Cleaning C-41 Blix Stains?

I just did my first ever run of C-41 film dev in my parents' kitchen, negs turned out great and all, only one issue:
I seem to somehow have dripped some of the bleach plus fix down the glossy lacquered wood drawer faces.
I used the Tetenal Colortec C-41 kit, was thinking of using vinegar and dish soap but im afraid the color might have set into the laquer. Anyone have any tricks to fix this kind of ordeal?

Thanks in advance,
Alex

Alex Columbus said:

I just did my first ever run of C-41 film dev in my parents' kitchen, negs turned out great and all, only one issue:
I seem to somehow have dripped some of the bleach plus fix down the glossy lacquered wood drawer faces.
I used the Tetenal Colortec C-41 kit, was thinking of using vinegar and dish soap but im afraid the color might have set into the laquer. Anyone have any tricks to fix this kind of ordeal?

Thanks in advance,
Alex

Click to expand...

Yes - vinegar first, then water, then dry, vinegar again, then rinse, then chlorine, then rinse, then soap, then rinse.
Be careful, you should and should use laboratory towels or kitchen towels and brush them and place all chemistry bottles and tools on top of these bedspreads ...

I have no recommendations for cleaning a lacquered surface.

I only ever cleaned C41 bleach splashes from a plastic surface and I used Cif.
I have many a time got a splash of bleach on a shirt (despite wearing an apron) and found it nearly impossible to remove the stain. It will fade with multi-machine washes and a good detergent.

The bleach is colored by the iron in the ferric EDTA. Most iron compounds increase in color intensity with oxidation -- this is why chlorine bleach won't remove a rust stain from clothing. The solution for rust stains is oxalic acid, which will reduce the iron compounds to a colorless and/or soluble oxalate.

The problem with using this on wood is that oxalic acid is used as a bleach for woodworking -- it will lighten wood pretty effectively, and is used to produce "blond" cabinetry and similar. Over varnish or lacquer it should be okay, but if it touches the wood underneath, it will leave a permanent lighter spot.

You can buy oxalic acid at woodworking shops (maybe Lowe's or Home Depot, in the USA, but certainly at Klingspor). I'd surely try it on a hidden area first, as you'd do with any strong stain remover on clothing.

I assume, that you tried to clean the surface with water to the extent possible: is the color of the remaining stain a very dark red, or pale yellow?

If the stain is red, try to find a rust remover containing phosphonic acids. These will decolorize Ferric EDTA right away. Do not let such a stain remain for long, because all hopes are lost if Ferric Oxide starts to build up.

If the stain is pale yellow, some Sulfur may have been created from Thiosulfate left in the wood. It should be possible to sand away some of that stain, then repaint the wood. You could try to dissolve the Sulfur either with strong alkali or with special organic solvents, but there's a high chance, that these will cause more damage than fine sand paper.