Film Processing / Day Light Developing Tank / Cleaning Film Strips

Day Light Developing Tank

After a film has been exposed to light in a camera; it needs to be processed to be able to work with the negatives. The Day Light Developing Tank allows a roll of film to be placed into a reel, and then placed in a container that does not allow light to enter.Process:

1) All items must be ready in the change bag, or this can be done in a pitch black room.2) If the film has retracted into the cassette, use the film retriever to bring it back out. You could also do this in the change bag by using the bottle opener to open the cassette.

3) Use the scissors to cut the end of the film, you should cut the film just after the film begins to wider. Cut close to the end or you may damage the first image.

4) Pull the film out of the cassette, ready to go onto the reel.

5) The reel has 2x small notches and 2x larger notches. Twist the reel so that the 2 larger notches are opposite each other and feed the film through, until it passes 2 small balls (one on each side of the reel). Once it has past, you can gently twist the reel and the film will feed through the reel. When the film reaches the end and is fully loaded, cut it to release it from the cassette.

6) Place the reel filled with film onto the center column. Then place the second (possibly empty) reel on top of the first reel. The reel containing film must be at the bottom. Once the column is filled, place it into the tank. 

7)The next part to go in is the Light tight funnel lid, this will allow chemicals to be added without light getting into the container. Finally, the plastic cap can be added. The tank can now be removed from the bag.


 Adding Chemicals:

1) Developer:

When using 1 reel use 150ml of water and 150ml of developer. (The developer should be at 20C). If the temperature is slightly higher, the temperature of the water needs to be slightly cooler.

Times:
PAN F (50 ISO) – 8-9 Minutes
FP4 (125 ISO) – 12 Minutes
HP5 (400 ISO) – 14 Minutes

Agitate the tank for 30 seconds. Then 5 seconds every minute until the developing time has finished.

2) Stop Bath:

Use 300ml for 30 seconds.

3) Fix:

Use 300ml for 5 – 7 minutes.
Agitate 5 seconds for every 30 seconds.

4) Wash:

Keep cool  water running into the tank for 10 minutes.
(ADD 2 DROPS OF WETTING AGENT SO THE FILM DOES NOT HAVE WATER MARKS
WHEN DRIED)

Remove the film from the reel and use a squeegee to remove excess water.

5) Dry:
Hang the film strips in the dryer for around 15 minutes. After it has dried, cut the strips into 5 images a strip and store in a neg bag.

Health and Safety
- When using scissors in the change bag, be patient and slow so that you know where to cut and do not cut yourself as you will not be able to see what you are doing.

-When using chemicals, clear up any spillages and wash out measuring cylinders well. 


Cleaning Film Strips

As the film can get slightly dirty, it is best to clean it before enlarging it to get the best print possible. To clean the dust from the negative, you can use a brush that has an air pocket to blow and remove the dust from the negative. If there is a smear on the negative, then using cleaning solution and tissue - gently rub over the smeared areas to remove the dirt.