Development times for RTP-163 developer

RTP-163 is a developer that can be procured in Chennai, India. Costing about Rs.52 a pack, this is a very economical developer. The developer seems to be an equivalent of Kodak DA-163 developer solution.

I couldn't find any online documentation about developing times for this developer, so here goes:

Film	Temperature	Time	Agitation
Nova BW 125	~20C	5 mins	Brisk agitation for 10 secs in the first minute, then followed by 3 inversions in 5 seconds at the end of every minute
Ilford Pan 400	~20C	5 mins	Brisk agitation for 10 secs in the first minute, then followed by 3 inversions in 5 seconds at the end of every minute
Kodak TMax 400	~20C

Clip tests to calculate development and fixing times

Clip tests are a simple way to figure out development and fixing times. This is a useful procedure when working with a new developer or film, or if you are reusing your chemicals, or if you are unsure about the potency of the chemicals.

Development times:
Simple clip test for development

For this, you will need a small piece from the leader portion of your film. You'll also need a sample fully exposed piece of a similarly typed film for reference.

Go through the entire process of dev, stop, fix, wash and dry with this small piece of film that you have cut out. Once done with this process, compare the piece with the reference film. If the piece you developed is lighter, then it was underdeveloped, if is is darker, then it was overdeveloped. Adjust your development times accordingly

Modified clip test for development

The simple clip test is good if you have a reference film bit to compare against. But what if you have a new developer and a new film with no reference to fall back on? You can perform a modified clip test as follows:

Look up the instructions for your developer. You should see something like '5 to 7 minutes at 20 deg C'. Lets take this instruction for example.

5 to 7 mins means < 5 is underdeveloped and > 7 is overdeveloped. We want to clip test for 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 mins to cover the entire range of given times. Cut out 5 test strips from your film. The test strips are cut out from the fully exposed film i.e. from the leader end in broad daylight. For the 4 min test, I cut out a film strip with 3 'eyes' (holes on either side of your film), for 5 min I cut out with 4 'eyes' and so on. This way I can recognize the strips.

I use an oversized soap dish as a tray for the test strip. Pour in enough developer (at the prescribed temperature). Drop in the first strip and start your stop watch. At every minute, drop in the next strip and slightly rock the tray to agitate. In total you will need to count to 8 mins. So, your first strip would have received 8 mins of development, the second strip would have received 7 mins, and so on.

At the end of 8 mins, pour out the developer and continue with the rest of the development procedure i.e. wash, fix, wash.

Now, compare your test strips. The underdeveloped strip will look transparent in comparison to the overdeveloped strip. The test strip which is not completely black will give you the time required for development.


Fixing times:

Cut a piece of film leader and immerse into fixer. Start timer. Observe film at the end of every minute. Note down the number of minutes for the film leader to become clear. Multiply this time by 2. This is the time you need for fixing your film.

Home made Photoflo

Photoflo is a wetting agent. This reduces the surface tension of water, so, when you hang up your negatives to dry, most of the water will just drip off. This reduces chances of dried water marks from showing up on your negative.

If you dont have access to photoflo, you can make your own equivalent by adding a drop or two of Pril (dishwash liquid) to a liter of distilled water. You need to use distilled water because it does not have any dissolved salts or minerals. Distilled water can be bought from battery shops and most petrol pumps for Rs.20 a liter.

As a last step after washing your film, soak the film reel in this homemade solution for a couple of minutes. Your film will now dry cleanly without any streaks or drying marks. Goes without saying, this solution cannot be reused.

Keep in mind that Pril has fragrances and other chemicals as part of its chemical composition. There are many posts on the internet which will warn you against using this solution with important negatives, since it may degrade the emulsion over a period of time.

RTP-163 developer

I sourced a few packets of RTP-163 developer from Chennai. The packaging states that it has metol and hydroquinone as part of its composition. This is probably the same as Kodak's DA-163 developer. According to the literature printed on the dev packet, the developer is 'all purpose' and can be used for both film and papers

This cost me Rs.52 per packet. The powder in the packet makes 1L of concentrate. The ratio to create the working solution is 1 part of concentrate to 3 parts of developer. Works out pretty cheap :) Dev time is mentioned as 5 mins to 8 mins at 20 deg C.

Hypo as BW fixer

Hypo (sodium thiosulfate) is cheap and easily available. It costs around Rs.100 per half kg. Hypo comes in crystalline form; it looks like large transclucent grains of rice.

I use a film roll canister to measure out the crystals. A little over one measure added to 300ml of warm water is the mixing ratio I use. It takes around 5mins to fix using this solution. This solution can be reused.

There is a simple way to find out the time required for fixing. Drop a small piece of film leader (which you cut out when loading the film reel) into the hypo solution. Start the stopwatch. Check the film at the end of every minute. Note down the number of minutes required to make the film transparent. Double this time. This is the number of minutes required to fix your film.

Storage bottles and other miscellany for film development

In addition to the development equipment and chemicals, there are a bunch of other materials that you will need.

Storage bottles:

Storage bottles are required for storing the development chemistry. You will require bottles to store the stock solution (concentrate) and the working solution.

