Kodak ABC Photo Lab Outfit: a Product of Postwar Prosperity

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Introduced in 1947, the Kodak ABC Photo Lab Outfit represents a marked upgrade in quality over the older wartime No.2 Developing and Printing Outfit, with an integrated metal storage box/contact printer, electric darkroom lamp, and easier-to-use developing chemicals.
This is the first in a series of short-subject videos covering objects previously featured in "grab bag" episodes.
VIDEO ON THE NO.2 DEVELOPING & PRINTING OUTFIT: • Kodak Developing & Pri...

[@stevea2909]

Shorter is very good, long is very good, all very good!

[@wirebrushofenlightenment1545]

Remember as an apprentice in the MP industry processing hundreds of feet of Kodachrome. It was a nightmare, finicky process. Chemical bath got a bit too cool? - Tough: your film is ruined. When we changed to the Ektachrome, that was such a night-and-day change. As my boss said 'You can just piss on Ektachrome, and it will come out right'.

[@fredblonder7850]

An important point about the indicator in the stop-bath is that under a yellow safelight it will appear clear until it turns purple, in which case it appears black. Also do NOT allow the cat to jump into the stop-bath tray; neither of you will be happy. I have, and have used, that exact model of Brownie safelight. A few years ago, I gave a lecture on photography at a Science-Fiction Convention. I took a photograph of the audience, turned out the room lights and - under the previously mentioned Brownie safelight - developed the photo in front of the audience. The younger members were amazed. The older members said “I haven’t smelled that in YEARS.”

[@brianpeers]

Thanks,,,, 10 to 12 minutes seems to be the sweet spot for certain product presentations.

[@Aramis419]

I love how a “short” for OOD means “not almost an hour”.

[@richardardolino5513]

I also "discovered" this channel a few days ago.......this man is the best presenter of technical info on the internet.....................

[@DavidCohenII]

Discovered your channel a few days ago and am in the process of binging your back catalog as we speak. You instantly became one of my favorites. Love both shorter and longer form videos!

[@DanielMReck]

10 minutes is a good length. Good for a meal break. I skip most anything that's longer because... sadly I have adulting to do.

[@90762709]

Really liked the shorter version!

[@JohnJones-oy3md]

In the late 80's I got into B&W photography and developing/printing. Thinking back on that, I don't know how I figured everything out without benefit of the internet. Lots of trips to the library and just working my way through it, I guess. Learning new skills/hobbies is just so much easier today.

[@11THEFEZMAN11]

I had stacks of books, but I started in the early 80’s, I still have my film camera, rolls of tri-x and D76

[@misterhat5823]

Now this is a short that's actually worth watching.

[@mohabatkhanmalak1161]

In the late 70's as a teenager I got interested in photography, and I started in B&W photos with my Kodakmatic and Olympus SLR cameras. B&W photos to me were equally as good as the colour prints, as it gave the eye of the beholder a break from all the colour surrounding us. I had a Kodak negative developer kit - mail ordered it through a catalogue - with a black round plastic container for the negative, a plastic cup, themometer like the one you showed and the chemicals. It was fun getting to learn photography and doing my own negatives. I was going to get the printing kit with dark room, but never got to it.

[@paveloleynikov4715]

Only pedant could call this video "Short". Great exposition, and not cutting corners in item explanation. In overall, pretty much working format.

[@snubbedpeer]

Amazing that such a kit has survived!

[@jeenkzk5919]

No matter how short or how long the video, I greatly appreciate anything that you have to share with us no matter how oddball the product is. There’s so many things that we’ve missed over the years due to either being too young, or not even born at all, to be aware of anything like this. Quite frankly, I find that fascinating.

[@blackwater2192]

Saw a comment on a previous video about you being just like forgotten weapons without weapons. After watching about a dozen of your videos. Yes. I full agree with that statement and shall be sticking around for more.

[@TheTransporter007]

I was just at The George Eastman Museum this week. You should visit, it is *OUTSTANDING.*

[@kaitlyn__L]

This video length is perfectly fine! I always found it kind of funny how DIY photography was all “recreational chemicals! In the dark!” Even moreso once I learned about stuff like using coffee to develop film, which is far less harsh than some stuff that was sold back then!

