Who remembers these!
Engineer / RudiWell, there are basically two options: either read and learn about the process, until you understand what black&white and C-41 processes do and try to apply this you your specific task, or pay through the nose for someone else to develop your film. Given the size of your film stash, the first path seems more promising, and the folks here on APUG will happily guide you through the process.
You can get a very basic idea of what happens in C-41 film during color development here. The important points are:
That last point is crucial to the procedure I suggested: you could develop film with regular black&white developer, then fix away undeveloped silver halide and thereby get a weak but stable silver image. If you convert this silver image back into silver halide (and this is called 'bleaching'), you can then redevelop that silver halide in C-41 color developer!
- C-41 film is a bit like regular black&white film, i.e. you can develop it with any regular black&white film developer
- When C-41 film is developed in C-41 color developer, regular black&white development takes place. Each developer molecule, which just developed silver, will then react with special compounds called 'color couplers'. These 'color couplers' are special molecules, they are embedded in the emulsion and will form a dye molecule when they react with oxidized color developer. That's why you get colorful images.
- It's important to understand, that in C-41 process an image forms only in those regions where silver gets developed
Now why would I recommend Rodinal 1:100 stand development for this? There is not that much established knowledge about how to optimally process 'found rolls'. Film makers earn their money not from old stuff stashed away in some attic, but from fresh product, that's where their research efforts went into. People tried all kinds of stuff with these rare finds, and their experience suggests that Rodinal 1:100 will sort of develop any kind of film in any condition. You can't really experiment much with 'found rolls': if their pics were easily replaceable, then you'd just throw them away and start from scratch. You do it, because you want to see what's left on these rolls, there's little room for risky experiments.
The colors will be 'flunky' no matter what you do. The correct time to develop these film rolls for good results was about 20 years ago. The only thing we don't know yet is whether there is any image left on these rolls. The procedure I suggested will give you this info as cheaply as it gets:
If a film strips looks ok, then do the following:
- stand develop film in Rodinal 1:100 (search APUG for instructions)
- stop bath
- fix film
- wash film
- Take film out of film tank and inspect. If there is no visible image, then film rolls of that brand/speed are likely lost. Put them back in your priority so you don't waste time on a futile effort
All the raw chemicals I suggested in points 1 and 2 are no more toxic or otherwise hazardous than the C-41 process bathes, and they can be gotten locally from well stocked pharmacies in small quantities for little money.
- mix a bleach from 5 g/l Potassium Hexacyanoferrate III and 10 g/l Potassium Bromide.
- mix a clearing bath from 10 g/l Sodium Sulfite.
- prepare a complete set of C-41 processing bathes, bring up to temperature.
- put the black&white developed film back onto a film spindle and into a film tank.
- bleach the film for 5-10 minutes
- wash the film for 3-5 minutes
- put film in clearing bath for about 1 minute
- wash again for 3-5 minutes, ideally with 38°C wash water to bring the film tank up to temperature for C-41 process
- then run through regular C-41 process
I directed this question to Engineer Rudi, but he said that the answer is available to Mr. David LygaI would like to know if that goes for E6, too!
Well, there are basically two options: either read and learn about the process, until you understand what black&white and C-41 processes do and try to apply this you your specific task, or pay through the nose for someone else to develop your film. Given the size of your film stash, the first path seems more promising, and the folks here on APUG will happily guide you through the process.
You can get a very basic idea of what happens in C-41 film during color development here. The important points are:
That last point is crucial to the procedure I suggested: you could develop film with regular black&white developer, then fix away undeveloped silver halide and thereby get a weak but stable silver image. If you convert this silver image back into silver halide (and this is called 'bleaching'), you can then redevelop that silver halide in C-41 color developer!
- C-41 film is a bit like regular black&white film, i.e. you can develop it with any regular black&white film developer
- When C-41 film is developed in C-41 color developer, regular black&white development takes place. Each developer molecule, which just developed silver, will then react with special compounds called 'color couplers'. These 'color couplers' are special molecules, they are embedded in the emulsion and will form a dye molecule when they react with oxidized color developer. That's why you get colorful images.
- It's important to understand, that in C-41 process an image forms only in those regions where silver gets developed
Now why would I recommend Rodinal 1:100 stand development for this? There is not that much established knowledge about how to optimally process 'found rolls'. Film makers earn their money not from old stuff stashed away in some attic, but from fresh product, that's where their research efforts went into. People tried all kinds of stuff with these rare finds, and their experience suggests that Rodinal 1:100 will sort of develop any kind of film in any condition. You can't really experiment much with 'found rolls': if their pics were easily replaceable, then you'd just throw them away and start from scratch. You do it, because you want to see what's left on these rolls, there's little room for risky experiments.
The colors will be 'flunky' no matter what you do. The correct time to develop these film rolls for good results was about 20 years ago. The only thing we don't know yet is whether there is any image left on these rolls. The procedure I suggested will give you this info as cheaply as it gets:
If a film strips looks ok, then do the following:
- stand develop film in Rodinal 1:100 (search APUG for instructions)
- stop bath
- fix film
- wash film
- Take film out of film tank and inspect. If there is no visible image, then film rolls of that brand/speed are likely lost. Put them back in your priority so you don't waste time on a futile effort
All the raw chemicals I suggested in points 1 and 2 are no more toxic or otherwise hazardous than the C-41 process bathes, and they can be gotten locally from well stocked pharmacies in small quantities for little money.
- mix a bleach from 5 g/l Potassium Hexacyanoferrate III and 10 g/l Potassium Bromide.
- mix a clearing bath from 10 g/l Sodium Sulfite.
- prepare a complete set of C-41 processing bathes, bring up to temperature.
- put the black&white developed film back onto a film spindle and into a film tank.
- bleach the film for 5-10 minutes
- wash the film for 3-5 minutes
- put film in clearing bath for about 1 minute
- wash again for 3-5 minutes, ideally with 38°C wash water to bring the film tank up to temperature for C-41 process
- then run through regular C-41 process
Hi, a newbie here. After 1st part of the step 5 when the film is developed in b/w and washed and ready for inspection. Should the inspection be done in safe light or room light?
XTOL is inexpensive and cost effective. Using it as replenished XTOL is even more cost effective.
View attachment 350992
Should the inspection be done in safe light or room light?
Room light. The film is no longer sensitized.
(since no one else was interested in answering your actual question.)
Now if we are at it, I am curios what the OP decided to do with those films.
Sadly, X-Tol may, or may not be, out of production, along with all other Kodak branded photo-chemicals. Otherwise, I recommend it.
A number of competitors are out there.
Matt, is the last sentence "faint praise" or is that just my interpretation?
pentaxuser
Depends what color film. The 110 ones are C41 (or Kodachrome), as far I know 110 is new enough that it was not made for older processes. The format itself should be no problem, most minilabs and big labs can process it.
For the 135 rolls you have to see what process they need. Being only 20 years old, I think they are C41.
One thing I do not understand. You have those memories. They are unique, so why the pennycounting?
Try drugstores. None remained that offers film processing? In Germany it is around 2 Euros/roll. (DM, Rossmann, Müller, Saturn, etc.) Depending how the films were stored, you will get more or less color shift, but still it is color and not BW. To a degree you can correct for the color shift, especially if you will scan. Take the normal development, no compensation needed, would just add to the cost.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?