Fuji Hunt C41 X-Press Kit Stabilizer Spots

[_T_]

I'm trying to improve my C41 film processing, and want to make sure that I'm on the right track and get a bit of advice on how to proceed.

I'm working with the Fuji Hunt C41 X-Press Kit and have run into a problem with spots on the film after stabilizing.

I have read numerous threads giving different solutions to this problem with different results in terms of long term viability of my negatives. I would like to be able to produce archival quality negatives.

What I have found in my research is that I should proceed by utilizing distilled water in mixing my next batch of stabilizer. This at least I will change, but I have seen recommendations for the use of Photo-flo and I am not sure if this is necessary for the particular stabilizer which is provided by my kit. Do you think this would be of some benefit to me?

Another of my concerns is the concentration of my stabilizer solution. I am certain that it is mixed to the specifications provided by the manufacturer, but I have read reports of other manufacturers recommending a stabilizer solution which is overly concentrated, leading to spots. This is a concern because I have done a test in which I rinsed a clean negative with tap water and allowed it to dry. The spots which this test produced look dissimilar to the spots produced by my stabilizer mixed with tap water, but this is still not necessarily indicative of any problem other than contaminants in the tap water. What do you think? Would it be detrimental to further dilute my solution? I ask because it's easier for me to do so just for the purpose of a test then it would be to mix another batch of stabilizer with distilled water, but I have no idea what I'm talking about and suspect that this might not be a viable path to follow.

Thanks for you help

 

[bvy]

Welcome to APUG. Those kit stabilizers can be hard to work with. Save yourself the grief and invest in Kodak Final Rinse. A small bottle can be had for about five dollars. It mixes easily and negatives dry clean. It server the same purpose as the stabilizer.

 

[Berri]

I use Tetenal and it is very soapy...it produces a lot of foam even if i don't agitate the tank, but it doesn't leave stains or dots. I use distilled water for mixing all my baths.

 

[_T_]

Thank you both so much for the advice! It's greatly appreciated. I have a few more questions.

@bvy
Does the Kodak final rinse require any kind of mechanical removal of excess solution in order to produce clean negatives, or do you just rinse the film and hang it up to dry? I am very wary of touching anything to my negatives and would like to avoid this if at all possible.

And do I replace the Fuji stabilizer step of my process with the Kodak final rinse, or do I use the Kodak final rinse after I have completed the Fuji stabilizer step?

@Berri
I am interested in the Tetenal kits because they are somewhat less expensive, but I'm not familiar with the brand and that's why I did not go with that. I have worked quite a bit with both Kodak D-76 chemistry in a small darkroom, and large scale commercial Fuji RA-4 chemistry so I have some brand trust built up with those two. That and the relatively low cost per roll were my main reasons for choosing the Fuji kit. But I know nothing whatsoever about Tetenal as this is my first time developing C-41. Can you give me a review of the chemistry, it's ease of use, and the quality of your results?

I also prefer the ease of use of liquid concentrates over dealing with powdered chemistry. Is Tetenal liquid or powdered? If it is powdered, have you also used liquid concentrates, and can you compare its ease of use with liquid concentrates?

And I'm sorry to bombard you with so many questions, but does it use a separate bleach and fixer? I am interested in experimenting with bleach bypass once I start consistently producing clean, quality negatives. This was my tertiary reason for choosing the Fuji kit.

 

[bvy]

It totally replaces the stabilizer step. After the last rinse, just soak the film in the Final Rinse solution for about 90 seconds. Mechanical removal of excess? For me, that's just a few shakes of the reel. Some folks squeegee or wipe their film, but I don't do it nor do I recommend it. Just hang it to dry.

 

[bvy]

Also, you should look at the Kodak chemicals if you want liquid concentrate and separate bleach and fix. I have a post in the sticky Color Chemicals thread.

 

[_T_]

Thanks again, dude! You've been super helpful.

I've been really dreading reading that sticky. It's kind of a mess, but I found those posts and it got straight to the point.

The Kodak system seems like it could be significantly less expensive than my kit, at least if it's capable of processing about the same number of rolls. I originally had no interest in it because I could only find it very large quantities. Thanks for the source.

Can you estimate the nominal number of 36 exposure, 135, ISO 100 rolls it can develop? I can't seem to find that info.

And a couple more questions: I'm working at a very low volume, averaging maybe 20 rolls a month. Do you think that this would be a problem because it's a replenishment system? I'm very interested in perfecting technique and producing consistent, repeatable results, I even have a couple of color charts that I will be using to track my progress once I get all the kinks worked out. This Kodak looks really appealing, but I'm worried that I won't be able to achieve my goal if the system is designed for a significantly higher volume. What do you think? Lastly, how do you feel about the ease of use of those bladder bags? I'm not a big fan of bladder bags, especially when you're meting out smaller portions over time. It's not a deal breaker, I would just have to decide if I wanted to mix the whole thing up at once to avoid the hassle and accept a somewhat shortened shelf life.

 

[bvy]

The kit makes 6.5 liters of working solution developer. I personally advocate one shot processing, in which case the capacity is about ten rolls of medium format or 20 of 35mm. (This assumes 600ml of solution for a Paterson or tall stainless steel tank.) The developer can be reused once without having to modify developing times, effectively doubling that capacity. Some folks push it five or even ten times beyond that. C-41 developer is pretty potent, but after several rolls, you'll have to increase development time to compensate. Even then, you'll start to lose consistency and your results may suffer too in terms of density or color accuracy.

As far as the bladder bags, it's only the bleach and fixer that are delivered in those. I decant them into bottles for long term storage.

 

[_T_]

That's perfect, most months I don't have enough film to need more than 20 cycles anyway, which makes me excited for improving my consistency and repeatability over my fuji.

Thank you so much, bvy. You've really been so helpful, and made me feel very welcomed in the community.

 

[Berri]

Tetenal c41 is a rapid kit which means blix, it is not ideal, but works really great and it does keep very well if you take some precautions, like using distilled water, dark brown glass bottle fully stopperd with neutral gas to protect from oxigen. It is, as you can see, very cheap I pay 21€ in Italy for the 1L kit and I usually process 15/16 but you can do more. That makes 1,35€ per roll which is pretty good. I also print colour in my darkroom and I never noticed any issue due to poor developmet. If you can get hold of BelliniFoto C41 it is another really good kit, this one is produced in Italy and it comes with separate bleach and fixer it costs the same. The stab, as I said, is kinda soapy and produces a lot of foam, nex time I'll dilute it a little bit to see if this might help. I mostly process Kodak negative films and sometimes i push Portra a couple of stop and, again, tetenal c41 performes really well although I did noticed some colour shifts that I had to correct while printing using a very unusual filtration. If you can buy it I would definitely give it a go!

 

[bvy]

That's perfect, most months I don't have enough film to need more than 20 cycles anyway, which makes me excited for improving my consistency and repeatability over my fuji.

Thank you so much, bvy. You've really been so helpful, and made me feel very welcomed in the community.

Happy to help.