Hugonweb | Developing Film Photographs

General Tips

Loading Film Development Reels

Make sure reels are dry and locked to the correct width before loading

Keep thumbs on triangular guides to make sure film goes behind them

I don't stress about how the leader is cut.

Changing bag checklist:

Film Development

Invert developing tank in and over the sink in case it leaks.

Tap developing tank on table after every set of inversions to get rid of bubbles. Bubbles can be large and cause large areas of underdevelopment on the film.

For the Paterson 2x135/1x120 tank, mix up 500-600 mL of solution.

For 600 mL of working solution:

Product Concentration Concentrate Water Time
Ilford DDX 1+4 120 mL 480 mL See Chart
Ilfostop 1+19 30 mL 570 mL 10 sec
Ilford Rapid Fixer 1+4 120 mL 480 mL 2-5 min
Ilfotol Wetting Agent 1+200 5 mL 595 mL

Development times for DDX:

Film EI DDX 1+4 Time at 20 deg C
Ilford HP4+ 125 10m
Ilford HP5+ 400 9m
Ilford Delta 100 Pro 100 10m30s
Ilford Delta 400 Pro 400 8m
Ilford Delta 3200 Pro 1600 8m
Kentmere Pan 100 100 10m30s
Kentmere Pan 400 400 11m30s
Kodak T-Max P3200 1600 9m

After fixing, 4 total washes are required (that means 2 L to 2.4 L of wash water)

  1. Fill, 5 inversions, drain
  2. Fill, 10 inversions, drain
  3. Fill, 20 inversions, drain
  4. Fill, add wetting agent, 5 inversions, drain

Paper Development

Patterson 8"x10" trays can hold around 4 L, but 1 L is enough to cover a piece of paper well.

For 1 L of working solution:

Product Concentration Concentrate Water RC Paper Time
Ilford Multigrade Developer 1+9 100 mL 900 mL 1 min
Ilfostop 1+19 50 mL 950 mL 10 sec
Ilford Rapid Fixer 1+9 100 mL 900 mL 1 min

Chemical Lifetime

Product Full Half-full Working Strength
Ilford DDX 2 yr 4 mo 24 hr
Ilfosol 3 2 yr 4 mo 24 hr
Ilford Multigrade Developer 2 yr 6 mo 1 working day
Ilfostop 5 yr 1 yr 7 d
Ilford Rapid Fixer 2 yr 6 mo 7 d
Ilfotol Wetting Agent 3 yr 1 yr 7 d