ImageMaker
Minstrel in the Gallery
A glitter in my I...
Posts: 36
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Post by ImageMaker on May 19, 2007 15:25:57 GMT -5
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Post by Shutter Girl on May 19, 2007 22:19:17 GMT -5
Very nice, thanks so much for posting, ImageMaker! I like the detail in these, love the contrast that B&W film provides, don't you? Thank you for sharing!
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ImageMaker
Minstrel in the Gallery
A glitter in my I...
Posts: 36
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Post by ImageMaker on May 20, 2007 9:08:04 GMT -5
I'm a big black and white fan -- even now that I'm processing my own color, I like the abstraction of the monochrome image (not to mention there are *far* more levels of control with B&W, even on a budget -- different developers, pushes, pulls, etc. that are just impractical with C-41). And imported B&W film is a LOT cheaper than anything color, in most formats (even 35 mm; I pay about $1/roll (36) for bulk load B&W, and the cheapest color I've seen is Costco badged Fuji Superia Xtra 400 at about $1.40 per 24 exposure). Just ordered 20 rolls of .EDU Ultra 400 in 120, at $1.39 per roll, and its preferred developer costs me about a nickel a roll -- count other chemicals, amortized cost of filtering tap water, and negative protectors, and a 120 roll of negatives costs me about $2. At that price, I can afford to shoot medium format...
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Post by Shutter Girl on May 20, 2007 9:10:34 GMT -5
That's great, I need to learn how to develop my own film, especially now that I'm experimenting with a Holga. I might be asking you for darkroom tips one of these days!
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ImageMaker
Minstrel in the Gallery
A glitter in my I...
Posts: 36
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Post by ImageMaker on May 21, 2007 14:29:59 GMT -5
It's pretty simple -- I learned to do it at nine years of age, and did it with no adult assistance (mixed developer, stop bath, and fixer, loaded film in an improvised changing tent, aka under the covers in my bed with a couple extra quilts on top, and processed) at age ten. If you have a little ability to scrounge, and don't mind taking a few weeks to find deals on eBay, you can set up to do it at a good level of sophistication for under $50. And longer term, for a few dollars extra for some basic tools, you can mix your own chemicals and bring the total processinc cost for professional quality results below that of buying distilled water at the supermarket.
My most used developer at present is made from Costco branded 500 mg acetaminophen tablets ($11 for 1000; I use a dozen for 100 ml of concentrate), Red Devil Lye sold for opening drains ($5 for a pound that will go bad from absorbing atmospheric water and carbon dioxide long before I use it up at 8 grams per 100 ml) and sodium sulfite that costs about $3 a pound in reasonable quantities (and I use 20 grams, about 2/3 ounce, per 100 ml). I use a reloading scale that cost me less than $20, 25 years ago, to weigh the ingredients, mix in plastic measuring cups graduated in both ounces and milliliters (from the supermarket), and stir with a glass rod (but you could just as easily use a plastic spoon). I store the mixed developer in leftover glass jars -- the ones from bread machine yeast are nice for small batches of developer, and larger ones from relish or even from pickles work well for larger quantities -- that have a cam-lock, painted steel lid with a rubber gasket seal.
My developing tanks came from eBay, for prices ranging from $30 for a set of 8 oz, 16 oz, and 32 oz plus three 120 and 4 35 mm reels, to $3 for a 3-reel Paterson with three adjustable reels but missing the inversion lid (which I already had one of on another Paterson that was given to me). The ones I use for 4x5 and 16 mm I made myself, from ABS drain pipe and matching caps plus bits and pieces of this and that.
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Post by epatsellis on Jul 1, 2007 13:40:23 GMT -5
Donald,
Excelent work (as usual, I might add) I really do need to try the pararodinal formula one of these days, though caffenol is on the list first.
erie
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