I found I was getting spots on the film side upon drying).Īfter each step, pour the Developer, Blix and Stabilizer back into their respective containers for re-use. From Leslie, I got the tip to use a microfiber cloth wetted with Stabilizer to wipe down the back of the film (NOT the emulsion side) to avoid spotting (added in edit - THIS IS AFTER removing the film from the Stabilizer bath. The Stabilizer is room temp., and is the very last step. After finishing the Blix step, wash the film in water that is between 95☏ and 105☏. When doing the developing, make sure you immerse the tank into the tub to maintain the developer temp. Having several dial-type thermometers is very useful for monitoring the temps. The pre-soak (1 minute) should also be around the same temp. Temperature - I use a deep plastic tub with hot water in it to bring the final temps of the Developer and Blix to 102☏. The Blix is a combination bleach and fix, and is probably the most caustic of the things you will deal with. You can even put a (1) for the Developer, a (2) for the Blix and a (3) for the Stabilizer, in case you are worried about not doing things in the right sequence. Make sure each one is labeled properly as to the contents. I suggest the brown plastic darkroom containers. Make sure that you have 3 clean plastic 1L bottles for the Developer, Blix, and Stabilizer solutions. It's not that the stuff is dangerous, but you are mixing chemicals, after all. I highly recommend doing this mixing AND the developing with proper PPO - gloves, lab coat or apron, and eye protection.
All the chems are dry and need to be mixed to 1L final amounts. I opened the first kit and carefully read the directions. I have driven past the place many times over the years without giving it a thought!
The fun fact here is that the kits are manufactured in Dexter Michigan, by Photo Systems, Inc. For $19 a kit, it's a pretty cheap experiment, and it's only a 3-step process. So, with some urging by my super pals, Leslie and Mike, I ordered a couple of Unicolor C-41 kits from the FPP store. how can I even try this? I suppose someone that has never developed b&w film might feel the same way before doing so, and consequently realizing it was actually fairly easy. Like so many things, it's the fear of the unknown and of course, fear of screwing it up. I don't know about others, but even though I have been developing my own b&w film for many, many years, I hesitated about trying to develop C-41 or E-6 films at home.
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