People who develop your own film: Do you mix film chemistry powder "correctly"? Doing so for developers and fixers I've used implies filling a large container with water of a precise temperature, stirring, then pouring into other containers for storage. I use warm water and shake it in a jug! 🙂🧪 - ThreadSky

analogfusion.bsky.social • 55 days ago

People who develop your own film:

Do you mix film chemistry powder "correctly"? Doing so for developers and fixers I've used implies filling a large container with water of a precise temperature, stirring, then pouring into other containers for storage.

I use warm water and shake it in a jug! 🙂🧪

Comments

tomnorthfilm.bsky.social•54 days ago

I only use liquid chems. I measure the correct amount of chemical and then fill to the desired level with tap water that is at 20C within a tenth plus or minus. I use distilled water for Photo Flo.

analogfusion.bsky.social•54 days ago

Within 1/10 of a degree! Wow, that's very precise. I've always used tap water for everything, although I'm sure distilled is better.

tomnorthfilm.bsky.social•54 days ago

I keep tap water in the empty one gallon distilled water jugs. The water comes to room temp over time. I pour a bunch of that into a 2 liter pitcher and then top it up with cold tap water to get it to 20 C. It doesn’t usually take long.

tomnorthfilm.bsky.social•54 days ago

We have softened water so I’m fine using tap water for most things.

tomnorthfilm.bsky.social•54 days ago

It’s a lot easier to get within a tenth in Celsius.

analogfusion.bsky.social•54 days ago

That makes sense given the smaller range of numbers involved with Celsius. Each tenth represents a greater range than Fahrenheit.

gwbrown.bsky.social•55 days ago

i use liquid (DDX) and mix with graduated cylinders. Seems to work well. 20°C. Fairly simple

analogfusion.bsky.social•55 days ago

That's how I measure with Rodinal. The only other liquid developer I recall using (besides homemade caffenol) was T-Max developer. I don't recall the mixing steps it requires.

Oh, and some C-41 and E-6 chemistry has liquid components. I am precise with everything related to color, I should add.

jimmyshootsfilm.bsky.social•54 days ago

When mixing up the ID-11 and Bromophen developers for the community darkroom I get the water up to "about right", pour the powder in and then shake shake shake, rather than stir. Seems to work OK.

sednoid.bsky.social•55 days ago

The chems I've used usually have some range of mixing temperatures so I follow that instruction, it's barely any effort so why not.

analogfusion.bsky.social•55 days ago

Because lazy, for my part. 😆

I'm generally within the ballpark, though, and so far haven't seen any mixed chemistry fall short of expectations. As for my photography, though...

photoalex.bsky.social•54 days ago

Yeah I usually use warm water and shake it in a big bottle.. I keep buying 5 litre packets of ID11 and then can't find a container big enough to mix 'properly'!

alunbweird.bsky.social•54 days ago

I don't think I've ever used powder. It's always been small bottles of stuff that then goes into bigger bottles with water. When I'm mixing Rodinal for developing I use a syringe to (reasonably) accurately measure out the concentrate, but that's it.

analogfusion.bsky.social•54 days ago

I use Rodinal, but have otherwise mostly used powders for economy of shipping. There aren't many places locally that stock developer, so powder wins on on cheaper shipping.

Today I mixed up fixer from powder, although most other times I've used Ilford Rapid Fixer which is liquid concentrate.

dizzycow.bsky.social•55 days ago

I've gotten away with not being at precise temperatures.

grumpyfck.bsky.social•55 days ago

I stupidly mixed ID-11 cold once, it was fully dissolved by the next day.
Any powders I mix 24hrs before anyway. Except hypo clear.

analogfusion.bsky.social•55 days ago

I try to give powdered stock solution a few hours to fully dissolve. It needs time to cool to the desired temp, anyway, which always seems to work out.

analogfusion.bsky.social•55 days ago

Same. I go by feel. The Arista rapid fixer I mixed up this morning called for 85°F, so I just went with water a bit warmer than room temperature. I'm sure it turned out fine.

dizzycow.bsky.social•55 days ago

If there are floaties from a powder mix, I just use a coffee filter to get them out.

dizzycow.bsky.social•55 days ago

I adjust the general process to my own workflow and resources from beginning to end.

analogfusion.bsky.social•55 days ago

Thankfully I've not to contend with any floaties. I may be a bit excessive in my vigorousness. 😅

dizzycow.bsky.social•55 days ago