B/W Chemistry

[mjs1973]

Well, my home darkroom is up and running, and I developed my first negatives last night. My question for the group is about saving and reusing chemistry. I am using all Kodak chemistry. D-76, Dektol, Stop bath, Hypo-clear, Kodafix, etc... anyway, the instructions on the packages seems pretty vauge and I want to know if I can reuse my chemistry. If I use 20oz. of D-76 to do 2 rolls of film, (working solution diluted 1:1) do I need to dump that solution down the drain after it's done developing, or can I save it and use it to do more film later? What about the rest of the chemistry? Can I pour these used solutions into another bottle, or back in the original, and use them the next day or is it a one shot deal?

Michael

[another view]

Congrads on the success! I was pretty nervous the first time I did it and was really surprised when it actually worked. The Kodak Technical guide (can't remember the exact name) has this info - but the book is at home and I'm not...

I throw out the film developer each time I use it but have used stop and fixer for a few months. Haven't done any printing but I do remember that if you leave chemestry in the tray it's only good for a day or two.

[Gerry Widen]

The D-76 should be thrown out. You don't really need a stop bath for film.Most of the more experienced people I know don't use it. The Kodak (indicator stop) stop I use for prints is yellow and turns purple when it wears out. The same should work for film. I just use 2 dumps(refills) of water for stop. As far as fix you should test it with a clip of film from the roll. Soak the clip in water about a minute or so then place it in some of the fix. Time how long it takes for the film to clear. Twice that time is the recommended time. When the time to fix is double what the manufacturer recommends then it is time for replacement. For example if a manufacturer recommends a 5 minute fix and according to your clip test the film needs 10 minutes then it is time for replacement.

[mjs1973]

Thanks for all the info Gerry and AV!!

[mtbbrian]

If you use TMAX developer, you can reuse it a time or two.
I think you add a minute or two to the next time you use, the instructions for reuse come with the chemical.
Good Luck!
Brian