Manual film processing was once a common practice among photographers and hobbyists. Now, with the advent of digital camera technology, the process of manual developing has become a lost art. While the hobby is not as popular as it once was, the equipment and chemicals are still available, and are cheaper than ever. Mastering this process will give you a greater appreciation and understanding of the true art of photography. This Instructable aims to cover the actual developing process in detail, but it is beyond the scope of this Instructable for me to cover camera operation and film selection in great detail. Instead, you will notice that I have posted links to excellent resources throughout the guide. Those unfamiliar with a particular concept should refer to these articles for reference. Any further questions are always welcome in the comments.

Step 1: The Camera

You will need to have access to a film camera. Most people still have one laying around, but they can be picked up on eBay, Goodwill, or even the drug store for not much money. I still use an old Canon AE-1 Program, and it gives me excellent results. Don't worry about all the fancy bells and whistles; just find one that works. If your camera has an automatic mode like mine, just let the camera do the work. Some older cameras do not do the auto metering, so you will need to handle that yourself. The basic rule of thumb is the "Sunny 16" rule. This simply means that you should use one, over whatever speed your film is, as the shutter speed, and an aperture of f/16 on a sunny day outside. For example, on a sunny day, I choose to shoot with 250 speed film. My exposure will be for 1/250 with an aperture of f/16. Unfortunately, a more detailed explanation of manual camera operation is beyond the scope of this Instructable. For more information, I find this website to be an excellent resource (be sure to read all of the articles; there are nine.)

Step 2: The Film

Black and white film is very different from color film. It is a common misconception that you can develop color film with black and white chemicals, and get a black and white image. This is not the case; you will get a ruined roll of film. Instead, use only black and white film. For this Instructable, I chose to use ISO 100 film, which is a good all around film for outdoor shots, or indoor ones with a flash or tripod. Remember to use the slowest speed film that will satisfy your requirements. The higher the film speed, the higher the chance for a grainy image. Again, film selection is rather complicated, so I'll refer you to this article, which will probably explain it better than I will.

Step 3: The Chemicals

The process that we will be using involves three chemical steps. First, a developer will be added to bring out the exposed portions of the image. Then, a stop bath is added to stop the developer's chemical reaction. Finally, the filmed is cleared with a fixer (sometimes called "hypo".) This is a very basic explanation, and I encourage you to look into the actual chemical processes to further familiarize yourself with the chemistry.

For this instructable, I used D-76 developer, Kodak Indicator Stop Bath, and NH-5 Fixer (without the hardener.) I felt like this was a good combination of chemicals, and I would recommend reading up on the developing process a little more before making alterations to my list. This is because the steps for processing may be a little different than the ones I have outlined.

Mix the chemicals according to the manufacturer's instructions. Generally, this evolves filling a bottle with 3/4 of the required water, adding the concentrated chemical, and then adding the remaining water required. I prefer to mix my photography chemicals in dark opaque bottles, because I find that they have a slightly longer shelf life this way. If you don't see yourself working with the chemicals very often, make only what you will need to develop the number of rolls you have, because the chemicals have a far longer shelf life when concentrated. Make only stock solutions, with no dilution. Let the bottles sit in the room you will be developing in overnight to equalize the temperature, and insure that the chemical is properly mixed.

Step 4: The Equipment

You will need a few pieces of equipment to develop the film, and I will go over them, piece-by-piece, below.

Changing Bag - This is used to provide a light-free environment so that you can transfer the film from the roll in the canister to the reel in the tank. If you are cheap, and feeling daring, you could do this at night, in a room, under the covers, with all the lights turned out, instead of using a changing bag. I've never done it this way, but I've heard of it working for some people.

Developing Tank - This is the container that will hold the film for the duration of the developing process. It has a light proof lid, a spout to allow chemicals to be poured in and out, and a reel, which will hold the film. The tanks I use are about as simple as they come, and I don't really feel like I've ever needed one with any other functions or features. Make sure you read the instructions very carefully, because every tank is a little different.

Scissors - To cut the film while you're in the changing bag. I strongly recommend using a shorter model, with a rounded tip for safety. You know, the kind kindergartners use.

Church Key - Those things that you use to open cans. You will use this to open the film canister.

Step 5: Transferring the Film to the Reel

This is going to vary from tank manufacturer to tank manufacturer. I will describe the process with my generic tank, and it should be close to the process that other tanks will use. I recommend cutting a piece of paper to exactly the size of a piece of film first, so that you can practice on something that won't be damaged by light if you fail to load the reel. Insure that your reel is set to the proper setting for your type of film before you try to load it.

First, load the scissors, church key, tank with all pieces, and the film canister into the changing bag. Zip both zippers closed.

Put BOTH of your arms through the elastic arm holes.

Arrange your tools so that you know where they are. I prefer to lay my tools towards the front of the bag, closest to me, so that they will be out of the way, yet still accessible.

