Flexicolor list question. Help me out plz!

[rustyair]

Hi,

You've probably heard this question so many times but I'm still confused even though I did search and read many threads.

I process about 10 sheets of 4x5 portra and 3 rolls of 120 portra a week with my JOBO CPE-2. I've been using the tetenal c-41 from BH and looking to save some money on chemistry. Help me out plz!


1. Am I going to save money if I get the flexicolor?

2. Do I get these developer starter and the developer replenisher?

Kodak Flexicolor Developer / Starter. $7.99
Dead Link Removed $34.95

3. Where do I get the bleach and fixer?

4. I live in New York. Is there a website where I can purchase all developer starter, replenisher, bleach and fixer?



Many thanks in advance,

 

[wildbill]

how close are you to b&h?
they have it:http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/searc...=4288586380+4291384683+4254931952&srtclk=sort

or
http://www.libertyphotoproducts.com/catalog/photo-chemistry,1051.htm

 

[BMbikerider]

Have a look at www.ag-photographic.co.uk. Based in Birminham, England. Their on-line catalog lists several C41 developers and I KNOW they will ship to the USA. Their prices are quite reasonable in UK but I don't know about the shipping costs. But these should be off set with a reduction of 20% which is the UK tax before shipping.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Trebla offers C41 and RA4 chemistry: http://cpacimaging.com/photomain.asp

This is a group of former EK engineers that have duplicated the EK stuff.

PE

 

[rustyair]

how close are you to b&h?
they have it:http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/searc...=4288586380+4291384683+4254931952&srtclk=sort

or
http://www.libertyphotoproducts.com/catalog/photo-chemistry,1051.htm

I can take subway to B&H should take me a little more than an hour but not sure if I can carry all the heavy chemicals back to my house....Am I able to get all the chemicals I need if I go to the B&H store? Would I able to save money if I use the 'in store only' kit?

I'm looking for clear answers for number 1,2,3 Please.

 

[rustyair]

Ok...Last check. Here is my pfsny.com cart and the total is $276 including shipping.
Does anyone know how much I'm saving by doing this?

 

[EdSawyer]

Greg, with regeneration you can use bleach way more than that. I am on my 6th or 7th go-round on the same 5L of blaeach, regenerating each time, and negs still looks great.

 

[Photo Engineer]

A rotary processor aerates the bleach and thus regenerates it as far as oxidation is concerned.

However, a bleach is used up by consuming halide ions and therefore oxidative regeneration is not, in itself, sufficient to restore the bleach to its original activity. Then there is the pH change to consider and other minor changes.

You cannot do this for too long of a time before you run into problems with retained silver, higher grain and reduced color saturation.

PE

 

[EdSawyer]

PE, thanks for the details! I wish there was an easy way to tell when bleach was no longer regenerateable. I use the kodak bleach regenerator product to regenerate it, which seems to have worked fine so far. I should run a test with fresh bleach to see if I can detect a difference.

Ed

 

[Photo Engineer]

The retained silver test is for AgX not Ag itself, and it will fail. The object of the bleach is to change Silver to Silver Halide and therefore it interferes with the test. We used X-Ray fluorescence, as that was the only test at-hand that worked well.

PE

 

[Photo Engineer]

Greg;

If you use a bleach within reason and regenerate it by oxidation (even a Jobo can do this with rotary action induced aeration in a blank (no film) run), it will about double the Kodak or Fuji figures if not triple it. The key is overuse and image degradation.

You can possibly test the bleach by adding some AgNO3 in Acetic Acid. If you get a good cloudy precipitate in fresh bleach, then compare this to a well used one. The well used one will not form as much precipitate. Or try a small piece of copper such as an old copper penny. A bleach should dissolve one. So measure with used bleach. (I have not run these tests with the newest bleach, but have with RA4 blix).

PE