Yesterday I developed my own black and white film using Caffenol, a mix of instant coffee, washing soda, and Vitamin C. The film was damaged in the process because I didn’t use a development tank, but more on that later!
I used the following formula:
- 40g instant coffee powder
- 56g washing soda
- 16g Vitamin C powder
- 1000ml of tap water
All of these were mixed with water in three glasses, and once the powder was dissolved I poured it into an old water bottle, as seen below.
I then unloaded the film in my bathroom, which is completely dark, and put it into a thermos bottle, then filled the bottle with the Caffenol.
Initially I rotated the bottle for 30 seconds, and then every 20 seconds afterwards for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes I went back into the bathroom, poured out the Caffenol and rinsed the film with water for a few minutes.
I could immediately see that the film was damaged, and I’m sure this happened because the film wasn’t put on a spool. I just dumped it into the bottle.
I didn’t use fixer and therefore the negatives won’t last long, for my next try I’ll definitely use fixer, and I also got a developing tank.
Below you can see some of the results! There’s also a free digital zine available here!
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