How to Process Film at Home ~ Enhance Photography Skill

If you love to work with a vintage film camera, especially if you shoot in black-and-white, it can be tough to find a lab that will process your film into negatives. The good news is, processing black-and-white film can be done at home with inexpensive manual equipment and chemicals, all of which can be purchased from specialty photo supply shops. Processing film requires a perfectly dark room and a sink that is not used for food preparation -- and it takes some practice.

Instructions

Prepare your darkroom. The darkroom for processing film is different from a darkroom for printing photos, which requires chemical baths and a water source, and uses a red safe light. A film processing darkroom is dry and must be pitch dark. A roomy closet or a bathroom without windows works well. If any light comes in from around the closed door, cover the gaps with electrical tape.

Inspect the parts of your developer tank. You should have one or two reels, and there may be a tube in the center to hold them in place. All of the pieces must be completely clean and dry. Before you load your film, become familiar with the tank and how it fits together in the light. If possible, practice loading the reel with an exposed roll of film.

Lay the parts of your tank in the darkroom so that you will be able to find everything in the dark -- remember, there is no safe light, you must work in pitch dark. Turn off the light or shut the door, double checking to make sure no light is seeping in.

Hold the roll of film with the flat end facing up. Pop the canister open with a bottle opener, and slide the film out. Cut the film off of the spool at the very end.

Insert the cut end of the film into the notch in the center of the reel. When it's properly lined up, twist each side of the reel in opposite directions to wind the film onto it. When the film is on the reel, slide it on the center tube and place it in the tank. Repeat with a second roll of film, or place the second empty reel, if applicable, on top.

Place the inner cover and lid on the tank securely. It's now safe to turn on the light or open the door.

Wet the film in the tank by removing the outer cap, filling the tank with water, and draining the water out into the sink. Put on rubber gloves.

Mix the developer with lukewarm water. The proportion of developer to water depends on several factors, including the film speed, water temperature, and whether you want to push the contrast. Use a developer chart, either from the developer manufacturer, a photo textbook or online to determine the correct mixture and developing time.

Set the timer to the developing time you've determined. Pour the developer into the tank and cover with the outer lid. Agitate the tank by turning it upside down, then turning it rightside up, continuously for ten seconds. Place the tank in the sink, tapping the bottom to release any air bubbles. Agitate the tank every minute for ten seconds until the timer goes off.

Drain the developer, then fill the tank with lukewarm water. Agitate for ten seconds, then drain.

Pour fixer, measured according to your tank size, into the tank and agitate for ten seconds per minute for about five minutes, or according to the manufacturer's directions. Drain the tank, and rinse with water. Add hypo-clearing agent and agitate for 30 seconds per minute for 2 minutes, or rinse the film in the tank in running water for 20 minutes.

Open the tank. Fill the tank with water and add a few drops of wetting agent. Shake the tank gently for about a minute, then drain.