What's Your View On Clip Testing

[Ian-Barber]

I have some developer I mixed some tome ago and because I am not making many exposures as of late, it got me wondering as to how acrtive they still might be.

Exposing a bit of film to light and dropping it in the developer does indeed make the film go black but is this really a good test to say the developer is still active enough to be used on real negative or a roll of negatives.

 

[mpirie]

It's an indication that there is activity in the developer, but nothing more than that.

If you want to risk your prize shots on that basis, then feel free, but dev is so cheap that it's not worth the risk to me anyway.

Especially if you're using high-dilution developers like Pyrocat, 510 or HC-110 etc.

Mike

 

[Ian Grant]

Use a 35mm film, shoot few frames and develop that. Just open the camera back in the dark and cut off the exposed frames.

Ian

 

[thronobulax]

I have some developer I mixed some tome ago and because I am not making many exposures as of late, it got me wondering as to how acrtive they still might be.

Exposing a bit of film to light and dropping it in the developer does indeed make the film go black but is this really a good test to say the developer is still active enough to be used on real negative or a roll of negatives.

My clip test is to expose a single sheet of 5x4 or 3x2 film and process in the developer as usual. It's low risk and wastes minimal material, often delivering a lovely and printable negative.