks all over your next set of negs.....
Good luck & any other questions about the processing, just ask :)
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