sigint
Hello everyone,
I’m new to the forum and have a question straight away about Caffenol.
I wanted to develop a roll of APX100 120 roll film using Caffenol and then fix it with Calbe A300.
I followed this procedure:
Rinse, development for 15 minutes, rinse, fixing for 12 minutes, water, wetting agent
The images are clearly visible, so the development process must have worked somehow. The problem now is that the base material has turned dark grey. The difference between the areas of exposure and those that were not exposed is minimal and unsuitable for the intended use (cyanotype).
My question is: where might the problem lie, and can I still salvage the negatives? (It would be nice, but it’s not essential)
I tried dipping a negative in C41 Bleach bath as a test, which made everything a bit more transparent. However, the result was unusable. (This was recommended to me by a friend)
Thanks in advance for your ideas.
Regards,
Bastian
KlausWehner
Hello Bastian,
A warm welcome to this forum.
My questions for you: why didn’t you use a tried-and-tested, established developer?
What did you expect from Caffenol?
In my opinion, there are arguments against using instant coffee for film development, as
a. the content of reducing substances is undefined and not standardised, and
b. there are numerous other (organic) ingredients that could affect the film.
(It is conceivable, for example, that undefined organic colorants caused the ‘fog’ you described).
As we don’t know all this for certain, it’s not easy to find countermeasures either.
For cyanotypes, you need negatives with high contrast.
In future, I’d try using a standard developer (e.g. D 76) with a longer development time or higher concentration.
I think a quick search will provide you with plenty of reliable information.
Even if you manage to remove the strange fog from your film, the contrast will still be too low.
That’s why I wouldn’t invest any more time or effort into the failed film.
But: failures like this are helpful. You can learn a lot from them.
Best regards
Klaus
sigint
Hi Klaus,
First of all, thanks for the post. Why Caffenol? I wanted a developer that’s easy and quick to get hold of. The fixer keeps for quite a long time, but the developer usually needs to be used quickly. I’ve now got hold of some proper developer, though, and it’s working fine.
…
I’ll give the tip about the higher concentration a go. I’ve already made cyanotypes from negatives in the lab and found the results acceptable. Unfortunately, I’m still having problems with the production of the cyanotype paper, as with the same exposure time the results are sometimes acceptable and sometimes not. (I expose using a UV exposure unit)
…
Regards,
Bastian
KlausWehner
Hi Bastian,
If you’re working with a developer you’ve made yourself (whether with or without coffee), that’s actually the opposite of ‘quick and easy’.
You need different chemicals (from different sources), you have to weigh them out (measure them) and dissolve them. Then you should carry out a test development to determine the development time...
Working with a standard developer is “simple and quick”. You buy that along with the films and the fixer.
You’ll get a usable result straight away if you stick to the specified development times.
As I said: you achieve the higher contrast for cyanotypes through a longer development time or a more concentrated developer solution.
Good luck and have fun!
Let me know how it went when you get a chance.
Best regards
Klaus
Urnes
Hi Bastian,
When you say that the cyan prints are sometimes usable and sometimes not, it’s not usually down to the paper coating. One factor is certainly the negative, as Klaus has already mentioned. If you could describe what isn’t working, we’re sure we can help you. With a UV exposure unit (positioned approx. 20 cm above the image), the exposure time should remain fairly constant at 20–25 minutes.
Regards, Sven.
sigint
@Klaus: Well, for me it was all about convenience. You can get the ingredients for Caffenol at the supermarket just round the corner. The fixer lasts long enough, but the developer runs out quickly. I’ll test the contrast, but that’s not where my problem lies.
@Urnes: I’m using the same negative, so it can’t be that. And the exposure unit is the same too. The problem is that the images are far too light, as if I hadn’t provided enough exposure. I’d just performed the coating, so I think that’s the reason. But I didn’t have any distilled water to hand, so I used normal tap water. (I’ll test it again tomorrow with distilled water)
Regards,
Bastian
Urnes
It’s not the water that’s the problem, but rather the way you’re wetting it. If the water’s too cold and you have to move the paper around too much, the ink washes out of the paper again. Try using warmer water. I’ve described this before on my blog:
http://so-froehlich.de/blog/2012/08/08/cyanotypie-3/
€
Best regards, Sven.
Morte
Just a quick comment: Adonal (Rodinal), for example, doesn’t go off that quickly. It tends to last for a few years. By then, the coffee aroma will have long since faded... ;-)
KlausWehner
I completely agree with Morte on this.
Adonal has a long shelf life, is versatile, well documented – and probably even cheaper than a cup of coffee.
Even though he isn’t my favourite developer, I would wholeheartedly recommend him for this purpose.
€
Best regards,
Klaus
sigint
Oh dear... so I was wrong about the shelf life. I read somewhere that it’s only supposed to last a few weeks. But the results are definitely usable for my purposes. I exposed some Cyanos in the sun today and got usable results after about 40 minutes of exposure time. In the UV exposure unit, I only got them after about 60 minutes. That surprises me, as I had good results with the last sheets after about 20 minutes. Strange business.
?
Regards,
– Bastian
Urnes
Hi Bastian,
There’s something wrong with your workflow. It should be much quicker in the sun. Did you prepare the solution fresh and dry the papers in the dark? Which recipe did you use?
Regards, Sven.
sigint
Hello everyone,
I’m back. I’m really busy at the moment, so I don’t get round to posting very often.
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@Sven: Yes, the papers were fresh and had been dried in the dark. I used the following recipe: 25g ammonium... , 16g potassium hexa... to 100ml H2O each. Then mixed in equal parts. I’ll try a different recipe when I get the chance. (10g ammonium, 4g potassium hexa)
?
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Best regards,
Bastian
Urnes
Why don't you try this:
?
- 20g ammonium iron(III) citrate (green) + 100ml distilled water
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- 8g potassium ferricyanide + 100ml distilled water
and then, of course, make sure you expose the paper on the right side. Sometimes it’s not very clear which side has the coating.
?
Regards, Sven.
