The Development Method Kodak Doesn't Want You To See
So it turns out HC-110 isn’t supposed to go down the drain where I live. For my entire life everybody involved in black and white photography only cared about fixer being dumped down the drain for common chemicals used to develop film and paper.
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Storing and later disposing of developer adds a new layer of hassle and cost to an already threatened artform.
In threats I see challenges.
My favorite way to use HC-110 its clone L-110, is semistand development. The need to capture and store spent developer is especially problematic with this method. That’s because it’s necessary to use more liquid so that the minimum ratio of developer per roll/sheet is met.
So here was the challenge: how to get the most out of HC-110 but minimize the generation of waste collection for disposal?
My theory was to just use the last batch of very thin HC-110 in place of water. Developing with the semi-stand process theoretically pretty much knocks out the active developer in one use anyhow.
Well it’s too late to use TL;DR - but my theory works wonderfully!
(Old, regular semistand) Here’s plain old semistand development how I used to use it:
Load your film in your favorite tank. Don’t maximize capacity- that’s to say if you can fit two rolls on one JOBO reel, just do one.
Mix HC-110 or equivalent 1:100 to 1:150 with enough or even a little more than can fill the tank
Don’t worry about temperature unless it’s outside the norms for film development (~65-75f 18-23c or so)
Set timer for one hour and pour in developer. Agitate for one minute. Then dump developer back in the mixing vessel you used to measure developer, then pour back in developing tank and agitate a few more seconds. Tap edges of tank, or drop from ½ inch (~1cm) to help dislodge bubbles.
Go grab a cup of coffee or glass of beer depending on what time of day it is. Come back in about 30 minutes.
Repeat step 4, then wait another 30 minutes or so and go to step 7
Finish your developing process normally (stop, fix, wash etc).
(New, seasoned semistand)
Load your film in your favorite tank. Don’t maximize capacity- that’s to say if you can fit two rolls on one JOBO reel, just do one.
Mix HC-110 or equivalent 1:100 to 1:150 with enough or even a little more than can fill the tank, but use old developer you collected and kept from your previous film processing in place of water
Don’t worry about temperature unless it’s outside the norms for film development (~65-75f 18-23c or so)
Set timer for one hour and pour in developer. Agitate for one minute. Then dump developer back in the mixing vessel you used to measure developer, then pour back in developing tank and agitate a few more seconds. Tap edges of tank, or drop from ½ inch (~1cm) to help dislodge bubbles.
Go grab a cup of coffee or glass of beer depending on what time of day it is. Come back in about 30 minutes.
Repeat step 4, then wait another 30 minutes or so and go to step 7
Finish your developing process normally (stop, fix, wash etc). But keep your spent developer and repeat this process if you like the results!
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