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> Welcome from Hertfordshire |
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#1
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Welcome from Hertfordshire
Evening FADU People
I would like to wish you all a very happy xmas and a very good darkroom new year from Stevenage I have just started out on my darkroom quest after many years away and got to say I have missed the magic of watching pictures come alive. So last night I set up in the bathroom with everything I had and happy to say that I now have the bug again as the 35mm black and white film I developed came out really well. Now we all know colour if a different ball game so looking for advise on what I need to get started and any other advise Paul |
#2
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welcome to FADU Paul and have a great Christmas and new year .every print I make still has the magic that keeps me going back for more I am lucky I have my own darkroom but for years I used anywhere I could get dark ,now I have 3 grandchildren and I see them a lot ,so they have became my models, I love comparing photographs that I have taken of them over the years ..
www.essexcockney.com |
#3
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Welcome to FADU Paul. The best way to start colour (C41, I assume and not E6 slide film) is to obtain either a Jobo processor which can do both C41 colour neg and RA4 colour paper prints. They are not particularly cheap these days or a dedicated film processor. Both have a heated water bath to maintain the temp of the chemicals at 38C. Maintenance of this temp is quite important.
However even in a bathroom with the bath acting as a water bath it is possible to get close to the right temperature and use an inversion technique. I need to add the rider that as I have a Jobo I have not actually tried C41 with a bath of water and inversion. Before you buy C41 chemicals, I'd try a wet run first i.e. sacrifice a cheap C41 film by pre-wetting it in a tank for say 5 mins with water at 38C and bath water around it at say 40C . Then pour in fresh water at 38C, invert for say 5 secs every 30 secs for the required time of 3 mins 15 secs and check the tank's water temp at the end. If it is within 0.5C of 38C this is probably close enough although strictly speaking the process talks of 0.2C. You can then modify the pre-wet time and water bath temp to get it as close to 38C as you can. If you can get it close then you can think of a C41 kit All this will do is get you processed negatives. To produce prints requires a bit more equipment such as an enlarger, DUKA safelight etc. Unless you have a light tight area that will hold an enlarger with a colour head, a Jobo for print processing or a Nova heated processor things can start to get complex I'll leave it at that for now. I think we need to know what area of the house you have available for such stuff and what budget you have for processing and printing Mike |
#4
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Thank you so much guys for the welcome and advise.
I have some films I can play around with as a test run and from what I have seen on the internet the temp is very important so I dont hold out much hope I will get a lot from colour. So what items do I have right now, 1x colour enlarger, 1x Black and white enlarger, 2x Safe lights, 1x Jessops Timer, Film clips, Tanks, Glass Bottles, All the little thing. Now the room i have for a darkroom. Well in 2018 we are moving not too far away and the new property has enough bedrooms so I plan to have a darkroom in one of the bedrooms so Im quite lucky on that score |
#5
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Hello and welcome to FADU analogue photo friend.
Greetings of the season!
__________________
MartyNL “Reaching a creative state of mind thru positive action is considered preferable to waiting for inspiration.” - Minor White, 1950 |
#7
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Paul, it certainly looks as if you could be all set for colour once you move and convert a bedroom. At that point I'd consider a heated film processor and possibly a heated Nova print processor. Combined, they may be the alternative to a Jobo processor as the heated Nova will do colour prints.
OK with a Nova you can't see the print develop before your eyes which can be done with trays and B&W prints which will develop at room temp. Colour printing is possible at as low as 20C in open trays so a lot depends on how hot your darkroom is but whereas you can have a "normal" safelight for B&W, you need a DUKA sodium light at a fairly low level for colour. In theory, provided you are good in total darkness, it is possible to print and use a Nova, but I'd want a DUKA . On balance I favour a Nova over trays. It takes up less space, keeps chemicals fresher for longer, avoids making up then decanting print developer, stop and fix for each session but others including you may feel differently. Anyway I am getting ahead of myself here as such things may be in the future once you are set up in your new darkroom Mike |
#8
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Welcome to FADU Paul.
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#9
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Welcome Paul.
I too lived in Stevenage = many moons ago now, in the mid to late 80's before moving to London for 20 years and now to the coast at Southend on Sea. Terry S |
#10
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Hi Paul and welcome to Fadu, have a prosperous and busy new year with the darkroom
Richard
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jerseyinblackandwhite.blogspot.com |
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