Trouble in the darkroom

My darkroom is a very personal space, the only acknowledgement to it being standard is the separation of wet and dry working areas. It is just big enough for one person to work in comfortable. A bit of a glorified closet really! which has meant I have had to find ways of making the space work hard to meet the needs of both wet-and dry sides working areas.

One of the things I have had to do is to put the 12 x16 paper processor under the work top on a pull out shelf. It was done originally to save space but has proved to be inspired in a way I had not foreseen. Being able to look down on the print process has made it a more relaxed way to work. Keeping the work top clear for other wet side needs has not worked so well, the top is being dominated by the tray I use to put the tube covers that keep the chemicals fresh in the slot processor. It was a large tray so that the tops could be spaced far enough apart to stop cross contamination. 

However, it all came to a head when I wanted to try a new print developer and use it with a tray so I could monitor when the first signs of the image appeared, then transfer it to the processor for stop and fix. I should explain that the darkroom does not have running water. I usually part fill a tray with water to put the fixed photographs in then wash them at the end of the session in the bathroom. Anyway I had the water tray precariously balanced on top of the slot covers in their tray as the rest of the top was taken up with the developing tray. It must have been a good day as I did not manage to tip the whole lot over myself. 

I now seriously considered ways of storing the slot tops that would keep the worktop clear. It came to me that the best way was to stand them on end. My first thought was to use a number of metal clips attached to the wall. I cannot understand why I had not come to this conclusion sooner. Once I had thought about it. It was not such a good idea as fix attacks metal. I decided it would be better to use plastic, so took some measurements, sat down and did a number of drawings of a tray that would hold the tubes upright. Then thought about how to stop cross contamination, so added sections to the base. Once I had refined the basic look and measurements I showed the idea to my mate at Plasweld, he helped to simplify the design and added a splash back to stop chemicals running all over the place when loading the tops into the stand. 

A few weeks later the stand is finished. It works very well and has freed up lots of space on the worktop allowing me to work more safely. Such a simple idea that has made a big difference.

A typical layout for a darkroom

Local Darkroom.

120 format FP4+ developed in ID11
Printed on Kentmere VC
Develop in Ilford multigrade developer

I received an email from Harman technologies (Ilford products) recently about a new initiative that is to be launched worldwide.

The email was sent because I took part in a survey about darkroom use. It had a large response with fifteen thousand people taking part with over a thousand replies on the first day.

This is a summary of the statistics:

• 69% shot film weekly
• 35% did not use a darkroom but were using black and white film.
• 35% without a darkroom were asked would they like access to a local darkroom 78% of them said yes and of those 32% would like some training.
• 65% said they had access to darkroom facilities provided by work and community with privately owned being the majority.

A second survey for privately owned darkrooms was done with thirteen hundred responses being received. They were asked if they would be willing to share their darkroom and 56% said yes.

With that encouraging result Harman have set up a new free online community www.localdarkroom.com They have already invited tutors and community/ public darkrooms to list themselves on the site. There is also a section for those that have a private darkroom who are willing to share their private space. You will need to be a member of the community to access any of these services, whether training or darkroom in the local area, as there has to be some sort of vetting when allowing people you do not know into your home. For FAQs and more information visit the web site.

I hope this venture is a success and praise Harman for their initiative. But from experience I note that there can be a big difference between what people say on a form and then taking part.

On a personal note I would have liked to open my darkroom to other enthusiasts but it is not practical at the present time. 

Basic kit for producing Black and white negatives.

For those who are thinking of processing their own film it can be quite daunting for the first time. If you keep things basic by using popular brands like Ilford and Kodak for film and chemicals not much can go wrong. What people don't tell you is that film like FP4+ is quite forgiving and a good place to start processing for the novice, making it quite easy to get good results.

With the advent of digital the darkroom has become a lightroom with the help of a scanner and changing bag. You no longer have to look for a place in the property that is or can be made light tight.

The basic kit:

Changing Bag: looks like a tee-shirt without a hole to put your head through and is double lined to make sure it is light tight. It will take time too get used to and will require some dummy runs to get the feel of it. Developing tank: there are two types, 35mm and universal. The universal tank will allow you to process 120 format as well as 35mm; you will also need to practice loading the film onto the spiral. Oh! before I forget there are two types of spiral plastic and metal each uses a different Technic to load. I would suggest starting with the plastic type first as it easier to get the hang of. Force film washer: is a tube that fits onto the water tap and into the top of the developing tank. It is for putting water into the tank for the wash cycle. Three measuring jugs that will cope with more than 600 mls of fluid, Chemicals: Developer, Stop and Fix, all come as concentrate or powder and will require mixing with water to get the right working strengths. Spirit thermometer: for checking that the chemicals are at 20 degrees C. Storage containers: of a suitable size will be needed to keep diluted chemicals. Wetting agent: by putting a couple of drops in the developing tank after you finish washing the film and a minute before you take the film out helps to prevent drying marks on the film. Film clips times two: so you can hang the film up to dry and if you place one on the bottom it stops the film curling while drying. An alternative is to use Pegs.

Avoiding graininess

If you like your pictures smooth and grainless then you need to pay special attention to its avoidance throughout the process. The best approach is correct exposure, development and method; once mastered graininess will not be a problem. When you start using film speeds above 200 ISO it becomes more critical to get the exposure right in some cases a faster film has been used when a slower one would have done the job just as well. In this instance a fine grain or ultra fine grain developer will go a long way in inhibiting the clumping of the silver hilade crystals during the processing, allowing quite large prints to be made without the grain showing.

