News Snippet from Eddie Pearce.
A lot has been said about not storing films in the deep freeze before
exposure, well I have just developed two films that have been stored in
the freezer and exposed approx two years ago, and the results are not bad,
they are not first class, as I have found out that I was having trouble
with my pH meter, and I am seeing to that, The films were Barfen about
four years old and the formulae I used was the Moorhouse metaboráte one
in cone, form.
AREA 19 NEWS
As National Editor I had a most pleasant experience attending a meeting
with Area Leader Reg Long and his members on Tuesday 6th of November.
From the moment Peg met
me at West ~1orthing station I received a most warm welcome which lasted
over my two day visit. After a few hours general chat which included
seeing much of Reg’s work with both colour printing and slides and a
look around his self-built shed where he has a well equipped, permanent
darkroom, we set off for ‘the evenings meeting with the members at
Pullborough.
In spite of a very cold
damp night around 20 members and their friends arrived and a lively
discussion and slide presentation soon got under way. There was a fair
mixture of film makes processed in kits and home brews. Quality was very
high and’ some informative and witty comments made a very pleasant
evening seem to fly past all too quickly.
Conversation gave Barry
Martin a chance to point out an error I made typing out his chemical
formulae on page 8 of the October Newsletter. So with apologies to Barry
and those who wondered: what happened, please note that the final two
lines’ concerning Citrizinic acid should be ignored as it already
appears in order 7 lines above this.‘
Later after this
pleasant meeting Reg showed me some slides that he had transferred onto
video tape using a video camera and attachment. These weren’t a great
success, but others taken direct off a viewer were much better both in
clarity and sharpness and that the magnifying glass could be used to zoom
into closer view. However it would appear that this kind of slide
presentation has a long day to go before it can match a screen and
projector.
The following afternoon
we were joined Thy member Jack Telling - Coyler and his wife and after
lunch we were given a surprise showing of 3-D slides by Jack on his home
made projector using Polaroid glasses. The first slides were made from
original Black and white prints of his family and old home going back to
the 30’s. These were most enjoyable and full of atmosphere of the
period. Also interesting was some quite recent colour 3-D slides, but
using much outdated film stock, I believe well over 20 years old, and
while there was signs of a ‘loss of film speed, which he could correct
next time, the colours were all very natural, even to quite delicate
details.
Jack also processes
16mm cine film using a drum-roll for processing and a home-made cine
projector. It would have been nice to see some of these as I began home
processing by doing standard 8 cine until it went off the market, then I
went over to 35mm photography, I used a Russian OMO tank. - using two
spirals similar to 35mm work. The Standard 8 was double-run 16mm which had
to be split afterwards.
Altogether it was a
most enjoyable time and it was with regret that time soon caught uo with
us and it was time to catch my, train home.
I would like to thank
Area 19 members for their efforts in making the meeting so interesting and
especially to Peg and his wife Mary for giving me such a warm welcome and
making my visit such a memorable one.
From Bob Lewis. Area lane.
For my sins, I am occasionally asked to present myself at various
local photographic clubs and to tell the members how to process an
E6 slide film. When they see
my collection of battles the first thing somebody in the front (the
experts are always in the front) asks, “How do we know whether or not
you are kidding us and the film was already processed and the chemicals
are merely coloured water?” Not a bad idea, I think, because processing
in a club room is not the-best environment for success; usually no hot
&cold running water and no sink and often you have forgotten to bring
such trifles as a thermometer or a clock. However, to prove that there is
no ‘fiddle’ I fire off the last few frames at the congregation in the
room.
During the processing
you are beset with questions. My trouble is that when concentrating on one
thing, such as how many seconds have I got in hand before I stop the
development, or what the temperature, my mind goes. Blank when it comes to
answering questions, so a reminder for myself and for the benefit of the
audience I printed some short notes as to what I am trying to do, and pass
the notes around. Let me point out, they are not a treatise on the theory,
merely a few notes. Here are the notes, which come in useful as a reminder
on other occasions.