# I am a beginner. What is the simplest, cheapest, and safest way to develop film?



## bsap (Sep 6, 2012)

I'm a student, trying to learn to work with film and development. I've set up a small darkroom in my closet, and have been printing passable photos. However, I'm not yet developing my own film, which is costing me time and money. The issue is that I'm sharing an apartment with two other people, and the only sinks we have are shared in the bathroom and the kitchen. In the past, when I've developed film (in schools and other official darkrooms), I've dumped the chemical waste down an official chemical sink, or in a designated bucket that is then taken away to some unknown location. Furthermore, there has been a designated developing area, where chemical spillage is accepted. In my case, I have no good area to handle chemicals in, and I'm not sure where I could dispose of them once I'm finished. So, I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions about simple and safe film developing techniques for shared living spaces?
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Edit: Ok, so the consensus is that I can dump the chemicals down the drain, no problem. Now, the sink I would use would be the kitchen sink, which we also use for food and dishes and such. I'm wondering, is there a specific way I should clean the sink so as to not risk getting leftover chemicals on my food or dishes? Or, should I not use a sink and just use my bathtub? Is that safer?


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## Rick58 (Sep 6, 2012)

I've been dumping the chem's down the household drain for 40 years and other then a slight irregular twitch and some 3 eyed fish in the river, there's been no side effects < kidding about the second part>. I don't know if it makes a difference, but I always dump the used fixer and stop bath into the developer. Maybe wishful thinking it'll neutralize each other
Unless you are tray developing, load your daylight tank in the closet and do your developing at the kitchen or bathroom sink


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## KenC (Sep 6, 2012)

+1

The stop bath is just acetic acid, so it's no worse than vinegar, and fixer is not really that toxic.  It's the developer, which contains some organic compounds, that is more of an environmental issue, but like Rick, I always just dumped it.  Compared to industrial operations, home darkroom work just doesn't generate significant quantities of waste.


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## CCericola (Sep 6, 2012)

We had to develop all our own black and white film in college. I did it at home, just dumped it down the sink. Never had a problem.


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## Derrel (Sep 6, 2012)

Sink. Toilet.


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## Tuffythepug (Sep 6, 2012)

I've always just disposed of used developer, stop bath and fixer right down the sink.   I do run the water for a minute or so just to make sure there is no lingering odor from chemical residue still in the pipes.   Once, many years ago, I had a makeshift darkroom that had running water to a sink but no connection to waste lines.   So I cut a hole in the wall to the outside and ran a pvc pipe down into a 3' deep hole I had dug there.  water and chem's ran from the sink directly into the hole.  I put some gravel in the bottom and filled the hole back in.   It was in the middle of a flower bed and there was never any visible effect on bedding plants or nearby lawn.


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## terri (Sep 6, 2012)

I have nothing to add to this thread, since everything that's been said here is spot-on.    :thumbup:     I've always dumped my own chemistry down the drain and let some water run behind it, as well.

Really, I just thought there should be two pug avatars side by side here.         :sillysmi:


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## Tuffythepug (Sep 6, 2012)

terri said:


> I have nothing to add to this thread, since everything that's been said here is spot-on.    :thumbup:     I've always dumped my own chemistry down the drain and let some water run behind it, as well.
> 
> Really, I just thought there should be two pug avatars side by side here.         :sillysmi:



Care for a cigar????


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## terri (Sep 7, 2012)

Tuffythepug said:


> terri said:
> 
> 
> > I have nothing to add to this thread, since everything that's been said here is spot-on.    :thumbup:     I've always dumped my own chemistry down the drain and let some water run behind it, as well.
> ...


    Thanks, but Odin here would dissolve it in 5 minutes with that tongue of his!


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## Compaq (Sep 8, 2012)

In the chem labs at the uni, we have chemical waste bottles for certain chemicals. For instance, everything which contains halogens go in the halogen container. Seeing as film contains silver halides, wouldn't there be some halogen residual in the chemicals we use?


The uni photo club's darkroom is a five minute walk from campus. Should I contact the lab staff and ask if I should store my waste and give it to them to properly get rid of them?

Then again, there are strict regulations that the labs need to follow - even if most of the waste isn't harmful in the concentrations used in the lab courses.


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## djacobox372 (Sep 9, 2012)

I don't understand your problem, the chems u use to print are typically very similar as dev chemicals.


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