[@ChrisAthanas]

Yes under ten minutes and can be a single item and short Bite size is great

[@PooFIy]

Big fan of the grab bag vids, looking forward to the new approach as well

[@RCAvhstape]

I've been doing B/W darkroom photography for over a decade now, and while I've heard of developing film by holding the ends and swishing it back and forth in a tray, I always assumed that's a desperation measure. I imagine your arms will get tired trying to do that for ten minutes.

[@imark7777777]

I think three things that go together is a good way of doing it but if things don't go together a singular short it's probably better.

[@warrenjones744]

The short format is great. Kodak really was a interesting company for many years.

[@existentialcrisisactor]

These items are perfect for shorts!

[@posysajrazdwatrzy]

Your coverage of topics is excellently comprehensive, your research and the breadth of information conveyed impeccable, allowing the viewer to get as full a, no pun intended, picture of the subject as this short form medium allows. The habit of at least mentioning pertinent facts and trivia without expanding on them due to time constraints allows the viewer to look them up at their own leisure. I'm very glad the algorithm chose to promote one of your videos recently to tech/factoid-subscribed viewers like me, another subscription to add along with Technology Connections, Techmoan, etc. Thank you for creating these videos and sharing them with us, and especially for the great level of research and comprehensibility you put into each topic, this is the most valuable quality an informative video can have!

[@JeffFrmJoisey]

I had an updated version of the contact printer, maybe early 60’s. It had its own built in lamp and a red metal cover hinged at the back of the glass to compress film to paper. The handle was bent in a way that it came down on a push button switch to control the light. I always used a “tank” to develop my film, though I may have tried the seesaw in the trays method once.

[@morganahoff2242]

Thanks, this video was very nostalgic for me. As a teenager, I got interested in wet-lab photography, and I remember gathering bits like the metal clips to hang and weight the film. A lot of the equipment I could afford as a teenager was old equipment like in the kit you showed, that turned up at garage sales. There's nothing quite like coming across something like a film-hanging metal clip, when you know what it is and have a need for it!

[@JE-hm7jw]

Good Show - Right amount of time :-)

[@haywoodyoudome]

Only recently came across your channel. Really great content. Looking forward to more.

[@brealistic3542]

Imo you might want to do a futher video of hand coloring of black and white photos before color films were developed. They were actually outstanding and very pretty.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Great video, Gilles...👍

[@AsbestosMuffins]

criminally underrated channel

[@josephcronin2965]

Yes, it's a good format ❤

[@SnepperStepTV]

Great kit! I'd love to have one. Short videos are good for covering subjects like this, because its easier for viewers to come across the specific item than a group of items. This way it adds some variation to your videos and allows for a wider range of subjects to be studied and understood.

[@J0hnnieP]

Really do like the short version videos.

[@ptonpc]

Yes, I like this format for specific things like this. I've not developed photographs in many years. I miss the smell and the peace. Watching your image fade in as if by magic.

[@jimmyday9536]

I enjoy your channel! BTW, George Eastman coined the word KODAK because that's what the early cameras sounded like when the shutter was clicked....."ko-dak".

[@faenethlorhalien]

May I congratulate you on the choice for your music jingle at the start? Camille Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre is an amazing piece.

[@allen_steel1236]

Kodak used bromo as well as phenolphthalein. That's your traditional stop bath indicator if you look at the Kodak photographer's formulary book written in 19 58 that gives all the recipes for their developers. It also gives three different recipes for stop bath. One of them being nothing more than what they call pickling vinegar. Which is approximately 10% of these acid. And they stayed that this can be used in emergencies, as this book was sort of kodak's stopgap what to do when you're short on chemicals and it's the middle of the Cold War. It even contains two different formulas for developer one made from coffee and the other one made from carbonated beverage soda. I haven't personally tested any of them but knowing the expertise of big yellow and their domination of industry well since forever. And the numerous data sheets and books they published. I would tend to think they did extensive research in the writing of their book. Considering it's giving you the exact recipes for existing developers of that day. Assuming that you had a supply of raw chemicals.

