Tried to develop a roll of film with instant coffee and got a surprise

I saw a video about Caffenol and thought, how hard can it be? Mixed up the brew in my kitchen, left it for 12 minutes, and the negatives came out with a weird orange tint. Anyone know if that's from the washing soda or my terrible measuring?

3 comments

3 Comments

jason7325d ago

That orange tint is pretty common with coffee developers. From what I remember, it's usually from the coffee itself or the washing soda not being fully dissolved. Temperature can play a big part too, if your mix was too warm.

wendyw7125d agoMost Upvoted

My old photography teacher swore the orange tint comes from the water's pH level. He had us test tap water versus distilled, and the difference was huge. Hard water with lots of minerals seems to react with the coffee compounds. I always use bottled water now for my coffee developer and it completely fixed that issue for me. It's a variable most people don't check because they're focused on the ingredients.

jessel358d ago

Guess I'm not the only one who makes murky orange negatives, thanks for the backup @jason73. I mean, my first try looked like I developed the film in leftover pumpkin spice latte. Maybe my kitchen chemistry is just doomed.