Chemical storage bottles come in glass and plastic. Glass bottles are preferred since they are inert to chemicals and do not 'breathe' like plastic. They are also easier to clean. Ensure that the glass or plastic bottles are dark in color to prevent exposure of chemicals to light. BW chemicals get oxidized on exposure to air. This is something to keep in mind when purchasing the bottles. There are chemical storage bottles with 'bellows'; which allow the bottle to grow or shrink, thus reducing the air at the top. These bottles are generally expensive, hard to find, and have a short life because of warping of the bellows. One way of reducing the standing air at the top of the bottle is to drop glass marbles into the storage bottles, till the chemical reaches the mouth of the bottle. Make sure the marbles are 'glass', since glass is inert.

The best way to source chemical storage bottles is from a chemistry lab. If a family member or friend of yours is working with a college or school, it should be easy to get old unused bottles from the chemistry labs.

As an alternative to buying bottles, old medicine bottles and cheap glass storage jars can be used. Medicine bottles are good because they are generally dark in color, have airtight caps and come in standard sizes. If the bottles are not dark tinted, you should store the bottles in a dark corner away from light. Or you could place them within a dark plastic cover. Or just paint the bottle with a dark color. Beware about using generally available plastic bottles or jars. They may not be suitable for storing chemicals i.e. they may either disintegrate, or end up leeching and contaminating chemicals.

I have a Paterson tank (single reel) which takes 290ml of solution. I figured out that 'Christoffel' beer bottles make good storage bottles for storing working solutions These beer bottles come with spring loaded airtight caps which are reusable. The bottles are dark, wash easily, and the capacity is 330ml; which is just about right! So, I have one for storing the developer, and another for storing the fixer.

All repurposed bottles must be thoroughly washed with water and dried before you put in your BW chemicals. Make sure that the caps on the bottles are airtight.


Measuring jars:

Chemicals need to be mixed in correct proportions. To do this, you need a set of measuring jars. The sizes that you will need are 1L, 500ml and 100ml. Jars are available in plastic and glass variants. Plastic jars have a tendency to become opaque and attract scratches and dirt over time. This makes it difficult to read. Glass jars are the better alternative. They are available in cheap glass and borosil. The cheap ones are good enough. In addition to the measuring jars, it is useful to buy a 10ml syringe; for measuring small quantities accurately.


Thermometer:

BW development generally happens at a temperature of 20C. For mixing some of the chemicals you may need to go up to 50C - 75C. Get a thermometer in the 0C to 100C range, with 1/2 degree markings. Digital thermometers are easier to read, but are expensive. Dial type thermometers are not known to be very accurate. A thermometer which has a quick response time is useful.


Film Clips:

You need film clips for hanging up and drying your negatives. The clip at the bottom needs to be a bit heavy, to prevent curling of the negative. Proper film clips cost a bit. Good alternatives are to use alligator clips or binder clips. The clips need to be tight to prevent the film from slipping out. Folding the ends of the negatives helps increase the grip of the clips


Timer:

All steps in film development are timed. You dont need a fancy timer/stopwatch. Most watches these days come equipped with a stopwatch which serves the purpose well. You might even find a stopwatch on your cellphone. If nothing, use an analogue watch and keep time with the seconds counter - it wont be accurate or convenient to use, but it will work. A fancier solution will just make things easier. Keep in mind that you will have chemicals and water around, so, it may not be a great idea to use your expensive watch.


Misc:

Stirring paddle: Useful for mixing up chemicals. You could use an old spoon or fork for this. A thick copper wire with one end bent into a loop makes a good stirrer too.
Funnel: Use a funnel to avoid spilling chemicals when transferring them from jars to tanks to bottles. Funnels are available in glass and plastic. A plastic funnel should suffice. They are easy to find locally.

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Basic equipment required for BW film development

I contacted a bunch of vendors in Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai to enquire about purchasing equipment for BW development. None of them replied positively. And so, I bought the equipment on Amazon, and had a friend bring them back.

Development tank and film loading reel
This is one of the crucial pieces in BW film development. Make sure you purchase something good that will last for a good time. I bought a Paterson tank from Amazon. The kit cost me $25 and comprised of a film development tank for one 35mm reel, and one film loading reel

Film is light sensitive. Until the image is 'fixed', all development procedures need to be done in the dark. The development tank is light tight. But the process of loading the film onto the reel, and loading the development tank, all needs to be done in the dark. Traditionally, all of this was done in a darkroom.

The darkroom
A darkroom is a 'light tight' room. If you have the luxury of devoting a room, all you need to do is to identify and plug all sources of light leaks - doors, windows and ventilation. Put off the lights when setting up your darkroom. As your eyes get acclimatized to the darkness, you will be able to identify smaller light leaks. Any sliver of light you can see, will affect your undeveloped film.

Your bed as a darkroom
If you have enough space beneath your bed, you could convert it into a darkroom too. Drape thick blankets on all sides of your bed. Like before, get your eyes acclimatized to the dark for a few minutes to verify that there are no small light leaks. You can increase the effectiveness of this method by turning off the lights in the room, drawing the curtains, and closing the door. This setup is useful for contact printing your negatives.

Changing bag

I went with the option of buying a changing bag. The changing bag is a double zippered light tight bag with two holes for your hands. The development tank, reels and associated loading equipment is placed within the bag. Once the bag is zipped up, it becomes a mini-darkroom. I bought a Bower 16x17 inch changing bag which cost me $12


Your jacket as a changing bag
One alternative to the changing bag, is to use a thick jacket. Place all development equipment into the body of the jacket and zip it up. Place a thick blanket over the open end of the jacket, and voila, you have a home made changing bag! I've not tried this myself, so, I cant comment on the effectiveness of this solution