Can I make my own bleach for RA-4, and which fixer?

[1kgcoffee]

There is one person on this forum who will probably know the answer, but I put the question to everyone.

Rather than buy a kit, I'm planning to purchase 10L of kodak replenisher then make my own bleach and fix to be used separately.

For the bleach, could one just mix up some potassium ferricyanide or permangenate (at what dilution?)

For the fix, is it ok to use ilford rapid fix, or should I use an alkaline fixer such as tf4? If there is some residue left from the bleach, I'm thinking it may react in the emulsion layer with the fixer. Is this something to be worried about?

Thanks in Advance,
-1kgcoffee

 

[Photo Engineer]

Do you want a bleach or a blix. Generally, a ferri bleach is not accepted for paper.

However, TF-5 is a suitable fix.

PE

 

[1kgcoffee]

Just a bleach. I do not want to mix the two, as you have previously posted about them being subpar and reacting with eachother.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Well, ferri is not certified to make stable images. It is a powerful oxidant and may cause side effects.

PE

 

[Wayne]

Just a bleach. I do not want to mix the two, as you have previously posted about them being subpar and reacting with eachother.

PE will correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that was just for film. I think blix is the norm for paper.

 

[RPC]

Bleach using ferric ammonium EDTA is okay to mix with the right fixer for paper, but not advised for film. A ferricyanide bleach mixed with fixer is not advised for either.

 

[Rudeofus]

Lots of people rightfully claim, that neither Ammonium Ferric PDTA, nor Potassium Ferricyanide make suitable bleaches for E-6 or RA-4, yet many people successfully use these compounds regularly. Even Stefan Lange used Ferricyanide bleach for his test clips, when he cooked up his C-41 and E-6 formulas. I still don't know why one would want to run RA-4 through separate bleach and fixer, the 8 minutes it takes me for an RA-4 run are already painfully slow IMHO.

Assuming, that whatever bleach 1kgcoffee is going to use does not kill the paper: yes, TF-5 is a suitable fixer for RA-4.

 

[RPC]

I use a separate bleach and fix for C-41 and use a ferricyanide bleach. There may be a risk, but I use it due to the difficulty and expense of obtaining regular bleach. At least in the few years I have used it, I have noticed no problems.

 

[Photo Engineer]

If you use a ferricyanide bleach in any color process, you must fully wash, clear and stop the development beforehand. A ferri bleach is so strong that it will oxidize the remaining developing agent instantly and cause stains.

PE

 

[RPC]

I use a stop/clearing bath of acetic acid and sulfite following the developer, followed by a good wash before the bleach.