C-41 Chemistry in Canada?

[rdbkorn]

I'm interested in processing colour negative film myself at home. My preference would be to actually "roll my own" chemistry but I'm having difficulty finding a source of CD-4 for the developer. The only on-line source I've found so far is Photographer's Formulary in the US, but they won't ship the chemical to Canada. Any one have a mail-order source for this chemical in Canada. Or failing that, a way to get Kodak's liquid concentrate C-41 chemicals in Canada?

Paul

 

[Nick Zentena]

Dead Link Removed

Kodak should be easy. Just need to find some body selling minilab stuff. Vistek does/did sell. Others to I'm sure.

 

[mabman]

Incidentally, I asked the above about the availability of the listed c-41 kits some time late last year, and was told they're no longer available - they were actually reselling kits from a camera store in Montreal, who stopped making them. So, unless they've changed suppliers, they may not have them anymore.

I don't see the CD4 itself listed, but it might be worth sending an email to ask.

As for the liquid chemistry, I have also been unable to find it in Canada - I asked Henry's out of Toronto, but received no reply. As you're no doubt aware, the US retailers can't ship the liquid chemistry across the border (designated hazmat), but in most cases they can ship the powdered - specifically I asked Freestyle if they could ship their own powdered c-41 kit, and they said it wouldn't be a problem. I'm not a big fan of the concept of powdered chemistry in general, so I haven't pursued it further.

 

[rdbkorn]

Thanks for the speedy replies. I looked at the jdphotochem site, and they do list CD4 as "Kodak Colour Developer #4". So it looks good!

 

[srs5694]

Probably moot to you now, rdbkorn, but another trick I've seen mentioned is to get friendly with a local minilab operator. You may then be able to buy chemicals from them even though the store doesn't normally sell them. I've never tried this myself, though.

 

[Snapshot]

I'm wondering how long does CD-4 keep. I've been having a difficult time obtaining C-41 kits and I still want to have the option of developing film. My thinking is to mix my own chemistry but I don't want to throw out chemicals due to low usuage.

 

[Nick Zentena]

Likely want to start a thread so PE will notice and comment. But my dry CD-4 has kept for over a year. I expect it to keep for longer.

 

[srs5694]

I seem to recall PE commenting some months ago that he didn't know what the shelf life of CD-4 was, since they went through it so quickly at Kodak that this was never a concern of his. I've heard others' stories of it lasting for multiple years, though. I've got some that's probably about two years old and it's still good.

 

[Mike Wilde]

CD-4 life - my experience

I keep my CD-4 in baby food sized clear glass jars with a metal lid.

These jars are stored in a dark drawer, in my basement darkroom. Here the temperature gets as warm as 20C in the summer, and as cool as 15C in the winter. I fill them to 3/4 full, put a bit of brown parchment paper over the top, and then squirt a bit of private preserve/nitrogen gas in before quickly slipping the tube out and fully seating the lid

The stuff I have has kept this way for over 2.5 years, with no apparent change in activity. One little jar mixes more than 5 x 1l worth of developer, so the product is only out of the gas for less than 6 month before being used. I have not run rigorous tests; for QC, I snip off about 4 frames of a 36 exposure test roll of my 'betty' a white grey and colour test patch being held by my wife that I exposed at about the same time that I bought the CD-4. Each test neg gets dated as to when it was developed. The 'newest' betty neg prints within 5cc of the first one I did, and any variation there I put down to variences in agitaion (I don't use a jobo, and experienced sprocket hole effects when I put the film tank on the print roller base, so I am back to hand agitation)

 

[Snapshot]

Well, it's good to see that will a little proper storage CD-4 can keep for a while. Thanks for your input everyone.