C-41 chemicals for greatest longevity?

[Nemidaelios]

I have been combing the net for this info but can't seem to find a definitive answer anywhere.

I am looking to start doing C-41 at home, in hand-agitated tanks. I process only about 4 rolls per month (120) and would like to minimize the frequency with which I have to dispose of used chemistry, while still being able to process whenever I like. (i.e. I want to mix working solutions, keep them in airtight and squeezed bottles, and keep using those working solutions for as long as possible)

I'm sure that I want liquid concentrates, and separate bleach and fix steps. I'm considering the Digibase kit, or possibly just buying individual chemicals from Adorama. (Flexicolor?) However, the prospect of having to deal with using starters for bleach and fixer is annoying, and I have limited space to work in.

Since the capacity and working life of the Digibase bleach and fixer is greater than that of the developer, would it be wise to purchase a Digibase kit and use the developer to exhaustion / expiration, and then use Flexicolor developer from there on out? Or, could I even replenish the Digibase developer using Flexicolor replenisher?
There doesn't seem to be a source that I can find for Digibase developer sans kit.

Thanks!

 

[polyglot]

Buying individual chems will mean you have way more than you need with such small quantities and your developer will probably die before you even get to use a tiny fraction. I have had good luck with the Fuji kit keeping in air-free bottles in the fridge for many months, so that is definitely an option. Read the C41 notes in my FAQ in my signature for keeping details.

 

[Photo Engineer]

To borrow an old phrase, they are all the same with their clothes off!

PE

 

[Athiril]

Flexicolor LORR LU will probably be the best, I'm still running Flexicolor and it's great.

I'd recommend glass bottles, no air gaps, stored in the dark to maximise longetivity. You'll have to test the developer solution to see if activity has dropped over that time.

http://www.kodak.com/global/plugins...lPhoto/products/chemicals/flexicolorLU_US.pdf
http://www.kodak.com/global/plugins/acrobat/en/service/chemicals/cis246.pdf


Z-131 states 6 weeks in fully stoppered glass bottles for fresh solution for developer and developer replenisher. Supposedly LORR LU should do a bit better ("Mixed solutions are stable for up to twice as long"). But I think this is conservative, as this is guaranteed commercial usage.



I've personally thought about increasing the amount of part B (Hydroxylamine Sulfate - the preservative) used, and making sure to buffer up the pH to the same level as normal. But I process a lot of film, so haven't needed longetivity.

 

[Mike Wilde]

I know this is way out there, but I am happy mixing c-41 developer and bleach and fix from scratch. The bleach and fix seem to last forever.

I process about 8 rolls in a litre of this develper solution, flexicolor clone, recipe from this site.

I have experimented with a replenisher, and while not tested rigorously, visually the negs looked good, and let me run more rolls per litre, and for longer, since the replenisher introduced fresh developing agent just prior to new films being processed.

This may have to change soon. The hydroxylamine sulfate stock I hold is running low, and is hard to get. Same too with my hydrochloride variety. Shame it is a hazmat and cannot be mailed to me from the formulary.

 

[Athiril]

Bit pricey, but here you go, but to my calculation should make you nearly 600 litres of the APUG formula, and cost approx 15.6 cents per litre.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Hydroxyl...319?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b09bf82f

 

[EdSawyer]

I'd go with Flexicolor. It's the best, I think, and the cheapest (except maybe mixing your own from scratch). You don't need starters for bleach and fix. only for developer. The bleach can be almost infinitely recycled.

-Ed

 

[hrst]

The bleach can be almost infinitely recycled.

This advice is very often given and has some truth to it, but I want to remind that it should not be taken too literally. "almost infinitely" is far from "infinitely". The bleach will stop working at some point and cause retained silver - higher contrast, lower saturation and more grainy look.

At maximum, the life of the bleach can be something around 4-8 times compared to the rated life of the same volume of developer, when properly aerated. It can be used as replenished by discarding 1/4 of the used bleach, giving a number of very thorough shakes on the partial bottle (allowing air to get into the bottle a few times between the shakes), and adding 1/4 of fresh bleach to it. I wouldn't go to higher factor than 4 unless absolutely necessary due to cost or shipping problems.

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

To borrow an old phrase, they are all the same with their clothes off!

Yeah, I've heard that a few times... from thirty-year-old virgins.

 

[cinejerk]

Hey Mike
Mike at Artcraft has the HAS (hydroxylamine sulfate). He will ship it to you no problem.
artcraft@peoplepc.com
He also has most of the other chems needed for C-41.

I don't understand what is with formulary

 

[Photo Engineer]

The Formulary sells 1L C41 kits that are authentic Kodak kits. They also sell the individual chemicals.

Call and ask. Some things are not in the catalog.

PE

 

[cinejerk]

Why won't formulary ship HAS (hydroxylamine sulfate)?

 

[Athiril]

Some places that can supply some specific chemistry for such niche usage, may possibly sometimes bend the rules. I might have gotten something that was ORM-D from the U.S.

iirc Hydroxylamine Sulphate is ORM-D, and therefore domestic destinations only by rules.

ORM-D sucks.

 

[Photo Engineer]

I have gotten some from them.

PE