Developing C41 and E6 at home...

Claire Senft said:

The article is posted in the "How To" section as Dignan NCF Divided Developer.

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Thanks; I've saved a bookmark and will probably refer to it when I get around to trying out color development. I may even see if I can buy a back issue of the original magazine.

I have been doing E-6 for almost 25 years with nothing more sophisticated than a sink full of water (at the right temp) and ordinary B&W developing drums/tanks. I used to use a Beseler E-6 developer. When it became extinct, I switched to "Agfa Process 44".

I find that the extremely tight temp requirements are more "C.Y.A." frorm the manufacturer. I have had temperature deteriorate 5 degrees F between the start of the process and the last bath with no detectable difference on the slides. (Manitoba winters are COLD; sometimes keeping something at 100F would require military flame throwers!)

I am now working in 4x5 using a Combi-Plan tank which requires 1.0L of solution so I work with a double batch of (500mL) Agfa chems. A double batch costs about $36 (Canadian). I usually save up my transparency films until I have enough to justfy mixing chemicals and I have yet to exhaust a set of chemistry. Agfa claim .45 square Meters per batch but I have run beyond that with no problem. I have also pushed the shelf life to nearly double with good results.

I am sure, if you were running a professional lab, staying within the manufacturer's recommendations is wise. If you are a hobbiest and the pictures are non-critical, so is the process ;-)

If Manitoba winters are cold Calamity Jane maybe you should winter in Deadwood S.D. This might not be too large of a help temperture but you could make sure that the path to WBH's grave is kept open.

I was born on a farm in Wisconsin. The local mules would not stand still for skinning. What has been your experience in Manitoba? When are they going to rename it Womanitoba ?

That's why I have an insulated water bath. Turn it on 1.5 hours later it's at temp. From that point on it barely runs. Even with it turned off it holds temp fairly well. I've turned it off at 98F and the next day it's still over 90F. This isn't outdoors during the winter but in a 60F basement. The other thing I know I could improve things. Right now the lid can't even close with the wires in the way. If I really wanted to improve things drill a few holes route the wires and fill the holes in with silicone. The thing would hold temp even better.

OTOH once you get past the critical step [developer with C-41, 2nd developer with E-6??] the temp range is much wider. More then 5F I think.

Calamity Jane said:

I have been doing E-6 for almost 25 years with nothing more sophisticated than a sink full of water ...
I find that the extremely tight temp requirements are more "C.Y.A." frorm the manufacturer. I have had temperature deteriorate 5 degrees F between the start of the process and the last bath with no detectable difference on the slides.

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I have had the same experience with C41 processing, as well. A couple of times I have failed to reset the JOBO Processor to 38 degrees C after printing at 35 degrees C ( - 5.0 degrees F below where it should be) - and I couldn't see any great difference either .. certainly no more than "lot-to-lot" normal variations.

I seriously think that the CYA label is appropriate - The manufacturers have a safety net; in case something DOES go wrong - they can always blame "temperature instability" and shift the responsiblity to the consumer.

Claire Senft said:

The article is posted in the "How To" section as Dignan NCF Divided Developer.

Click to expand...

I hope you don't mind some follow-up questions. I've read (there was a url link here which no longer exists) as well as ordered a back issue of the original article and read it. I've done B&W processing, and have mixed my own B&W chemistry, but I've never done color processing before. Anyhow:

• Dignan's original article mentions an acetic acid stop bath, and you recommend a stop bath of 20% vinegar. I take it this is in addition (prior) to the blix step? I ask simply because I've not seen mention of a separate acid stop bath in other descriptions of color processing. Would standard Kodak Indicator Stop Bath be suitable (I've got a bottle of it handy)? Are there any stop baths that should be avoided? Should I keep the stop bath for color work separate from that for B&W work, to avoid cross-contamination of chemistry, or can I just use one bottle and not worry about that?
  
• I understand that the A bath volume will drop as it's used to develop more films, until there's not enough to do more. At that point, should the remaining A bath be discarded (on the principle that it's now getting too old and/or contaminated to be worth risking further use) or "topped off" with a fresh batch of A bath? Any estimate of how many rolls 500ml of the A bath will process?
  
