E-6 and Stabilizer, revisited

Ariston · Oct 19, 2019

I am about to develop E-6 for the first time, and noticed that my Arista kit does not have a stabilizer (I did not know it would not have stabilizer). I searched on here and found an old thread that was helpful.

But I have a question I did not see on the old thread: Can I develop now and stabilize later, or does it need to be done concurrently?

Photo Engineer · Oct 19, 2019

For best results, concurrently.

PE

Ariston · Oct 19, 2019

Thanks again, PE.

Ariston · Oct 20, 2019

Photo Engineer said:
For best results, concurrently.

PE

PE,

I lost the old thread and can't find the info I'm looking for. I tried to find some stabilizer (C-41 or otherwise), and all I can find are full C-41 kits with a "stabilizer" rinse... they put "stabilizer" in quotation marks. I am guessing it is not what I need.

I think the other thread said to use formaldehyde, which I am going to try to find locally. Can you tell me, how do I dilute it, if at all, before applying. Also, is it the final rinse?

Thanks again for lending your expertise.

koraks · Oct 20, 2019

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/the-definitive-word-i-hope-on-color-stabilzers.89149/
Something like a few ml of 10% formaldehyde to 1 liter of water should do the trick. As final rinse indeed.

mshchem · Oct 20, 2019

C41 Final rinse

https://www.uniquephoto.com/kodak-c-41-rinse-replenisher-tm-5-liters-8673170

Photo Engineer · Oct 20, 2019

The C41 final rinse for C41 will NOT work for E6 films. The dye set is different and E6 requires formalin. Sorry.

PE

mshchem · Oct 20, 2019

The Tetenal E6 3 bath kit has a final rinse that consists of a tiny plastic bag with clear crystals. When I used this, the crystals would reform on the film, drove me nuts. Now I use the Fuji Hunt 5 L kit. Best option since the loss of the Kodak 5 L kits.

Photo Engineer · Oct 20, 2019

Yes, Kodak's E1 Stabilizer was similar. It left spots on the film that would not go away.

PE

mshchem · Oct 20, 2019

I got 10 rolls of Fujichrome 120 out of my film freezer. I'm going to shoot some autumn leaves. Hopefully my 200 dollar Fuji kit is still good. You gotta pay to play

thuggins · Oct 22, 2019

mshchem said:
The Tetenal E6 3 bath kit has a final rinse that consists of a tiny plastic bag with clear crystals. When I used this, the crystals would reform on the film, drove me nuts. Now I use the Fuji Hunt 5 L kit. Best option since the loss of the Kodak 5 L kits.

Really??

I've been using Tetenal kits for years and they have always been the same. The stabilizer is a liquid that mixes 1:4 with water, just like all the other components. No residue is left on the film.

The results from the Tetenal kits are every bit as good as any professional lab. There is no reason to go to a more complex or expensive process.

mshchem · Oct 22, 2019

thuggins said:
Really??

I've been using Tetenal kits for years and they have always been the same. The stabilizer is a liquid that mixes 1:4 with water, just like all the other components. No residue is left on the film.

The results from the Tetenal kits are every bit as good as any professional lab. There is no reason to go to a more complex or expensive process.

You are indeed correct my friend. I checked my remaining stock of the Tetenal E6. The stabilizer is a liquid. I was remembering my experience with the Jobo?, Unicolor C-41 Press Kit.
And yes the results I have from the Tetenal E6 (4 bathes) kit are outstanding.
I divided a Tetenal 5L kit into tiny bottles and used for a couple years. Unfortunately I learned not to use PET bottles as 1 part of the CD concentrate cracked the plastic.
Looking at the cost of the Fuji kit I'm not sure what I will do in the future. Probably Tetenal as my volume of chrome film doesn't justify buying 5 L of chemistry at a time
Thanks for getting me back on track.
Best Regards Mike

thuggins · Oct 22, 2019

mshchem said:
Unfortunately I learned not to use PET bottles as 1 part of the CD concentrate cracked the plastic.

