How to Process Super8

[timhan]

Has anyone here tried to process 8mm film? Is it hard? Does anyone have any examples online of self processed film?

Thanks for the info, T.

[brightlight]

I have processed quite a bit of Tri-X and Plus-X. No colour. My method is easy, but the film gets pretty scratched up (I literally process it in a bucket in my bathtub). I process the film and keep it as a negative (this way, I avoid using the bleach needed to process to a positive). I transfer the film and import it into Final Cut Pro, and I can invert the image in post production. Here are the steps and products I use

2 large buckets (I use 5 litre buckets that used to have feta cheese in them).
Measuring cup
Wooden spoon
Rubber gloves
Stop watch
1 pack of Kodak D-19 developer
1 pack of Kodak Fixer

Total cost - about $30.00 (not including the cost of film). I wouldn't process more than 3 rolls of film with one batch of chemicals.

In a bathtub, fill one bucket with the D-19, and the other bucket with clean, cold water. Turn off the lights, and block any light that may be leaking from under the bathroom door. Chuck on the gloves and get ready for some fun. Take the Super 8 cartridge, and start pulling the film out. The will be some resistance at first, but gently pull on the film, until you can easily pull the film out (you'll know when it happens). Be careful not to break the film off inside the cartridge, because it is a son of a bitch to get into it and recover the film. Un-spool the film and make big, loose loops in your hand. It will take quite a while before it all comes out. Once it's all in your hand, dunk it in the cold water and swish it around for a minute or 2. Get your stop watch ready, and set it for 2.5 minutes. Once you're ready, transfer the film into the D-19. Make sure all the film is submerged in the developer, and use a continuous motion, swishing the film in the liquid (note; there will most likely be parts of the film that don't get as much contact with the developer, and may not get developed at all, but most of the film will get developed). After the 2.5 minutes, put the film back in the water, and swish it around again for a minute or two. Next, turn of the lights, and grab the film, and expose it to the light. Try to get it all exposed (it will be in a tangled ball). Next, drop the film in the fixer, and swish it around for a minute. You will see the film turn from a solid foggy purple colour, to an inverted negative image. Leave the film in the fixer for about 10 minutes. After that, rinse it in the water one more time, put it in a clean bowl or tupper ware container. Then un-tangle it (get someone to help!), and tack it loosely to the celing to dry overnight.

There you go. As I said, this is a very down and dirty way of processing. You will get scratches, and you will get some uneven results. After a few practice runs, though, you will be pleased and surprised with the results. I'm sure other people here have other ways to so this. This is just mine. I will post or inbox you with some samples very soon. I also have some hand-processed Super 8 that was processed to a positive image. It was done the exact same way, but with a bleach step that I left out.

Cheers, and good luck!

[aj]

It is not too difficult.

If you want uniform results and not scratches don't try buckets and such. Get a LOMO tank and find instructions to use it.

Use google on this site (instead of the search function) and you will find 100's of posts on the subject.

And there is a page here on the sole subject.

[Tyler]

Next, turn of the lights, and grab the film, and expose it to the light. Try to get it all exposed (it will be in a tangled ball). Next, drop the film in the fixer, and swish it around for a minute.

Why are you exposing the film to light between developing and fixing????

[timhan]

Thanks for the info, can't wait to see what the film looks like after the bathroom method!

[brightlight]

Next, turn of the lights, and grab the film, and expose it to the light. Try to get it all exposed (it will be in a tangled ball). Next, drop the film in the fixer, and swish it around for a minute.

Why are you exposing the film to light between developing and fixing????

That's just the way I've always done it. It works fine for me.

[brightlight]

Here is a quick test of some "bucket style" hand processing.

http://blip.tv/file/673732

[Muckymuck]

It can be done...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icGrasR6taw

[gianni1]

My first attempt at home processed super 8 was with some old Quartzchrome black and white reversal film processed as negative. Shot with a cheap plastic Plus Super 8 camera by my six year old halfling. I then processed it in Ilford Ilfotec LC29 diluted 1 part to 19 parts water, I guessed 50 speed film at 20 degrees Celsius for 6 minutes, then rapid fixed and washed and dried.

Less than half came out because the film wasn't wound onto the lomo tank reel, and stuck together preventing the chemicals from soaking the emulsion. Here's a youtube clip for those of you that have not already seen it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw8LtaOcAjM

Gianni 8)

[James E]

Ironically unlike everyone else, I've only ever processed Color E-6. It's cake. You can use a large 35mm tank for the puhsketty method or a bucket in a dark closet method. Or my preffered method it to get a 50' LOMO tank from Olex in Ukraine and a Kodak E-6 kit. I get fantastic results. Often better than what I get from labs. There are plenty of places w/ instructions online. Plus there are many great sites on building your own processing tanks/tubes etc.
http://lavender.fortunecity.com/lavende ... lreel.html
http://www.geocities.com/cinetank/
http://www.filmshooting.com/thelab/g3sources.php -
photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00JHmv

And there are many, many, many more.
Cheers,

[Angus]

The way I have done it is with the Lomo spiral tank. Once you've learned to load it the process for B&W and E6 colour are both fairly simple.

With B&W reversal after the first development, bleaching and washing you can continue the rest of the process in the daylight, as that's how reversal works. You develop a negative image, bleach it away and what's left is the positive...so you expose to light and develop that.

With colour E6 the only difficult thing is maintaining a constant temperature, as the temp is quite critical to how the colours come out. I float my Lomo tank in the kitchen sink and regulate the water temp by hand (ie hot/cold taps!) using a laboratory thermometer. It works but its crude and some people might think it fiddly.

For B&W temperature isn't as important, you can be a couple of degrees centigrade out either way and not notice.