Open the film tank and remove the reel.

Using the church key, pry off the BOTTOM of the film canister. This is the side WITH OUT the little nub poking out of the center.

Using the scissors, cut about three inches of film off of the beginning of the reel and discard it.. This is the leader, which is the funny shaped strip of film at the beginning of the roll. Cut the corners off of the end of the remaining film, so that the film moves through the reel more easily.

Start the film on the reel, insuring that you are wrapping with the natural curve of the film. Begin loading the reel using the procedure outlined in the manufacturer's instructions. This generally involves a ratcheting wrist motion.

Once you have reached the end of the roll, cut off the plastic reel at the end, and load the tank's reel back into the tank. Close the lid. Double check that your film is now light-safe.

Open the bag and remove your tools. You are now ready to process the film.

Step 6: Pre-wash

Put your film in a kitchen sink, and turn on the faucet to a setting that is close to room temperature. Allow the water to fill the tank, then shut the water off. Agitate the tank by moving it from side to side for several seconds. Then, discard the water. The pre-wash process insures that you won't develop air bubbles on your film, which form when you add developer to dry film.

Step 7: Developer

Look on the side of the tank, and you will see a table, comparing the size of film to the required amount of liquid to cover it. Using this guideline, use only the amount of chemical required for your film for the following steps. If you are unsure, err on the side of too much.

Get your timer out. I used my iPod because it has easy-to-read numbers. Zero it out, and then place your tank in the sink. Pour in the required amount of developer, and then start the timer. Allow the developer to sit in the tank for a total of 6 minutes 30 seconds. This is assuming that you are developing your film with D-76 at stock strength in a room which is 68-70 degrees F. Agitate the film for 10 seconds every 30 seconds by shaking the tank slightly from side to side. In the last 30 seconds of processing, agitate the film continuously. 10 seconds before the timer gets to "6:30" begin pouring out the developer. Insure that you are doing this while the water is running.

Step 8: Stop Bath

Immediately after the developer is gone from the tank, add the stop bath. Shake continuously for 15-20 seconds. Time is not critical. Dump the stop bath out under running water.

Step 9: Fixer

Add the fixer to the tank. Agitate the tank continuously for 30 seconds. Dump out the fixer under running water.

Step 10: Rinse

Put the tank under running water for several seconds and flush water through it. Then, open the lid, and allow water to run over the reel. Every few seconds, plunge the reel in and out of the tank. After the film has rinsed for about two minutes, you can shut off the water.

Step 11: Removal and Drying

Remove the film from the reel. Hang it in a relatively dust free environment. My house is relatively dust free to begin with, so my favorite place is to hang film on pant hangers in the door jam of an unused room. You may wish to use a film squeegee to eliminate water spots and speed up drying time. Allow the film to dry completely.

Step 12: What to Do With the Developed Film

There are several routes that you can take at this point. You could say "hmm, that was fun" and throw the film away without ever looking back. Another option is to take the film to your local drug store or photography store and have enlargements made. Just go through the same process that you would to have reprints made.

If you are going to have prints made at a lab or drug store, it is best to leave your film in one long strip. It is easier on the film techs to run the film through the paper processor in one long strip, rather than five or size smaller strips. After you have your prints made, you may wish to cut the negatives into strips of five or six frames for easy storing. The film tech may even offer to do it for you after they have finished processing your film. Whatever you do, make sure that the strips have no fewer than four frames a piece. Otherwise, you run the risk of getting the film strip stuck inside the paper processing machine.

Store your negatives completely dry in a dust free environment. I like to separate the individual film strips with paper, but that is optional.

Step 13: Modifications and Other Information

-Due to availability of certain chemicals, you may wish to recalculate developing times. You will need to do this if you use a film or chemicals that are different from mine, or you develop in an enviroment that is greater than 4 degrees F different from the standard 68 degrees F. The website that I like to use has most all types of films and chemicals, and even handles process C-41 (color.)

-You may wish to omit using a stop bath. Instead, rinse the film for about one minute in between the developer and the fixer.

-The alternative is to use something called an alkaline fixer, such as TF4, which does not require a stop bath; only a rinse in between the developer and fixer.

-Some advocate the use of a hardening fixer. I see this as a waste, personally. If you elect to use a hardening fixer, do so after you've processed several rolls without the hardener component. If you use a hardening fixer, I strongly recommend using a hypo-clear rinsing agent as well.

-36 exposure film is more difficult to load than 24 exposure film due to the longer length.

-Black and white film is difficult to find at a drug store or grocery store. You'll probably have to order it, along with your chemicals, online. Be sure to check if the company will ship chemicals (B&H will not.) Order several rolls so you don't get stiffed on shipping one roll of film. Even if you decide that processing the film yourself isn't for you, you can still take it to a photo lab and have it processed like normal people do.

-Remeber to experiment with different types and styles of photographs. You don't have much to loose; film and chemicals are cheap.