Sourcing Chemicals

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gnomus

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This is my first post here, so I appreciate your patience.

I'm just getting back into proper film photography after many years of digital. I'm breaking myself in 'gently' with some 35mm stuff at present. But I do have one of those Intrepid 4x5 jobbies on order. (I understand I may have to wait a bit for that!)

I would appreciate some advice/recommendations about sourcing chemistry in the UK. There seems to be a pretty wide range of prices and products out there. I thought I'd kick of with some Kodak HC110 for the roll of FP4 that I have just shot.

Thanks in anticipation.
 
Welcome to the forum.

FP4 and HC110 are a good combination. Don't feel you need to stick to the "standard" dilutions.

There are a number of suppliers in the UK like Sharif, Firstcall, Process Supplies and AG. Depending on where you are, you may be able to pick up your dev, stop and fix locally.

Good luck and let us know if you have any problems.

Mike
 
Thanks Mike. I have gone ahead and placed an order with Process Supplies. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone local so it will have to be mail order for now.
 
Silverprint is also a good source for chemicals , especially if your getting experimental .
Film and paper too .
Most of my stuff comes from First call photographic . Very good service .
 
Thanks Neil. I'll look them up. At the moment, the limit of 'experimental' for me is simply getting back into film after a break of some 25 years... o_O
 
Thanks again, everybody. Process Supplies were able to sort me out with some developer. There was a minor problem with the Internet order and they telephoned me within a few minutes of submission to sort out the problem. I have to say I was quite impressed with the service and attitude.

As a brief follow-up ... I don't ever remember having any problems loading 35mm film onto Paterson plastic spools. It's a terrible thing getting old .... I lost about 7 frames due to my hopeless fumblings in the dark bag. Nevertheless, I managed to process (most of) my film. I was surprised at how sharp everything was: much sharper than anything I've had from my digital camera. I make no great claims for the photos themselves but (other than some dust removal - note to self: try to avoid black backgrounds in future). I was struggling to find very much to do in Photoshop!

Steve
 
Turn your bag inside out and give it a good shake, then vacuum it, particularly the seams. Then throw it away.* In the large format world, dust is your cunning, relentless and sentient enemy. There are better ways, like tents and cubes for LF film loading. The Harrison is popular but quite expensive in the size you will need.
This is the one I use:
www.wexphotovideo.com

Calumet Film Changing Room + Bag | Wex Photo Video

This self-contained film changing room sets up and collapses quickly and easily. Change camera film with confidence, wherever you are.
www.wexphotovideo.com
None of them are perfect.
Before the Healing Brush, spotting out dust was much, much worse.

*Well, not really. Save it for 35mm or for travelling.
 
Thanks David. In fact, the Calumet bag you suggest is the one I have. I suspect that my botched film loading routine led to more dust than I would have had if things had gone smoothly. Even then, on the 'high key' shots, I only spotted a couple of particles of dust for cloning.

The arm holes on that Calumet bag are rather tight, don't you think? Maybe I need to cut down on my consumption of pies.
 
It's supposed to be tight. They will loosen with time. Photons are very tiny and very inquisitive.
The vacuuming advice still stands.
Get a wide artist's brush to brush down the holders, including the grooves and slots and both sides of the sheaths, immediately before loading and then give them a final blow with a blower. Keep the brush clean. Wash your hands in case they've picked up any dust, but dry them thoroughly. Avoid hairy pullovers. Don't load in very dry conditions as this encourages static. Pack the holders in ordinary polythene bags for transport or storage.
Can't think of any more tiresome detail. Other members may have more advice.
Aha! One more thing. Dust out your bellows, in case that's the source.
 
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