The beginner should start with the simplest, the apron and proceed to reels as soon as possible. Remember developing roll film is a skill and the more that you process film the more consistent the results.

To process the film it must be loaded into a light tight container called a tank. The developing tank consists of a tank, a lid, a weight, and an apparatus to hold the film, which is called an apron. The apron permits a free flow of chemicals around the film. If the chemicals do not reach all the parts of the emulsion evenly the final negative would not be properly developed.

Before loading any film, inspect the apron to be sure it is clean and dry. A wet or dirty apron will cause the film to be ruined.

To load film onto an apron, start at the end where the apron is riveted. Place one end of the film (usually the end where the film and backing paper were taped) in the riveted end of the apron and roll up. The emulsion of the film should always face toward the center of the apron or tank. The film will be held away from the plastic center of the apron by the serrated edges. When finished rolling place the film and the apron into the tank with the weight on top. Close the tank by placing the lid on the tank and make sure it is snug and will not fall off.

Loading the film into the tank is the only step that must be done in the dark. The lid must be on tight so that no light will enter the tank and ruin the film. The lid of the tank is made so that the chemicals can be poured in and out of the tank.

The roll film tank consists of a: tank, lid, cap, and reel. The reel allows all areas of the film emulsion to be contacted by the developer it also permits the free flow of the chemicals around the film.

Before loading any film into a tank, cut a piece of practice film off of the ruined roll and practice loading the film onto the reel. The secret of loading is to cup the film and load the film on to a tank.

Developer-The entire developing solution must cover the top of the film in the tank so that all of the film will be developed. The developer turns the exposed silver halids crystals into metallic silver while the unexposed halides are unchanged.

The silver halides will all turn black if the development is not carefully controlled. To develop properly the following

conditions must be controlled: time, temperature and developer

strength. Use the developing computer to determine development

time. The kind of developer and strength will be posed.

Just a reminder, the recommended temperature of all the solutions in the developing process should be 68 degrees. A warmer developer will decrease the development time while a colder developer will work more slowly causing longer time. Do not develop unless temperature is between 65 degrees and 80 degrees. Development is started by pouring the developer into the tank. It is important that enough of the developer is used to cover the film (7 ounces for one roll and 14 ounces for two rolls). Too little developer will result in only part of the film being developed.

A timer of some sort should be used during developing. Recommendations of manufacturers should be followed as closely as possible.

Tip the tank to a 15-degree angle when pouring in the developer. As soon as the film developer is poured in, but before agitation begins, it is wise to tap the tank against the counter top several times to dislodge any bubbles on the film surface. After this, agitation of the film developer should begin. To accomplish this, the tank itself is agitated by moving it into 2 brisk figure eights every 30 seconds. Do not invert the tank. The agitation also helps to dislodge any air bubbles that might cling to the surfaces of the film. Air bubbles prevent development in that particular area of the film and thus causes a clear spot on the negative. About 5 seconds of agitation for every 30 seconds of development is a good rule to follow. It takes approximately 5 seconds to turn the two figure eights. Try to keep the agitation rate even. Agitation directly effects contrast and development.

Stop Bath-When the developing time has lapsed (on all chemicals start pouring 10 seconds before the time is up), the developer should be poured down the drain. The stop bath, which is the next step, is poured into the film-developing tank. Use a water bath for the stop bath. Make sure that the water is about the same temperature, then fill tank and empty two times.

Fixing-As soon as the stop bath has been poured down the drain, pour 7 ounces of fixer in the tank. The tank should be agitated during the fixing time to be sure all of the unexposed silver is removed from the emulsion. When the fixing time is up, pour the fixer back into its proper container.

Fixing the film is an important part of the developing process. The fixer is made up of chemicals which will dissolve the unexposed silver in the emulsion. When the silver is dissolved, it can be washed out of the emulsion. This is very important step because any silver left in the emulsion will turn black when exposed to light. The time required to fix the film depends upon the type of fixer used. There are some fixers on the market which can fix the film in several minutes. Other fixers may take 20 minutes or so. The temperature of the fixer should be about the same as the temperature of the developer.

Washing-After the fixer has been poured out, it will be necessary to wash the film. The washing is to remove all of the fixer in the emulsion of the film. The water used to wash the film should be between 65 and 80 degrees. The film should be washed at least 10 minutes (30 minutes is recommended). If the wash water is not changed often, the fixer will contaminate the water and thus remain on the film.

Photo-Flo-may be used after washing. Photo-flo is a wetting agent and is used to prevent streaks on the film during drying. After the film has been washed for the proper time, it is run through the Photo-flo solution for two slow dunks in the Photo-flo tank.

Drying-Drying of the film should be done in a dust free area if possible. A clothespin may be used to hang the film up to dry. Be very careful not to touch the surface of the film, especially when the film is wet. The emulsion is soft and enlarged and thus it scratches and picks up dust or other materials (including fingerprints) very easily. Any imperfections in the surface of the film will reproduce when the negative is printed.

Obtain apron, weight, tank and lid from Cabinet 5 and place them with the cartridge of film in a changing bag. Close both zipper and place your hands in the bag. Open the cartridge by breaking the rough end.

Separate the film from the paper (don't throw away the film and keep the paper--the paper is longer). Handle film only by the edges. Place the end of film in the apron and roll up. Keep rolling until the film is entirely rolled into the apron and the remainder of the apron called the leader is also rolled up.

Place the apron in the tank with the weight on top. Place the lid securely on top of the tank. Take the tank out of the changing bag (clean out the inside of the bag, throwing away any paper and return bag to Cabinet 2).

Check developing computer for time (the time is dependent on the film speed, dilusion of developer and kind of developer). Match the number with the arrow and look beside the temperature for the time. Set timer for the calculated time and turn on the switch. Tip the tank to a small angle and pour in the developer as quickly as possible. When all developer is in, tap tank to dislodge any air bubbles. Agitate by turning two brisk figure eights every 30 seconds until the developing time is finished.

When there is five to 10 seconds to go, pour the developer down the drain and fill tank with water which acts as a stop bath. The stop bath should not vary in temperature more than 5 degrees from the developer temperature. Pour stop bath or water down the drain and fill tank with 7 ounces of fix. Agitate periodically for 5 to 10 minutes. When finished, pour fixer back into bottle. Open the tank and remove the film, apron and weight.

Place the apron and weight into the film washer for 3 to 5 minutes. After washing, place the film in the Photo-flo two dunks, then separate the film and apron, hang the film in the drying rack and replace tank, apron, weight and lid in Cabinet 5. Clean and return all tools and equipment.