Langford's Starting Photography, 7th Edition

Appendix O Black and white film processing and printing

Processing black and white negatives is in many ways like cooking – you use liquids, and have to control time and temperature quite carefully. You also need some basic equipment. The ten most important items are shown in Figure O.2.

Loading the tank

Before you try using a tank for the first time, practice loading with a scrap film, or an unwanted (and uncut) length of negatives. Do this first in the light, then with your eyes closed, then in a darkened room. It’s important not to force and buckle the film during loading, or you may get results as shown in the film troubleshooting section (Part 10) of this book. The shaped tongue must be cut off the front end of the film to give a square ...