Developing film at home: the minimal kit
The first roll is the hardest only because of the shopping list. Most guides list twenty items; you need about eight, and none of them are expensive.
What you need
- A changing bag — a darkroom is not required to load the tank.
- A daylight developing tank with one reel.
- Developer, stop bath (or plain water) and fixer.
- A thermometer and a measuring jug.
- A bottle opener for 35mm cassettes and a pair of scissors.
- Two clips to hang the film while it dries.
What can wait
Wetting agent, film squeegees, temperature baths and timers with alarms are all nice. A phone timer and a bowl of water at the right temperature are enough for a long time.
The routine
Pre-wet for a minute, develop with gentle inversions for the first ten seconds of every minute, stop, fix, and wash longer than you think you need to. Then leave the film alone for a few hours. Most scratches on my early negatives came from impatience, not from chemistry.
Consistency matters more than the recipe. Change one thing at a time.