Mix your chemicals carefully according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Prepare a water bath in trays or pans to get the bottles to the right temperature – usually 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the developing chemicals (for example, Kodak D-76) to the metal developing tank before you roll your film. Then, in complete darkness (or inside of a light-tight sleeve), use a can opener to pry open the film cartridge, pull out the film, and cut the end square. Carefully roll the film onto a metal or plastic reel, making sure that the film does not touch itself at any point, or those portions of the negatives won’t turn out. Then, place it in the developing tank and put the cover and cover cap on firmly.

At this point, you can turn on the darkroom lights. Start the timer, rap the tank to dislodge air bubbles, and agitate (turn upside down and upright repeatedly) the film for the time period designated based on the chemicals and film speed you’re using. Remove the small cap (NOT the lid) and begin to pour the developer out of the tank about 10 seconds before the timer has elapsed.

Next, through the small opening, pour in stop bath or water stop and continue to agitate the tank with the cover on. If you are using water rather than a prepared stop bath solution, you will need to change the water every 15 to 20 seconds. Be sure to replace the tank cap before agitating. Once this step is complete, either pour out the water, or, in the case of stop bath solution, pour it back into its container so it can be used again.

Now it’s time to pour in the fixer. Fill the tank completely through the opening in the cover. (Do NOT remove the entire tank cover; just the plastic cap). Timing is not is critical during the fixer step as it is when using developing. In fact, agitating the tank a little too long is better than stopping too soon. Agitate for 30 seconds at first, and thereafter for five seconds every 30 seconds. You can pour the fixer back into its container for reuse. Now it’s safe to take the cover off the tank.