Based in Germany, Adox is the oldest brand of photochemical products in the world, offering analog photographers films, papers and chemistry since 1860. Recently, they launched their long awaited SCALA Black & White Reversal kit. Martin Vanners decided to take this exciting process for a spin in his Pinsta Camera and ended up with some pretty amazing 4x5's as well as 8x10's.
Spoiler alert: prepare to witness something pretty magical!
Direct Positive Paper
The majority of Pinsta photographers capture their beautiful, analog pinhole photographs on Ilford Direct Positive paper (formerly known as Harman Direct Postive paper). In fact, the Pinsta camera was designed with this paper in mind, offering photographers the amazing experience of capturing stunning black and white photos and developing them on the spot. Instant pinhole photography became super accessible and the Pinsta camera has turned out to be a gateway into analog photography for countless people worldwide, combining creativity, curiosity, and accessibility.
The Magical (And Cheap) Alternative
For those looking for a fun, extra magical and cheaper alternative to Ilford Direct Positive paper, the Adox Scala kit is an amazing answer. The reversal process allows you to photograph onto regular photographic paper (like the Fomaspeed N311 used in these examples), which costs a lot less than Direct Positive paper. Shooting on photographic paper results in a negative image when processed normally (develop & fix). Adding two steps to the chemical process, using the Scala kit, the negative image magically transforms into a positive - all done inside the Pinsta camera!
The Process
The ADOX Scala Kit only has two parts (plus an optional clear bath), radically simplifying the black&white reversal process. Simply mix the developer and bleach 1+1 with water, and get going! It's important to keep the temperature of the chemicals (and water for washing) at (around) the same temperature, preferrably around 20°C/68°F.
Prepare developer, bleach and clear bath (just over 20ml each) before you start the process. Developer and bleach can be mixed 1-1 with water, the clear bath comes in powdered form and is used to prepare 2 liters of solution. You can use half of the bag (using a scale) to make 1 liter of clear bath and store it in an opaque bottle in a dark and cool place. Before each reversing session, just fill one syringe with the solution and run warm water over the syringe to warm up the liquid.
Here's an easy overview of the steps you'll need to take to do the bw reversal process. Below the table you will find all the information you'll need
BATH | TIME |
First Developer | 90 sec |
Rinse | 1 min |
Bleach | 2 min |
Clear | 30 sec |
Rinse | 1 min |
re-expose to light | ~1 min (until completion) |
Second Developer | ~1 min (until completion) |
Final wash | 2 min |
FIRST DEVELOPER
Develop by slowly and gently agitating for 90 seconds, ensuring all of the paper gets in contact with the developer fluid. After 90 seconds, extract using the syringe and keep the developer inside of the syringe - you'll need this for the second developer step!
RINSE
Make sure the water temperature is as close to the temperature of the developer and the bleach as possible. A 1 to 2 minute rinse should get the job done. Extract.
BLEACH
Insert bleach and very slowly and gently agitate. Bleaching for a shorter amount of time and/or messy agitation, will likely cause staining (been there, done that). Go slow, but keep the bleach moving along the paper. Extract after 2 minutes.
CLEAR BATH
The 30 second clearing bath removes the yellow staining created during the bleach bath. As with the previous steps, agitate. Extract.
RINSE
Using fresh water for 1 minute. Again, keep an eye (or a finger) out for the temperature. Extract.
You can now OPEN THE CAMERA and watch the most magical part of the process!
Once you open the camera, you should be looking at a "washed out" piece of paper without much (or even any) detail in it.
SECOND EXPOSURE
It is very important to ensure a completely even exposure of the paper. Do not expose to direct sunlight, but other than that, any kind of light source should do the trick (including daylight). Exposure time will depend on the light source and you'll know when it's exposed properly when you stop seeing change.
SECOND DEVELOPER
The first developer is used again as the second developer (no need to warm it to a higher temperature anymore). The process is exactly the same except for a difference in time - just develop until completion, which will likely be no more than a minute. The developer has to be discarded after this step. Now the paper is fully developed!
FIXER (OPTIONAL) To remove possible residual silver halides, you can use any general use fixers. Rapid fixers should be used at their weakest dilution (not 1+4, but 1+9) for about 30 seconds.
After three years of R&D, Adox managed to produce a very stable liquid bleach. Even in diluted form it can be stored for up to 8 weeks. Opened, but undiluted bleach stays good for up to 16 weeks. Important note: The bleach must be stored in a cool (below 8°C) and dark place (fridge). Properly stored and unopened bottles should keep for up to two years after the manufacturing date.
Both the SCALA kit (HERE, including the official datasheet) as well as the Foma paper (HERE), can be purchased at FOTO IMPEX (worldwide shipping)
Please remember: we're working with chemicals here - please don't just flush them down the sink or toilet. Ask your local counsil for guidance on how to dispose of chemical waste.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading and watching the video! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment, or reach out to Adox or myself.
Happy reversing!
Cheers, Martin
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