11 Years Manufacturer Rubber shoe cover Supply to Salt Lake City

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This is a demo of my technique for hand developing black and white photographic film at home – its not too complex a process but does require some care and good timing!

This is the way I was taught to do it – I daresay there are many people out there with different methods, and those are equally as valid if they produce the results – but this is how I’ve always done it and it works very well for me.

If you want to develop your own film at home, heres the run down of everything you’ll need:

- A DEVELOPING TANK (I’m using an older style screw lid Paterson tank, which I would personally warn against as they tend to leak – go for the newer style tank with the clip on lid)

- FILM REELS (I’m using 2 here for 2 rolls of film, but you can just use 1, or more if you have a larger tank, you just need to adjust the amount of chemicals you use)

- A CHANGING BAG OR DARKROOM (Its important you load the film in complete darkness – a changing bag is the easiest option)

- CHEMICALS (You’ll Need a black and white film fixer and a black and white film developer – you’ll also need measuring cylinders to accurately measure them, as this is important). Please remember that each film and chemical is different, so remember to read the labels to mix the chemicals to the correct dilutions for the film you are using and to develop for the correct time.

- WATER (Fairly important this one – if you have the option to do your developing next to a sink thats perfect, if not you’ll need a large jug to hold clean water and a bucket to pour waste chemicals and water into. DO NOT develop film in the kitchen sink or anywhere you prepare or store food)

- A THERMOMETER (very important, as you need to mix the chemicals to certain temperatures for the process to work properly)

- A STOPWATCH (This process is time critical, so a clock or stopwatch is vital – I’m using my phone, which is fine til someone calls you halfway through…)

And of course you’ll need some film One point of note here is that I’m using bulk loaded film, which makes it much easier to take the cartridges apart to get the film out inside the changing bag. If you’re using pre-loaded film cartridges, try not to wind the film leader back inside the cartridge when you rewind it as this will make life much easier. If you do, getting the cartridge open is very tricky so I’d recommend using a film leader retriever to pull the leader back out again – unfortunately I don’t have any pre-loaded cartridges to show you this.

You’ll also need somewhere to hang your film to dry – I tie a length of string up near the ceiling and peg the film to it with a wooden clothes peg, hanging straight down with another clothes peg on the bottom to act as a weight.

Before we start to develop the film, lets take a moment to don a beard and a plaid shirt and talk about shop safety – the chemicals we’re using here are not especially hazardous, but there are a few things to watch out for:

- DO NOT eat or drink anywhere near the chemicals (goes without saying really)
- DO NOT use or store the chemicals near food or the kitchen
- Wash your hands well each time you handle the chemicals, processed film or tanks
- Wear gloves when using the chemicals (yes, I know I don’t, but I wouldn’t recommend it!)
- Keep pets and small children away from the developing area
- If you’re letting older children help you, make sure they are supervised at all times

The chemicals are generally safe to dispose of down normal household drains, but please check the labels on your chemicals prior to disposing of them in this way.

I hope you enjoy the video, and try your hand at film developing yourself

And there are bonus points on offer for anyone who gets the beard and plaid shirt reference!

Please note – this information and video is provided for reference only – I take no responsibility for any problems, injuries or losses encountered by anyone following it. Always read the labels on chemical bottles prior to use.

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E-Prep 221: https://www.epi.com/bright-dips/copper-and-brass/#e-prep-221
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