[@thisissoeasy]

Nice format! Thank you very much.

[@J0hnnieP]

Really do like the shorter videos quite a bit, and they're all interesting. Well done!

[@paulstubbs7678]

I always wondered why red light was ok in a photo development lab

[@Zbigniew_Nowak]

Fascinating, but as a professional photojournalist, I'm glad I don't live in times when obtaining a finished photo required such a procedure.

[@waltertomashefsky2682]

Wake up and smell the Fixer! In fact I could still smell it as I watched the video. And I last developed B&W in the 80’s after which I moved on to CibaChrome.

[@WarLordN1k]

You need more subs and love the shorter content added to the longer form you have done

[@herbcraven7146]

Thank you for all of your content, Gilles. I am a recent subscriber, and in a KZbin universe full of content created for curious folks such as myself, I find your videos particularly entertaining and informative, and I truly feel smarter for watching them. Your exposition and explanation of the various artifacts is second to none. Bravo!

[@luminousbit]

Love this video. Was the perfect length!

[@RobMcGinley81]

11 minutes isn't short IMHO. So yes 👍

[@cmdredstrakerofshado1159]

Very Very Cool. This also explains how in the great old 60s TV series Secret Agent /Danger Man in the episode "Battle of the Cameras" . John Drake could develop/print the film from his light activate Spy Clock Camera he had in room with out going to a outside photo lab by himself. With a do it your self portable Photo lab outfit like this, Drake could develop and print the Spy camera film in his hotel room on the French Riviera 😀answer solved ! I image other film companies besides Kodak made portable photo lab kits like this Very Cool . Thank You for another Great Video !

[@ericfrazer4736]

cool, thanks!

[@charlottehardy822]

Very interesting

[@mattwilliams3456]

You’ve yet to produce a video of any length that I didn’t enjoy, but more frequent uploads of short single item videos would be great amidst your long form.

[@keithmoore5306]

actually i think having all or most vids 30 minutes or over is pushing it! for most channels a video 10 to 20 minutes is a normal length! so mixing them in together would be nice!

[@nunyab8003]

Love your videos. Suggest you look into glasses with a coating that eliminates reflections.

[@A_Blip_In_The_Universe]

Just recently found your channel. So this may of been asked before. Any relation to the Messier (Messier Catalog) of Astronomy fame? Don't know how popular of last name Messier is in the French language.

[@yellowcrescent]

7:05 Oh man, developing roll film (eg. 120) in a tray like that does not look fun. haha. But then again, I guess the point of this kit was to be fairly economical for the beginner, and stainless steel roll film holders were expensive (hell, they STILL are expensive. lol. A brand new stainless steel Hewes 120 spiral is $55 ~ $80). And it would have been easier when using sheet film. We def have it a lot easier nowadays since there is so much second-hand stuff available on eBay and local shops (assuming they are still in business). Really cool to see how integrated this kit was, with the contact printer combo box and everything you need to get started. Wonder how much it would have cost.

[@Jack2Japan]

Shorts mixed in with longs are fine.

[@bombfog1]

I don’t know French so I’m having trouble understanding you when you introduce yourself. Is your first name “Gilles”?

[@kurthanushek5520]

I like the shorter content. Maybe it is my short attention span. Also, often I want only a few more minutes of viewing before returning to the real world. The KZbin format allows virtually any length. Take advantage of it. Some simple item may need only a couple of minutes while something very complex may need an hour.

[@parkerr3244]

I'd rather have the different items in separate videos purely for ease of finding them if I want to reference them later, but I like the content either way so I'm not going to complain if you keep doing grab bag videos should the shorter format not work out for some reason.

[@jean-paul7251]

Citric acid is not white vinegar 😅

[@greggweber9967]

Is that a quote from Kodak? LoL

[@lisocampos8080]

I don't know why but bow ties look so goofy, clownish and unprofessional to me.

[@whitephosphorus15]

Isn’t it funny that there are people who claim WWII was great for the economy?