Developing a film at home

In every house there are old albums with photos that are carefully kept and proudly shown to guests. And in this there is a special nostalgic charm, which is not present in modern information keeper. Currently, printing from the film has ceded the first place to digital printing, but it still enjoys considerable demand.

The chemical process, in which a negative black or white film or a normal film is produced, is called film development. At home, film development does not require any rare abilities or long training. It will require only accuracy and careful compliance with all stages. The main thing in this case is not to be afraid to learn this interesting process.

First you need to prepare all the materials and tools. A tank is a necessary thing, without which film development will not be possible. As a rule, it is available to all people who previously engaged in photography, so it can easily be borrowed from relatives or friends. You can buy a modern tank in a specialized store, but it will already cost more. The developer and fixer will have to be purchased in the store, and instead of distilled water, you can boil the usual filtered water. As a stop solution, vinegar of low concentration can be used.

Next begins the development of the film. In an absolutely dark room, unwind the film and insert it into the developer tank. It is worth remembering that the glare of the world can finally and irrevocably "light" all the shots. The developer is bred, following the instructions on the package, and pour it there. After that, you can already work in a lighted room.

During the entire time, when the development of a black and white film occurs, every minute we scroll the tank clockwise. The development time can be different depending on the developer's brand, its concentration and the type of film. The correct choice of development time allows you to achieve a different contrast of the negative. But mistakes in the selection of parameters can result in the film being spoiled.

Then pour the developer and immediately pour the stop solution to stop the development and rinse the film. The next step is to drain the stop solution, fill the fixer and hold it in the tank for about 6 minutes. Fixing can be held longer, so that the black and white film does not darken with time.

In order to wash off the fixer, it is necessary to thoroughly wash the film with distilled (or ordinary) water. This process usually takes 10-20 minutes, during which time it will be necessary to rotate the development tank from time to time and change the water. After that, gently wipe the film with a sponge and hang it on the rope, fastening with a clothespin, to dry in a room (for example, in the bathroom), where dust is least. As a cargo at the bottom we fix a couple of clothespins. The drying time is not less than 2 hours.

Thus, film development only at first glance seems to be a very complex process, but if you try it at least once, then it will appear that you have always been doing it. After all, this is a very fascinating process, as a result of which a film is produced, manifested with our own hands.