Darkroom chemicals from 1996

Hello,

I bought a 'kit' of ebay. All the equipment wasn't used at all but I did find a receipt in amongst the stuff dating back to 1996.

The chemicals are all sealed but I could safely say they will be unusable?

Ilford Wetting Agent 250ml
Ilford Stop Bath 500ml
Barclay Black and White Developer 1 litre
Barclay Black and White Universal Fixer 1 litre
Barclay Black and White Paper Developer 1 litre

Also included was Barclay Black and White photographic paper Lustre 2 8" x 10". I wonder would this be OK for printing once I get an enlarger? It too hasn't been opened.

Thanks

The wetting agent, fixer and stop bath will be fine. The developers may be OK if still sealed, but the only way to be sure is to try them. The paper developer won't lose you much if it's no good as you'll know after the first print. The film developer probably isn't worth the risk as you wouldn't want to ruin a film.

Thanks John,

That would save me quite a bit of money. Does it matter which developer I get regarding compatibility? I was going to get Ilford developer for around £12 delivered.

As a film is around £6 it probably isn't worth it. I am going to try Ilford FP4 125 or Delta 100 this time.

Cheers

One of the reasons to develop our own films is to get the qualities we want from an emulsion. Fir example, I used Kodak Tri-X film (ISO 400)and developed it in FX-39 from Paterson. The reason for this is that I liked the crisp grain structure that resulted. (The Pentax 18-135mm gives me a similar effect on digital.)

If I had developed in Paterson Aculux or Ilford ID-11 then I would have had finer grain at the expense of the grain being slightly less crisp. The FX-39 is an acutance developer, the Aculux a fine grain developer.

Then we have the refinement of changing the development time and exposure to create the effects we want. Under exposure and extended development will affect a film differently to over exposure and reduced development.

This is a huge area with endless possibilities. There are extensive books on the subject, but trying things out is the best way to find what properties we like.

Thanks John,

I have read a bit although I'm just getting into it. I wonder are you referring to the Ansel Adams book or the Darkroom Cookbook?

I'll certainly not be satisfied with a lab doing it for me and the expense racks up quickly.

I see Ilford ID-11 is a powder so I'll have to look into that but I think you have to make 5L all at once?

As you say it is quite extensive and I'm only beginning.

Ansel Adams made a set of three books (The Camera, The Negative and The Print) that are excellent but probably beyond what you need at the start. The Paterson Book of the Darkroom is simple and practical for setting up and getting started, but there are numerous accessories that you just don't need, such as an exposure meter.

I'd have a look on Amazon, or better still visit a Waterstones or similar bookshop and browse some books in their photography section.

For traditional black and white processing look in some second hand book shops or charity shops for books that were published before the digital era (or even fleabay.) A couple to look out for are the All in One Camera Book and Teach Yourself Photography but there are hundreds of others. They ought to be much cheaper than current volumes.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR10.TRC0.A0.Xall+i...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Photography-Teach-Yourself-by-Stanley-W-Bowler-/380472...

That isn't to say a visit to the High Street would be a waste of time but most current books are based on digital taking and processing, ie Photoshop.

It is worth remembering that negatives can be scanned and processed using Photoshop or similar. Saves having to wait for the hours of darkness!

John K