e6 Processing - first wash critical?

[rlandrigan]

Okay, i know i"m being lazy, and e6 and lazy don;t mix, but how critical is the first 2 minute wash to the process? I have a Jobo ATL-1500, but have not got a tempered water source and would really like to avoid setting up the water heater/tub/pump arrangement if possible. Could you go straight from first dev to reversal, or is that just idiocy?

 

[Photo Engineer]

I think you picked the right word!

PE

 

[wildbill]

you could drink the water instead and then pee in the tank. That should be around 98 degrees.

 

[rawhead]

Too funny :LOL:

I think the gist of the responses is that yes, that first wash is really quite critical. If I remember correctly, it's the only step where contamination by even a very small amount of one chemical (First Dev) will have a major impact on the process of the other chemical (reversal fluid). All the other processes expect a little residue left over from the previous step.

I'm not 100% sure, but I've had a terrible case of my slides going completely bonkers in terms of color, and in retrospect, I realize this may have been the case; i.e., I forgot to wash and went straight from 1st dev. to reversal.

You can of course experiment

 

[Photo Engineer]

To be more specific, mixing of any amount of 1st developer and any amount of reversal bath will lead to as much total fog as is possible by the chemicals present. Washing not only prevents this, but give a small boost to development in the cyan (bottom) layer and thus prevents excessive possibility of crossover.

The point is that the process was designed using thousands, nay millions of dollars in R&D funds at Kodak by Photo Engineers, to prevent these problems. The attempt was to give the best results if these instructions were followed!

PE

 

[rlandrigan]

Thanks yall! I figured that it was something I couldn't skip, but worth asking before trying

Sounds like you need a few wash/rinse cycles in the 2 minutes, which blows using the 2nd tank in the JOBO as wash. Ah well, time to see if the jury-rigged water tank/heater/pump combo is still working

 

[vpwphoto]

The point is that the process was designed using thousands, nay millions of dollars in R&D funds at Kodak by Photo Engineers, to prevent these problems. The attempt was to give the best results if these instructions were followed!

PE

RIGHT ON!!!

I was in the photo program (graduate level) at a major university, and the professor was going on about the "harsh step" from Developer to Stop Bath as if the film were a baby going from a warm tub to a cold room (I know this will make reticulation) Anyway... Millions of dollars were spent by engineers trying re-invent the wheel.. experiment folks if you wish, tell us if you make a discovery that works for you, but stop trying to dis-credit time trusted standards and good practice.

While I am at it.. I have fuel and oil additives to sell you.

 

[nworth]

The exact timing is not critical, but the temperature and amount of washing are. Be sure the film gets washed at least as much as directed, but your fill and dump times may make the total cycle length a bit longer.