Developing and Developers (Outing, 1905)

by L. W. Brownell

Photography for the Beginner

Developing and Developers

By L. W. Brownell

A GREAT deal of the ultimate success of a picture lies in the manner in which the negative is treated in the dark room.

In the first place dust and bubbles are two of the worst obstacles in the way of a perfectly developed plate. These troubles can be obviated to a great extent by carefully brushing each negative with a soft camel’s-hair brush before immersing in the developer (this should also be done before the plate is put into the plateholder), and by flowing the developer quickly over the plate, not placing the plate in the developer. If, after the developer has been poured on, a tuft of cotton is gently passed over the surface of the plate it will effectually break any bubbles which may have formed, and the danger from that source will be passed.

When pouring on the developer, care must be taken that it immediately covers all parts of the plate, or else there will be a distinct line across the negative at that point where the developer ceased to flow. Also the tray must be constantly rocked during the process of development, for, usually, if a plate is allowed to lie still in a flat tray, the finished negatives will have a mottled appearance which will show in the print.

Too strong a light on any plate during development will fog it. Of course, the slow plates can stand the strongest light, but the orthochromatic plates should be developed with almost no light, it being turned on only occasionally for an instant to ascertain if the development is completed. Another source of fog is from too strong developer and from forced development of an under-exposed plate.

As to the question of how far to carry a plate in the development, that is one that can be learned only by experience, as it so entirely depends on the plate used, the developer, and the style of negative wished. All I can say on that subject is that the image on the plate when it is held up to the light in the dark room, must appear to be considerably stronger than will be required in the finished negative, for it becomes much thinner from the action of the fixing bath. This is particularly true of double-coated (non-halation) plates. Usually the image can be distinctly seen on the back of the plate when the development is complete, but this is not always the case, and so cannot be entirely depended upon.

In some developers the negative requires to be carried much farther than in others, and with pyro the negative “fixes out” but little, while with metol it “fixes out” considerable, and therefore the development when using metol must be carried much farther than when pyro is being used. So it is necessary to take into consideration both the plates and the developer that is being used when judging how far to carry the development, and a little experience in this line is worth more than many pages of written advice.

During the process of development the plate should be handled as little as possible, and it should not be removed from the tray to be held up to the light for examination until the operator judges that the development is nearing completion.

The developer should be kept at a temperature of between 60 degrees and 65 degrees. This can be accomplished by adding a little warm water in the winter, or ice water in the summer. If the developer is warmer than this it softens the film to such an extent as to cause it to “frill” about the edges and often to leave the glass entirely, while a colder developer works slowly and gives a flat negative.

Old developer that has become discolored by repeated use should be thrown away, for its action is not perfect and it is liable to stain the plates. When we find that our developer is working slowly it should be thrown out and new mixed, for developers are cheap and it does not do to risk spoiling a negative with old developer in order to save a few cents.

Tank development is often most successful and, where one is busy, is a most excellent method, as the negatives do not have to be constantly watched, and fifteen or twenty may be developed at the same time. It consists in using a tank, filled with developer, in which the plates may be placed upright. On the inside of the tank are slots in which to slide the negatives so that they are kept from touching each other. The developer used should be diluted with about twenty times the usual amount of water, and after the negatives have been placed in it they may be left to develop themselves, which, if they have been correctly exposed, will be accomplished in about an hour, when they can be removed to the fixing bath. The tank should never be used, however, for anything but this work.

In all work in the dark room, cleanliness is absolutely necessary to success. In mixing the developers, it is well to use distilled water if possible, and even then they should always be filtered after being mixed, for even in the purest chemicals there are always some impurities.

Above all, never use a hypo tray for developing, for the least trace of hypo in the developer will often cause stains on the negative. I think it unnecessary at this time, to speak of local development. Later I may do so, but just at present the beginner will have very little use for it and it might tend to confuse him.