# Pathetically new to film, need help please.



## runninglance (Feb 12, 2007)

Hey, I've been on here for several months now, but this is my first time posting in this section. I'm finally taking a photography class which is film. I have been shooting only digital up until this point. So this film deal is pretty overwhelming. Anyways I bought my developer today, which is Kodak T-Max Developer and Replenisher. I don't know the first thing about mixing this to start developing (I missed the first couple of classes.) So if someone on here could help me I would be very appreciative. I'm sorry for sounding like a compete idiot, this is just really overwhelming to me. Thanks in advance.


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## terri (Feb 12, 2007)

First off.....attend your classes!!  Don't rely on the internet for crucial info! 

Okay, now that's out of the way.... 

TMax developer, the liquid? Easy as pie. One part TMax to 4 parts water, distilled if you have it. What that means for a single roll of 35mm film is 100 mls TMax, 400 mls water in a 500 ml graduate, or half a liter. Very easy to mix. Next, check the temperature and look at the chart on the label for the total time to agitate according to temperature. When they say 5 agitations for 5 seconds, practice that so you get the hang of it, it's quite a lot of agitating per minute compared with other developers. 

I'm sure you have step by step instructions on how to develop your film, and you've been naughty by skipping these classes, so no more info from me!  Hope this is enough to get you started. 

Have fun! B&W film is where it's at. :thumbup:


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## ksmattfish (Feb 12, 2007)

If you need more info go to Kodak's website.  Lot's of info there.

www.kodak.com


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## Torus34 (Feb 14, 2007)

And read the instructions which come with the developer, stop bath and fixer very, very carefully.  Film development is a matter of devotion to procedure so that each and every roll receives the same exact treatment.


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## ksmattfish (Feb 14, 2007)

T-Max developer with replenisher is the only developer that I've ever screwed up film with.  I mixed up a full jug, sealed it tightly.  Went on a two week vacation.  Came back and promptly killed 3 rolls of 120 Tmax400 filled with awesome 6x9cm ocean beach photos.  I still don't know what happened.  I'm guessing that I contaminated the developer by not cleaning the jug out well enough (it had stored other developers in the past, although I really thought I washed it out).


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## fightheheathens (Feb 16, 2007)

First First First
take a roll of film you dont like and practice like hell loading it on to the film reel. Do it first with your eyes open till you get it right, then practice with your eyes closed till you can to it 10 times right in a row. After never screwing up film because i loaded it wrong, I screwed some up because i hadnt developed film in about 6 months and didnt practice loading it. 

anyway, first step it to load this film. 

second step it to mix up your developer and fixer.
If your developer says 1+4 that means one part developer to 4 parts water.
If you take the volume of your film tank and devide by 5 (4parts water + 1 parts developer) you will get how much developer you need to add.

make sure to mix up some fixer before you start

to develope, pour the developer in and agitate for the first 30 seconds. 
I like to agitate 4 times every 30 seconds (as in 4 agitations after 30 seconds) after the initial agitation.

Then i pour developer out (i only use it one time)
and i run water over the film (still with the cover on so the film is in darkness) for 1 min.
Then i Fix my film for 5 min following the same agitation as the developer. 

I then open my developer tank up and take a look at the film, If it is milky or doesnt appear to be fully fixed, i fix for an additional minute
if it looks good, i let it sit in running water for 5 min.

I then dump out the water and add photoflow and let my film sit in that for about 30 seconds.
 then i let it dry overnight

and next time...GO TO CLASS!!!!


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## Majik Imaje (Mar 3, 2007)

that requires much practice so that you master a system of always doing the same thing the same way every time you do it.

you begin, by understanding ALL of the instructions, keep reading them over and over and over UNTIL you understand them fully.

Make a check list.. 

of steps to follow:

1.

2.

3. etc.

Establish good clean working habits, temperature is critical to learn how to keep constant for the entire process.  cleanliness must be spotless! eveyrwhere.  

and attend all your classes!


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