FOMA Reversal Kit is the factory kit from the Czech maker FOMA BOHEMIA for reversal processing of black-and-white film. Instead of a negative you end up with a positive: finished black-and-white slides to mount, view on a light box or project — and for cine film, a reel that goes straight into the projector with no printing or scanning.
I stock it first of all for people shooting Fomapan R 100 and its cine versions, but it works with other black-and-white films too — more on that below.
What is in the kit
A, 250 ml — developer;
B1 and B2, 250 ml each — a two-part bleach that removes the silver of the first development; it is free of potassium dichromate, so it is noticeably safer to work with than the old formulas;
C, 250 ml — clearing bath that removes bleach residue from the emulsion;
D, 500 ml — fixer.
The box includes mixing instructions and a development time table for Fomapan R.
How the process goes
Reversal takes longer than ordinary negative development: first development, wash, bleach, clearing bath, re-exposure of the film to light, second development, fixing and a final wash. With the washes, allow about an hour and a half to two hours per tank at 20 °C. The exact time for each step is in the kit's instructions.
Which films it can reverse
The kit is designed for Fomapan R — in 135, as well as 16 mm and 2×8. Other black-and-white films reverse too if you change the first development time, roughly from 5 to 11 minutes — you will need a test roll to find it. Thin-emulsion films on a clear base reverse well, for example ADOX Scala 50.
Who it suits
anyone shooting black-and-white slides for projection, or who wants a positive on film instead of a negative;
2×8 (DS8) and 16 mm filmmakers who want to process at home;
people who already develop black-and-white negatives and want to try a more demanding process.
Practical tips
Mix the bleach at the last moment — ideally while the first development is running. The solution goes off quickly, so do not prepare it in advance.
Strain the bleach through a paper coffee filter before use, so no undissolved particles reach the emulsion.
Do not cut the bleach short: under-bleached silver gives grey, muddy highlights.
Be generous with the re-exposure — from both sides of the reel, or with the film unwound: under-exposed areas stay as light patches after the second development.
Wear gloves, work in a ventilated room, and keep a separate measuring vessel and a labelled bottle for each solution.
Specifications
Maker: FOMA BOHEMIA, Czech Republic
Process: black-and-white reversal (slides)
Contents: developer A 250 ml, bleach B1 + B2 250 ml each (dichromate-free), clearing bath C 250 ml, fixer D 500 ml
Capacity: 8 rolls of 135/36, or 2 films of 2×8 (DS8), 10 m each, or one 16 mm film of 30.5 m
Instructions and a time table for Fomapan R included
