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Achernar
Postmaster
Reged: 02/25/06
Posts: 5025
Loc: Mobile, Alabama, USA
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They can be tricky to learn how to use for a rank beginner, but after switching from a Patterson plastic developing tank I came to like the stainless steel tanks and reels a lot better. He will find a couple of junk rolls of film to be useful to get used to loading reels in total darkness. From there, it's not that big of a leap to developing film in total darkness in open tanks or trays. Plastic reels must be bone dry or you have big trouble on your hands with "moons" on your film or worse. Unless they are beat up, I found stainless steel reels easy to load with film. Out of thousands of rolls of both black and white and color slide film, I only damaged one or two rolls by loading the reel incorrectly. I messed up many more with plastic reels before I got the hang of loading them.
A good way to make a very effective film washer for users of stainless steel tanks and reels is to take a length of 4-inch PVC sewer pipe, glue an end cap on one end, drill a hole and then insert the hose from one of those gadgets hair dressers use. I had found them in stores made of rubber and plastic, and I cut off the head, stuck the end of the hose into the pipe and the other end onto the faucet. In no time you have an effective film washer that pushes out all the left over chemicals without using a torrent of water. The plastic Patterson tanks however work great with just a hose inserted into the middle tube, which achieves the same result.
Taras
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15-inch F/4.5 Dob under construction
10-inch F/4.5 Discovery Dob
6-inch F/8 Homebuilt Dob
4 1/4-inch F/4 Homebuilt reflector
A whole bunch of eyepieces, filters and other accessories....
Two curious cats
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Jimmy2K63
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/26/09
Posts: 1188
Loc: Kentucky
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Back when I did E6 processing at home it was not really economically viable to do so. The kit was a little pricey, but today this might be better just because its harder to find film processors. The chemicals will keep with the exception of the developer and the reverser, which will oxidize rapidly after exposed to air, and also in the process of silver removal will tend to precipitate out to a degree. I really don't know how many rolls one would have to do to make it viable from an economic standpointo, but if you enjoy the satisfaction of doing it, then that helps. Problem is one puts a lot of time into collecting photons and then it's so easy to screw them up in the processing, kinked film on a reel, half moons you referred to, stripped sprockets, etc.
And as for loading film into the cannister, a simple daylight change bag should do, or a light box with sleeves. Throw a bottle opener and a pair of scissors in there and you're away. Once you have it in the tank and sealed, you can take your time waiting for chemicals to come to temp, etc.
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http://astronomyguy63.blogspot.com/
LXD75 SN6-UHTC
Cave Astrola 10" f/5
Garrett 15x70/FarSight
Canon XS (1000D)
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Rick Thurmond
member
Reged: 10/30/06
Posts: 25
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For two years I lived 300 yards from New Mexico Skies and developed all my own E-6 film and a lot of film for astrophotographers staying at New Mexico Skies. Almost all of it was E200, with some Provia 400.
I use a Jobo CPP-2. I've developed 35mm, 120, and 4x5 film with that machine, and it works great. Temperature regulation is easy, and with the lift processing is easy. Since moving to California I've been using a lab for my E-6 though they are now going through a change of ownership so I might be going back to developing film myself. Using a lab has the advantage of being able to develop a single roll without having to worry about what to do with five liters of chemicals. But if you develop enough film to use up five liters in a month, doing it at home works great. I tried mixing half batches but that was a lot of work, and I think the consistency was better if I mixed the whole kit.
I always used Kodak chemicals and mixed them up in floating-lid containers. For E-6 it is useful to have access to hot and cold water though for everything else I do with the Jobo, cold water is sufficient. For my own work I always used normal development but some customers requested push processing, which is just extra time in the first developer.
I also use the Jobo for black and white film and color negative film. Mostly these days I use it for prints: Ilfochrome, RA-4, and black and white.
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Nebhunter
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/04/03
Posts: 1259
Loc: Frostbite Falls
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Wow, I just had a good laugh. A Newbie. Welcome to CN Rick, and if I may, give a small introduction to this small but enthusiastic group. Actually, I will leave that up to Jim - aka Nightfly - who has had many exchanges with you on the "AP" forums. I've sat mostly on the sidelines listening for a change at AP.
The knowledge and experience you bring to this group will be well received. I would even suggest some stories on your efforts with hypered Tech Pan film, and tri-coloured shots. We have been focusing mainly on E200 and other film types, but very little has been done by us with B&W.
I have 3 rolls of Ilford HP5+ for my Pentax 67 and hope to use it on some of the dark nebulae in the next few days. Filters and tri-colour would be a whole new experience for me, and I'm enthusiastic about the idea.
This thread has come about due to problems with some labs - mainly on my end where every single roll of film has been either ruined, marked, or crudded up by the lab. I've since found a dip and dunk lab. The recent upheaval from Kodak has also pushed this topic ahead. We are both now in the same boat to some degree. We are using up our remaining film stocks.
Again welcome, and please share with us.
Igor
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The StarGeezer
Those who trade liberty for security have neither. ~John Adams
TEC 140 (Katyusha) & F/F - Equinox 80 - Losmandy G11/Gemini - ST-4 guider. PENTAX 67ii - 400(EDif) & siblings. I shoot FILM.
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Nightfly
sage
Reged: 06/20/07
Posts: 441
Loc: Sullivan, Maine
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Hello all,
Rick's got allot of experience in the film photography and astrophotography field. Don't let the "newbie" designator or his post count fool you. If you were ever on the Film Astrophotographer's Yahoo group you would know this already.
I've enjoyed Rick's Technical Pan images taken through his C-14. He is perhaps the last Hypered TP astrophotographer on the planet, so that makes his work special in my view. He likes to produce tri-color images from RGB filtered exposures. This is classic astrophotography!
Rick, we have a spectrum of members here, from those just starting out, to seasoned veterans. We are looking forward to you sharing your work and helping all of us learn from your experience.
Jim
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Nightfly Astrophotography
Sullivan, Maine, USA
Pentax 67 with 55, 75, 105, 165, 200, and 300mm lenses
Pentax Spotmatic II with 35, 50, and 300mm lenses
Kodak E200 acetate based chemical sensor
Flickr - Nightfly Photography
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