Roll One - I was unable to load a roll of 120 onto a Paterson film reel in the dark bag. I've loaded several rolls previously with little to no problems. This time, my "fool-proof" method, learned on YouTube, failed me due to my poor choice of materials. Let me explain. The increased width of the film reel necessary to load 120 combined with that film's slightly thinner acetate film base, makes 120 film a bit more challenging to load onto a reel. I learned from YouTube to insert a folded piece of paper into a certain section of the reel to act as an "on ramp" for easy film insertion into the reel slots. I didn't pay attention to the requirements for that piece of paper. Turns out you want something quite stiff, such as the tailor cut hard card stock I am now using, and not a flimsy piece of folded printer paper. After 15 minutes in the bag with no success, I convinced myself the issue was with the reel. I rolled up the film and placed in into the developing tank and installed the light tight lid. No worries right? What I didn't take into account was that in the hour before all of this transpired, I had placed the spare reel into the tank, filled it with water to a bit over the reel, then poured out the water into a measuring cup. The idea was to see for myself how much fluid was necessary for 120 development. Unfortunately, I didn't pay close attention to how well I dried out the tank. Turns out not so well and there were a few drops of water remaining in the tank. So while I was inspecting the film reel in the daylight and reinserting the flimsy "on ramp," in the bag, the edges of the 120 film at the bottom of the tank were sticking together. When I re-entered the bag and restarted the process, it became clear I had other problems. Unfortunately I ripped the film while trying to unstick it and roll it on the reel. Of course I didn't know that until, after another 15 minutes of failure, I gave up and opened the bag to see what was going on. Of course that ruined the roll of film. Lesson learned.
Roll Two - I mixed my Cinestill C-41 two-step color kit the middle of March. Guidance in the instruction is pretty clear. The kit is intended to develop eight (or so) rolls of 36 exposure 35mm or eight (or so) rolls of 120 in the very near term following mixing the kit. There is discussion regarding developing more rolls and for keeping the kit around for a longer period. Increasing developing time each roll of film aids with the film exhaustion issue. Keeping a tight seal on the stock solution and keeping it in a cool dark location may aid the lifespan of the solution. However, the instructions are quite clear that if you do any "coloring outside the lines" processing you are on your own and you own the results of those efforts. I knew all of this as I had read carefully those instructions. But I had also binge watched quite a few YouTube videos and read a number of internet articles/blogs all stating with authority that one can get many more rolls for a much longer time than Cinestill stated in their literature. Of course I believed the internet. Yesterday, I developed a roll of Ektar 100 35mm which included on it a number of images intended to be considered for my 52Frames submission this week. The processing seemed to me to be perfect. My timing was down pat. I used the same agitation cycles I've been using. Temperature was spot on at 102F. I was in the groove. However, as I retrieved the reel from the tank following final Photoflo rinse, I saw there were no images! How could that be? I retraced my every step starting with the camera (Leica M3). Had I left the lens cap on? Was there an issue with the shutter speed? Massive light leak in the body? Film loaded improperly? In the end the answer to those questions were all "no." That led me to a developing issue. Reading, again, the instructions, I payed very close attention to the words regarding use of the stock developed in relation to when it was mixed. As noted, Cinestill's intention is that the kit be used up in very short order. Save up your color film as you shoot it up. Wait until you have a batch. Then mix the kit and develop. Cinestill doesn't necessarily spell it out quite like that but I believe that is an accurate assessment of how they want me to use the kit. The kit was mixed the middle of March. I developed three months later in the middle of June. In between were 13 rolls which all developed perfectly. In fact, the last roll through the kit had been two weeks previous. And I had been following the chemical exhaustion guidelines regarding extending developing time. I'm left with one of two potential causes. First, the batch finally reached end of storage life, or second, somehow I contaminated the developer and killed it. Not sure which it was or if it was a combination of the two. Today I performed a room temperature snip test of the developer and Blix. The film piece did not turn the "opaque black" which indicates working developer. Instead it ws white and milky. Seems to me the developer died. The Blix did remove the milky white emulsion leaving me with a clear negative so I think that is still good. To be fair, and as I understand it, the snip test should be conducted at the usual 102F developing temperature and perhaps I'll do that before I dump the kit. The good news is that I have a new-in-the-box Cinestill C41 kit waiting in the wings to be mixed. However, I think I'll shoot color for a while, build up a stash, then hold a developing party. Those (few) rolls which can't wait on the developing party can always be dropped off at my local camera shop.
All this said, I'm still amped up about home film developing. From regularly fondling and shooting my collection of 35mm and 120 film cameras, to scanning the final images, I really enjoy the entire process. My black and white development was advanced further this week with the arrival of a bottle of Ilford's DD-X developer. This is the third black and white developer I've purchased. I also incorporated a formal stop bath, I was using water rinses, into my black and white process by mixing up a 2% solution of vinegar. Works great. Additionally, I've delved more deeply into the Massive Dev Chart (love the iOS app!) and have been experimenting with different dilutions of the HC-110 developer I have been using. Loads of fun!
Problems will occur. However, if I keep track of my processes, and if use them consistently, I think the opportunities for problems will greatly diminish. I'll keep you posted.
See below a few recently developed images.
A building demolition near me. Shot on a 1950s era Super Fujica 6 rangefinder medium format folding camera (blog post in the works). It is a hoot to use. Ilford HP5+ in Kodak HC-110. Digital developing in Capture One and Silver Efex Pro.
Blue Wahoos Ball Park - Shot on the Yashica Mat 124G medium format TLR. Kodak Gold 200 developed in Cinestill's C-41 kit. Several images stitched together in Capture One.
The post-hurricane remains of a neighbor's pier. Shot on the Yashica Mat 124G medium format TLR. Kentmere 100 developed in Cinestill's Df96 Monobath. Digital developing in Capture One and Silver Efex Pro.