The main causes of grain growth are:

• Over exposure.
• Too highly concentrated developer solution.
• Too long a development time.
• Too high a temperature.
• Too much agitation during the development process.
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  This picture was taken using Rollie's R3 variable ISO film set at 1600 ISO developed using R3 developer. If I had used a fine grain developer the grain would not have been this exaggerated. This picture was taken late almost to late as the sun was just off touching the horizon. If I had set 400 ISO it would have been a blur. Apart from that I think it is a good shot caught just at the right moment.

Paper fixing faults.

This post will be short, a sort of quick guide to paper fixing faults. They are listed in no particular order.

This picture shows the fix is exhausted

•         Brownish areas: fix exhausted.

 

•         Print becomes yellow after a while: Was not fixed for long enough and    or  washed for to short a time.

 

•         Burnt out highlights: acid fix not diluted to the right strength. Left in the fix for to long. Not timed properly.

 

•         Brownish spots, Lilac round the edges: Stop bath exhausted, incomplete fixing, forgotten to wash or use stop after the developer.

 

The blue stain shows that the stop is exhausted.

•         Yellowish fog over the entire paper surface: Exhausted fix, developer contaminated fix, little or no agitation while fixing.

 

It is not unusual to be caught out by some of these faults. Even when you have years of experience.

Film Developing faults.

The most common faults that crop up in the course of processing a film.

• Spots on the negative indicate two things: there was dust on the film at the time of exposure and/or fairly large round spots on the negative indicate that air bubbles were trapped against the film during the process and suggests insufficient agitation. This can be avoided by agitating for thirty seconds at the beginning of development and by tapping the tank on the bench. (some developers require longer agitation). It must be stressed that too vigious and lengthy agitation can induce the same problem. A way of helping to reduce air bubbles is to use a pre-soak. Some developers like PMK Pyro and Rollie's R3 require a pre soak as standard.
• Black crescent-shaped kinks and clear patches more common with roll film but can happen with 35 mm cassettes, this happens where the film has been forced into the spiral making the film kink and touching the film beside it.
• Lines are most commonly caused by the film running across a small piece of grit on the cassette opening. It can also happen by over tightening the film in the cassette and bad handling. One of the most common, which has happened to me, is the use of a squeegee to dry the film. I have not used one since.
• Finger marks on negatives are caused by handling the film with wet, dirty and contaminated fingers. This can be eliminated by using disposable gloves during the wet process and cloth cloves when handling dry negatives.
• White marks are caused by grease and fixer before development and dark marks by fingers covered in water or developer. Slight damage can be retouched.
• Reversal of negative image is due in part or total to solarization making the negative into a positive; this happens when light gets to the unprocessed film during development. Care must be taken with the processing tank that the lid is fully secure before inverting.
• Uneven image density is a sign that there is not enough developer in the tank or lack of agitation. A low-level of developer in the tank will show as a dark unprocessed line along the top edge of the film.
• Reticulation is a lot of fine cracks in the emulsion this is caused by washing in too high a temperature or solutions greatly different in temperature. This can be avoided by making sure that the solutions only have a few degrees difference between them.
• Deposits on the negative and discolouration. Hard water may cause a chalky deposit on the negative that cannot be washed away in water. It can be treated with a two percent solution of acetic acid, then washed in clean water. The same sort of problem may be due to the fix losing its acidity. A treatment would be to harden the negative in one percent solution of formalin, then wash in sodium carbonate followed by water. Yellow-white negatives may be due to deposits of sulphur from a decomposing fixer, it can be remedied by hardening in a one percent formalin solution and washing in a ten percent sulphite solution at thirty-eight degrees.

How to load a plastic film sprial

This is an outline on how to load a film spiral ready for processing.

The only way to learn is to practice feeding a film onto a spiral in day light. I suggest purchasing a cheap roll of 35mm film, probably colour. It is also a good idea to have a brand new spiral to practice with. This should make the learning curve less steep as older spirals get temperamental the more they have been used.

Prepare the film: You can use a cassette opener or film retriever for 35mm. Once you have the leader/tongue of the film in view use a pair of scissors to cut it square. Then snip the corner off each side, the film is now ready for loading.

Now lay out everything you need on a table in daylight for a complete dummy run. Set the developing tank, lid, spiral with center in place and scissors out in the same order each time to get a picture in your mind's eye, this way you will know where everything is in the dark. Keep the film in your hand. With your eyes closed load the film on the spiral, place it in the developing tank, put the lid on and turn till it clicks shut. Some tanks have a screw top so be careful not to cross thread it. After a few practices you maybe ready to do it for real.

Note: Make sure your hands are clean and dry. Damp or sweaty fingers can cause problems with the loading of the film and leave marks on the processed negatives. It is a good idea to wear soft cotton gloves for protection.

Tip: If you wash your hands in cold water before you start it closes the pores reducing the need for gloves. It is also a good idea to earth yourself on a radiator to stop charging the film with static electricity therefore attracting dust. 

It is a lot easier to do than it sounds, so don't be put off. Everyone has their own way of doing this so if you have a tip to add please do.

This video gives a straight forward no-nonsense look at how it is done.