# B&W Photo Development Water Temperature Equipment



## Hpilot

Looking for simple, cheap(relatively), effective means of having a constant temperature water supply to develop my black and white photos. I've looked at commercial units that are way above what I can pay.
Any sources for constant water temperature supply devices, especially used, would be great.
Thanks,
Gail


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## Derrel

The oldest, least-expensive way is a large sink, pan, or bucket which makes the "water bath", which hold temps fairly constant. This was used a lot in the early days of at-home color film processing, where temps were much higher than the 65 to 72 degrees Farenheit used in most B&W film development. 

One way to get constant temp is to store the chemicals and some rinse water in jugs, in a closet or under the sink or in a cabinet, where the temperature will mostly be fairly stable over time. You can also develop by time and temperature, giving more time for colder developer, less time for warmer, rathr than say, trying to develop ONLY at one, set temperature, every time.

In HOT temps, the water bath would serve to keep the developing tank cool, in cold times, the opposite.

As far as temperature control units that are plumbed into the water supply...no idea.


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## JonA_CT

Anova - Precision Cooker Bluetooth

I'd use a sous vide recirculator. Buy a cambro tub big enough to fit what you need it to, fill with water, set the temp, and off you go.


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## Gary A.

How much film are you developing at one time?

I never had any problem adding hot or cold water to the developer to attain optimum temps.


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## limr

I've also never had any trouble dealing with it. I get the developer to temperature using a thermometer and combo of hot and cold water. I get my fixer to temperature by sitting the container in a tub of water hotter than the fixer and take it out when it's the right temp.


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## Light Guru

Well I like to keep my house at 68 degrees which just happens to be the temp recommended by my developer.

If the storage temperature is close to the recommended development temperature then you can adjust development time accordingly.  This will help determine how to adjust it. 
B&W Film Developing Times | The Massive Dev Chart

Another option is stand development where temperature is not important.


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## 480sparky

Gary A. said:


> ..........I never had no problem adding hot or cold water to the developer to attain optimum temps.



So do you adjust your developing time since you've altered the dev/water mix ratio?


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## Gary A.

Rarely, I develop with D-76.  As I dilute the stock developer I'll add cold or hot water in order to attain the optimal temp. If I'm a degree high or low I will compensate with shorter or longer times.


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## limr

I do the same with Caffenol - I do the temperature adjustments while mixing. 

And like Light Guru, it's usually only a couple of degrees since room temp is always hovering around 68F anyway.


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## Light Guru

480sparky said:


> Gary A. said:
> 
> 
> 
> ..........I never had no problem adding hot or cold water to the developer to attain optimum temps.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So do you adjust your developing time since you've altered the dev/water mix ratio?
Click to expand...


No the way Ive done it in the past you are not altering your dev/water mix ratio you adjust the temp of the water that you add to developer when making the working solution so that the working solution is the correct temp.


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## maris

I never never adjust water temperature for black and white development. Adjusting and maintaining water temperature is difficult and expensive if one is going to be precise about it. And it's completely unnecessary. If my tap water runs at a constant temperature somewhere between 13C (55F) and 34C (93F) I just change the developing time. Developing is a time and temperature process and timing within a couple of seconds is much more precise than letting temperature vary, say, +/- 1 degree F. And modern black and white films don't care, aren't damaged, if the temperature isn't 68F which is itself is a historical relic from the early days of photography.


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## Dave442

I usually did both, a bath to hold the jug that was at 68 and when making the working solution of the developer I usually just added water at 68 and as the storage area was always close to that temp anyway. 

At the course lab we had a sink with a thermometer built in so it was very simple to have 68 degree water at the tap.


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## 480sparky

It's so easy to get things to 68°F it's not even funny.  If you are souping when the chemicals are below 68, you set them in a warm water bath.  If they're too warm, you set them in a cool water bath.

You can make warm water by turning on the warm water tap on your faucet.  If you need to cool things down, you put a jug or two of water into the refrigerator, or use some ice from the freezer.

Predictable results require consistent procedures.  Shoot identical film frames shot under identical conditions using identical settings.  Developing one at 64° for 13:00 will result in a different image than developing the other at 75° for 9:00. This is due to the logarithmic (non-linear) nature of developing.  Highlights do not develop at the same rate as shadows.

This has been known for over 150 years.


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## Hpilot

Thanks.


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## 480sparky

snowbear said:


> Andrew Wittner said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hpilot said:
> 
> 
> 
> Looking for simple, cheap(relatively), effective means of having a constant temperature water supply to develop my black and white photos. I've looked at commercial units that are way above what I can pay.
> Any sources for constant water temperature supply devices, especially used, would be great.
> Thanks,
> Gail
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gail - Are you developing films or prints? If films, just use a kettle and a thermometer and mix up a jug of suitably warm water (eg 20 or 21C) for the developer and don’t worry about the temperature of the stop and fix baths. If doing prints, go to your local pet shop and buy a mains-electric plastic heating mat (looks like a thin square sheet of hard plastic) designed for reptiles to rest on. It’s essentially waterproof.  Take it home and insert it into a protective plastic bag to keep it nice and clean, and then plug it in and leave it sitting under the middle of your developer tray. In cold weather it will bring your developer to about 23.5C, a good warm temperature for active development. Very safe, uses hardly any power, just turn it on and forget about it while you’re printing. Your print developer really needs to be above 20c if it’s going to do its thing - Andrew Wittner
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Year old thread.  OP has not come back since 2017.
Click to expand...


That's because Andrew is trying to peddle an app he created.


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## Dave Colangelo

Ive been running a bunch of rolls recently and focusing on temp (for no apparent reason) heres what I have found. For the record I am using a Paterson System 4 tank that holds 1 120 spool or 2 35mm spools. The thing to consider is the ambient room temperature. 

In the colder months I have no problem keeping my apartment at 68 Degrees and thus just processing at room temp. I use distilled water so I let the gallon jugs sit for a while before processing always on the mark. 

The bigger issue is in the warmer months in which case I need to cool the developer down a bit. Ambient temp is anywhere from 74-78 degrees depending on when I get home and turn my AC on. I mix up the dev in the measuring cup and then sit it in an ice bath to cool down to 68. Stir frequently to ensure even cooling. Once at 68 dump in and begin processing. Frankly for the ~10 minute process time I have not seen huge temperature rises on the last 4 rolls I did yesterday. Water has a fairly high specific heat and will hold temp well over a short time span. The paterson tank allows you to insert a thermometer so I keep an eye on it in between agitations and submerge in the ice bath if the temperature is rising too much. 

If you are using ilford film and developers they provide very accurate correction charts for processing at a range of temperatures. I have used these with great success. You can find it all on their website but you will need to download the data sheets for the individual film stocks.


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