hi i know the long 17 page thread exists, and stone's thread in the soap box exists but can someone who has used these 2 kits recently tell me about them. i know they are liquid kits ( sold at freestyle ) ... are they complete or do i need to buy something else that a novice like me doesn't know about? do they NEED be used 1 shot? the packaging gives a specific time for processing, is it always that time no matter what? is it the same agitation methods as b/w ( 1 min continuous, then 10sec/6 sec) or is it different? ive never processed color before, always sent out to a lab and i have too much of it on hand to just process it b/w or give it away ... thanks john
You mean I actually get to teach you something???!! The only thing the Arista Rapid E-6 kit does not come with is the stabilizer... And it is all liquid, very easy to mix. The times in the E-6 kit in the instructions are very simple, and they give you a calculation for extending the use of the color developer multiple times using a simple mathematical adjustment per development after the first. The C-41 kit I got from them was powder and I haven't used it yet so I can't vouch for them but they did NOT give any calculation for extending the use past the first time in the instructions...
PS The reason the stabilizer is not included as far as I understand it, is that they don't believe it's necessary for current films that are made more stable than the older ones, however PE suggests picking some up.
PPS oh almost forgot PE also recommends that you extend the Blix time a little bit as he believes that the combined bleach and fixer will not fully get all the silver out with the given times.
I don't exactly have an answer for you but want to wish you good luck John! I am sure that you'll be doing well in no time
thanks patrick! and thanks stone ,,, i dont think if i do it i will bother with the extra stuff .. its just going to be for fun, and ill do the evil electronic afterwards .. thanks again! john
The "extra stuff" is necessary for long term color stability, and according to PE it is required for E6 film, but not for modern C41 film. Even if you go the hybrid route, you may appreciate if your original slides don't go bad after a few years ...
So far mine are ok... I'll probably re-dip the good ones in Stabilizer from the C-41 powder kit when I use it. Good luck john
Your C41 kit may or may not have a stabilizer that works for E6. See this thread for a technical explanation. On page 2 of that thread there is also a recipe for making a suitable E6 STAB yourself.
thanks stone + rudeofus - i'll keep that in mind, it seem easy to make photo flo and formalin ? is formalin the stuff that is in listerine ? john
That's doubtful since formalin is quite toxic to humans. The chemical name of its main component is Formaldehyde, and you should get it in hardware stores or pharmacies. Its use for disinfecting aquaria suggests that you might also get it in pet stores.
