confused about Stabalizers and Washing...

[AlbertZeroK]

I just developed my own C-41 yesterday and again this morning, using the Digibase kit. I'm also developing E-6 with fuji's chemistry, straight out of the cube.

I washed my film today for 15 minutes in a film washer this morning, then removed the film from the spool and pushed it down in a small bucket of stabilizer and swirled it around and let it sit for a minute. When I took it out, the stabilizer was foamy, so i used some water, washed the film really quick and hung it to dry.

Here are the questions, when I put the film in the stabilizer, how do I keep the film from touching it's self in the bucket, or does this matter? Also, what to do about the foam?

Finally, the film is just a little sticky now that it's hanging to dry, is this normal or did I mess something up?

 

[Photo Engineer]

Leave the film on the reel during the stabilzer / final rinse bath. This will protect it from scratches. When you hang the film to dry, you might try a gentle wipe with a sponge wetted with stabilizer as a final step to help remove excess stabilizer / final rinse.

Wash the reel with hot water to remove any trace of final rinse and dry before re-use.

PE

 

[pentaxuser]

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Wash the reel with hot water to remove any trace of final rinse and dry before re-use.

PE

PE A number of people here on APUG have said that wetting agent such as Ilford's and Kodak Photoflo requires you to scrub the reel vigorously with a brush and soapy water. Presumably C41 stabiliser is more easily removed?

The amount of stabiliser supplied with the small Digibase kits means that leaving the film on the reel is the best way to use it. As long as a wash in hot water is sufficient then this makes things a lot easier.

I have had problems with reels even after a wash in hot water when I have used wetting agent for B&W film. I now remove the film from the reel completely but for reason mentioned above would prefer not to have to do this with limited amount of stabiliser supplied.

pentaxuser

 

[Photo Engineer]

I have used stabilizer with film on reels since the '50s and my first roll of E1 Ektachrome. I wash my reels in hot water, about 110F afterwards. I have never ever had a problem! It will gunk up, but only if you are very careless sorry to say!

PE

 

[lordvader]

I've actually been pouring the stablizer into a glass bowl, taking the film off the reel, and just sloshing it around in the bowl

The slipperyness of the stablizer prevents the film from sticking to itself, and seems to work quite well (though I can't say that with 100% confidence until I check the slides in 10 years time ...)

 

[Diapositivo]

Stabiliser can be reused many times. So the "limited" quantity supplied probably takes this into account. You can prepare a certain quantity, let's say 500ml of stabiliser bath and use for 5 or 10 rolls. I prepare a new bath only when I see some dirt particles in it. If your bath remains clean (no hair fragments, no dandruff, no fine dust) I suppose you could just refill it and use it forever, it is never "exausted".

The foam is formed when you agitate the bath. No agitation, no foam. I just put the reel with film in the bath and turn it a bit on its axis, then let sit for a minute or two. No need to agitate the container, just move a bit the film inside the container.

It is better if the stabiliser bath is prepared with de-mineralised water.

I keep my stabiliser bath in a glass container with a plastic lid. I suppose it would last just forever from a strictly chemical point of view (my final bath does contain formalin).

Not wasting final bath, especially if it contains formalin, is also an ecologically correct behaviour. Reuse is a must when possible.

 

[pentaxuser]

I have used stabilizer with film on reels since the '50s and my first roll of E1 Ektachrome. I wash my reels in hot water, about 110F afterwards. I have never ever had a problem! It will gunk up, but only if you are very careless sorry to say!

PE

Thanks PE. I'll give this try. It may be stabiliser isn't as bad as wetting agent. If as little as 110F removes the stabiliser it should be possible to easily wash in this temp. My hot water system is able to supply water at temp much greater than this.

pentaxuser

 

[hpulley]

I use the stabilizer as my final wash (but at room temp, not 35-39C like the prior wash water) and leave the film on the reel and the reel in the tank for the stabilizer. This way I can invert the tank for 15s to make sure all the film gets some, tap the tank to remove bubbles as usual.

I also simply use hot water to wash my reels and tanks, B&W with wetting agent and C-41 with stabilizer. 50C with some inversion and simply letting the pieces dry works great here, no residue.

 

[AlbertZeroK]

Thanks everyone!