Download ArticleDownload ArticleHow.com.vn is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 9 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time.
This article has been viewed 55,445 times.
Learn more...
Common black and white film is made with silver halide, a chemical that can be developed with an alkaline solution in order to bring out the images one has captured with a camera. Many substances can work as "developers," but the hard part is getting the alkalinity right so that the developer can bring out the image: most developers on their own will only give cloudy, indistinct images. One easy way to develop film at home is to use coffee, vitamin C, and washing soda. The first two ingredients bind together to form an effective developer; the washing soda adds alkalinity to the solution and, when film is deposited into the mixture, images are developed. The coffee and washing soda method is less exact than what you might be used to with commercial developing agents; try experimenting with different ingredient ratios and tweaking your camera's exposure to get the look you want for your photographs. This technique requires a developing tank, a simple piece of home photography equipment in which you load your undeveloped film onto reels and close them within a tank with developing fluid. Developing tanks are available at any local photography supplier.
Steps
Download Article
Fill a bucket with 1 qt. (or 1 lt.) of room temperature water.
Dissolve 10 tsp. (or 50 grams) of washing soda completely into the water.[1]Advertisement
Dissolve 4 tsp. (or 5 grams) of ground coffee completely into the solution.[2]
Dissolve 1 tsp. (or 5 grams) of Vitamin C powder completely into the solution.[3]
Wait up to 10 minutes for any bubbles to evaporate.
Make sure that you are in a completely dark area.
Load your film into the developing tank.[4]
Pour the solution into the developing tank.[5]
Shake the tank gently for about 30 seconds.
Agitate the developing tank every minute for about 10 seconds by inverting it and shaking gently.[6]
Continue for 10 to 20 minutes.
Pour the developing solution out.
Pour in 1 qt. (or 1 lt.) of tap water.
Shake the tank gently for about 30 seconds.
Agitate the developing tank every minute for about 10 seconds by inverting it and shaking gently.[7]
Pour out the water after 10 minutes.
Refill the tank with fresh tap water. Repeat the rinse process.
Pour out the water after 10 minutes.
Remove the film.
Hang the film in a corner away from light, dust, and wind.
Wait until the films are dry to see your developed images.
Community Q&A
- QuestionDo I need to use a fixer for this method?
Community AnswerYes, you always have to use a fixer. Without it the negatives will fade within a couple years. The fixer dissolves any silver nitrate left on the negatives and preserves the image. - QuestionWhat about a fixer? Is this all?
Peter BjergCommunity AnswerIt's a good idea to use an acidic "stop bath" for 1 minute (with constant agitation) in between the developing and the fixing. The non-toxic DIY version of a stopbath is 2 tsp citric acid per 500 ml cold water. Makes sure the citric acid is completely dissolved before use.
Tips
- Measurements are given in teaspoons and in grams. These are rough guidelines; you may find that you need to change them substantially for your particular ingredients and film. In general, the ratio of washing soda to coffee in weight should be between 5 to 1 and 10 to 1; the ratio of coffee to Vitamin C powder should be between 1 to 1 and 2 to 1.Thanks
- Instant coffee may be easier to use than brewed coffee because it has a constant consistency, whereas brewed coffee's consistency and strength is harder to gauge.Thanks
- Washing soda can be purchased at many supermarkets or health stores. Additionally, you may find sodium carbonate with pool suppliers or chemical supply stores; this is the same thing.Thanks
Warnings
- Do not use baking soda. Washing soda is sodium carbonate, while baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Using baking soda will ruin your undeveloped film.Thanks
- The coffee and washing soda developing process creates a very strong, very bad smell when the ingredients are mixed together.[8] Wearing a protective mask over the nose and mouth may make the process easier.Thanks
Things You'll Need
- Bucket
- Developing tank
- Ground coffee
- Washing soda
- Vitamin C powder
References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYjOqcbBEco
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYjOqcbBEco
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYjOqcbBEco
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DanaD-u9sEQ
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DanaD-u9sEQ
- ↑ https://www.fieldmag.com/articles/how-to-develop-film-with-coffee-caffenol-guide
- ↑ https://www.fieldmag.com/articles/how-to-develop-film-with-coffee-caffenol-guide
- ↑ https://www.wired.com/2009/03/develop-film-in/
- http://photo-utopia.blogspot.com/2007/09/developing-in-coffee.html
About This Article
Did this article help you?
⚠️ Disclaimer:
Content from Wiki How English language website. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License; additional terms may apply.
Wiki How does not encourage the violation of any laws, and cannot be responsible for any violations of such laws, should you link to this domain, or use, reproduce, or republish the information contained herein.
- - A few of these subjects are frequently censored by educational, governmental, corporate, parental and other filtering schemes.
- - Some articles may contain names, images, artworks or descriptions of events that some cultures restrict access to
- - Please note: Wiki How does not give you opinion about the law, or advice about medical. If you need specific advice (for example, medical, legal, financial or risk management), please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area.
- - Readers should not judge the importance of topics based on their coverage on Wiki How, nor think a topic is important just because it is the subject of a Wiki article.