• On a more general note, some descriptions of color processing mention using a stabilizer as the last step. (One formula I found for stabilizer specifies a mixture of water, formaldehyde, and photo-flow.) Others don't mention this step. What's the purpose of this step, and why is it sometimes omitted?

Thanks for any clarification of these issues.

I still pay a reasonable price for development. If I want it fast (2-4 hours) I pay 65 DKK ($10). That is for E6 or C41 dev only. No proffs or mounting.

If I can wait 24 hours I pay my local discount photostore 55 DKK ($8.5) for C41 dev and all negs printed i 10x15 cm. That is digital prints, but for evaluation and other non-fine-art stuff it is good quality. They do the best digital scanning and printing I have seen in a discount photo store.
If I can wait a week I can get my E6 developed for 25 DKK ($4).

Morten

srs5694 said:

[*]Dignan's original article mentions an acetic acid stop bath, and you recommend a stop bath of 20% vinegar. I take it this is in addition (prior) to the blix step? I ask simply because I've not seen mention of a separate acid stop bath in other descriptions of color processing. Would standard Kodak Indicator Stop Bath be suitable (I've got a bottle of it handy)? Are there any stop baths that should be avoided? Should I keep the stop bath for color work separate from that for B&W work, to avoid cross-contamination of chemistry, or can I just use one bottle and not worry about that?



[*]On a more general note, some descriptions of color processing mention using a stabilizer as the last step. (One formula I found for stabilizer specifies a mixture of water, formaldehyde, and photo-flow.) Others don't mention this step. What's the purpose of this step, and why is it sometimes omitted?
[/list]

Thanks for any clarification of these issues.

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Minilab machines use squeeges or whatever to wipe the film down between steps. That's supposedly good enough to stop development. In a small tank at home you can't do that. So using a stop is a good idea.

I wouldn't use indicator stop. I've no idea how it would react with the film dyes.

Stabilzer stabilzes the dyes in the film. The US workers protection agency pushed the film companies over people handling formaldye. I think they wanted the workers actually trained how to be safe. Kodak reformulated thier chemicals so the chemicals make formalhdye during the processing. That means the lab workers don't have to hande a bottle with formaldhye in it. But the process still has it.

I've never used stop bath in C-41 development. Reason: somewhere along the line, in the dark mists of time, using Tetenal/ Photocolor/ JOBO-Russell or ?, there was a strong advisement with explanation against its use. What effect of the use stop bath would be -- I don't know .. It been a long time - and I've never tried it. I seem to remember it had something to do with the avoidance of "pinholes" in the developed emulsion.

On using diluted vinegar - Most vinegar is labelled "5% Acidity". I think that indicates a solution containing 5% acetic acid. Diluting that 1:4 with water will result in the "standard" stop bath concentration of 1% acetic acid.

One mystery I'll never understand is why so many people are so negatively affected by the smell of what would be an extremely weak salad dressing..??

You know, I actually switched my slide development to my local supermarket who then mail it to Konica up in Maine. It takes 10 days but for non essential stuff, it's great and costs $3/$4 for 24/36 exp. I did a test with two rolls and the only justification to the pro lab for paying around $6 more was that I got it the same day versus 10 days. Your milage may vary of course.

It all depends on what you want, I suppose.

Ara Ghajanian said:

Because the digital thing is getting so huge, my local pro lab has been losing major business. Because of this they have jacked up prices on film processing (smart move idiots, give people another reason to switch to digital). I just paid $13 to have a roll of 135-36 Velvia processed only! What a rip off. C41 is $9 just for processing. I remember when it was a third of that price. Anyways, I was wondering how much more cost effective it would be to develop color at home. Can it be done in the kitchen with a Paterson tank? Or do I have to invest in a Jobo system and/or some sort of temperature controlled water system? What are the fumes like? Is it just too dangerous to do at home? I love developing B&W and would never trust anyone with my film again. Would color film benefit quality-wise from hand developing?

I'm just looking for an option to the local overpriced lab.
Ara

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B&H sels the Kodak C-41 1 galon kit for $ 40 US. You can at least process 10 films so it's $ 4 US per film. I have the small Jobo processor CPE-2 and it works fine to develop color films. You have to take in count that color chemicals don't last to long. To avoid color shift problems I only use these chemicals for as long as a week, then I discard them.

juanito