Many of us have learnt the lesson the hard way.

Actually, both CD concentrates will degrade PET. One of them just does it a whole lot faster than the other.

mshchem · Oct 22, 2019

thuggins said:
Many of us have learnt the lesson the hard way.

Actually, both CD concentrates will degrade PET. One of them just does it a whole lot faster than the other.

I bought a bunch of HDPE Nalgene bottles from 125mL up to 1 L. I use butane to displace the O2. I still use PET for black and white solutions but am gradually replacing these.
I have a BS in Chemistry from way back. Sometimes I amaze myself how dumb I can be. Nothing spilled when the bottles cracked as I had them in a plastic bin. Lucky.
Best Mike

Helios 1984 · Oct 22, 2019

mshchem said:
The Tetenal E6 3 bath kit has a final rinse that consists of a tiny plastic bag with clear crystals. When I used this, the crystals would reform on the film, drove me nuts.

I ditch the bag of Hexamine whenever I purchase a Unicolor C41 press kit. Kodak Final Rinse cost next to nothing and keeps you happy.

mshchem · Oct 22, 2019

Helios 1984 said:
I ditch the bag of Hexamine whenever I purchase a Unicolor C41 press kit. Kodak Final Rinse cost next to nothing and keeps you happy.

I buy Flexicolor chemistry from Unique photo in New Jersey. I use the RA Bleach and Fixer. Love it. The Developer replenisher is cheap. I toss any that is old. The Bleach lasts forever and is easy to replenish, everything else I use one shot.
I have a bunch of Fujichrome I need to shoot and get busy with the Fuji Pro 6 stuff I have. Next time I will probably buy the Tetenal E6 kit, all depends on my usage.

Photo Engineer · Oct 23, 2019

I repeat again, E6 films need Formaldehyde. Hexamine is a solid form of Formaldehyde. The C41 tail end and the Kodak Final Rinse do not work properly with E6 films unless you add Formalin somehow.

I hate to keep repeating this!

PE

mshchem · Oct 25, 2019

thuggins said:
Many of us have learnt the lesson the hard way.

Actually, both CD concentrates will degrade PET. One of them just does it a whole lot faster than the other.

Well, I went to use my Fuji Pro6 kit today, the Developer had gotten cold (I'm guessing 50°F) and I found a big chunk of crystals in the bottle.

I started digging around the remains of my Tetenal kit. The fixer part of the blix was sulfurized, so I substituted Ilford fixer. The results looked pretty good considering I had split the chemistry over 5 YEARS AGO . I'm going to order a new 2.5 Tetenal kit.

Ariston · Oct 25, 2019

Photo Engineer said:
I repeat again, E6 films need Formaldehyde. Hexamine is a solid form of Formaldehyde. The C41 tail end and the Kodak Final Rinse do not work properly with E6 films unless you add Formalin somehow.

I hate to keep repeating this!

PE

I hear you, PE. I read in the other thread you can get this at the PetSmart, or something like that. I am going to look there for it before I shoot any more E-6. I intend for any future rolls to be preserved as best as possible.

feral_capitalist · Oct 25, 2019

You can buy a 1/2L of formaldehyde(sic) from Amazon for $15 and save the color shifts for decades. I reuse Fuji RA-4 bottles from my lab to store formalin stabilizer. 100ml Formalin, 400mL water and a drop of Photo-Flo can stabilize a couple rolls of E-6. Be cautious with it, wear gloves, try not to breathe it. Once you stabilize with formaldehyde, you can't go back, unlike like with C41 if your fixer didn't clear enough.

mshchem · Oct 25, 2019

So, I can't find the Tetenal 3 bath ( plus stabilizer ) anywhere in the US. I ordered some Fuji 1st and color developer in large 4x5, and 2x5 liter quantities. If Kodak is expecting to sell Ektachrome it would be nice if Kodak would sell single solutions in 5L quantities. Now I remember why I gave up Ektachrome the first time. Still I am going to keep going come what may as long as I can.

E-6 and Stabilizer, revisited

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