Liopleurodon wrote:
Hi all,

I'm just starting out on the B&W develope and process road, and am slowly
gathering the gear to start a basic darkroom.

Everything I've read states that unexposed film (I'll be using B&W 35mm)
needs to be handled in complete darkness, you can't even use a safelight
with it. So I have to practice loading the bulk film loader and then the
developing tank in complete darkness.

My two questions a

Has anyone found a way of not doing this in complete darkness, eg.
night-vision, infra-red or special safelight filter?

I once went to the Kodak Kodachrome processing plan in Fair Lawn, New
Jersey. Recall that Kodachrome had an EI of 25 and 64. After I went there, I
believe they came out with some with an EI of 200, but that may be my memory
playing tricks with me.

They had a safelight up in the corner of the room right near the ceiling. I
believe it was a #3 or a #13. Anyhow, it was a dark green one, so dim all it
was bright enough for is to see where it was. They said this was to help you
orient yourself in the room. Normally, it was turned off.

Anything else they worried would fog film. And we are talking about slow
film here.

So no safelight for normal film. I do use Kodak OrthoLith film where a #1
red safelight with this, but it is insensitive to red. I often use it like
paper in my enlarger, and the red light helps me find the easel to put it
in. It would be better if the film had notches so I could tell the emulsion
side, but it does not. So I do like with color RC paper. I swish my dry
thumb ever so gently over it and listen. The emulsion side sounds a bit
different from the reverse.

If you can get a roll of outdated 35mm film cheap (really cheap), you might
practice with putting it into the film loader with the lights on, then with
a dim safelight, then in the dark. The main thing to watch out for is that
this stuff comes on a little plastic core that will fall out if you are not
careful. It may be that it is OK if the core falls out, but I like to keep
it in. It is not a spool with sides. But once it is in the loader, you can
do everything else with the lights on. I use an 0C safelight, but I am
probably being paranoid about this.

When handling the film, how important is it to keep your fingers off the
actual film face? Obviously handling on the edges would be better, but
in complete darkness with my clumsy fingers, I can imagine when loading
the developing reel I'm gonna grab the film face at least once.Would this
ruin that patch, or is it ok as long as the touch is light?

You should not touch the area where the image is going to be. But when
loading the loader, or loading the film into casettes, there is no problem,
because you will be touching the leader, and you will not be exposing images
there. You should wash the chocolate syrup, or salad oil, off your hands,
etc., before doing this, but otherwise, normal care should suffice.


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