Kodak Chemistry disruption

[mshchem]

That's an unbelievably long time!

I have always used zero air, but tap water, and I go through chemistry before it expires anyway so longevity of Xtol was never an issue for me. Aside from the two recent quality issues Xtol worked very well for me.

It was a very pale yellow, sort of like watered light beer.
I posted a photo here at the time. I was shocked that it worked as well as it did. This turned up a few years after we moved. We had help moving. The bottle was under a sink in my darkroom, and I found it in our cleaning closet.

Air is the key. I have cans of 50 year old Dektol, from when EKCo made the stuff themselves, it's still perfect.

 

[fdonadio]

Internet is a reflection of mankind.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September

And the final nails on the coffin were the social networks. I’m happy that we still have places like Photrio…

 

[Sirius Glass]

And the final nails on the coffin were the social networks. I’m happy that we still have places like Photrio…

Can we all rise and say "Amen" to that?

 

[MarkS]

Amen brother!

 

[Donald Qualls]

Can we all rise and say "Amen" to that?

I'm well removed from the "Amen" crowd this past four decades, but I'll give a "Hear, hear!" in it's place.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I'm well removed from the "Amen" crowd this past four decades, but I'll give a "Hear, hear!" in it's place.

That will do too. Thank you.

 

[mshchem]

I just checked Kodak Sino Promise website, it looks like the only film development chemistry is in cartridges for Fuji Frontier machines??? The black and white product is still there. No Z 101 manual?

 

[Two23]

Moving production to China while we are having shipping disruptions is an odd choice it seems to me.

And as their leader is becoming increasingly hostile.


Kent in SD

 

[Richard Jepsen]

Back in 2020 I moved away from D-76 and XTOL because of package reliability. XTOL is a great developer and I thank Kodak for developing the product.

I’m used ID-11 as the alternative to XTOL. Now that Adox XT-3 is available I bought my first packages. I trust Adox XT-3 will produce contrast curves identical to XTOL. A plus is the XT-3 Captura technology to reduce chemical dust and 1l packaging.

As mentioned there are both US and Europe alternatives to the common Kodak/Sino Promise chemicals. When possible support firms who are committed to analog photography.

 

[fdonadio]

You guys made me feel good today. Thanks, @Sirius Glass , @MarkS and @Donald Qualls !

 

[Dave@Toronto]

I spoke to a rep at Canada's only (I think) Kodak chemical distributor. I was trying to get a hold of Ektacolor RA Developer because no one has any. They told me that Sino Promise has cancelled all shipments for the past month and has given no estimate on when any future shipments might be made. They have been getting desperate phone calls from people with minilabs, etc., and there's nothing they can do except recommend people try to find Fuji chems (which they don't sell). I called Sino and asked where I can get Ektacolor RA Developer and they referred me to the previously mentioned company. I won't go into detail but I called around to a number of other places and no one is able to get any.

So ya, the struggle is reel... I didn't get into asking them what else they're running out of.

I ended up picking up a couple Tetenal RA kits from a local store. They cost easily double or more what Kodak chems would have cost ($135+tax CAD for 5 litres).

 

[Arcadia4]

In the UK Kodak colour chem supplies don't appear affected yet ( Process supplies, tetenaluk and keyphoto all have stock) whereas many of the Kodak B&W chems are out of stock.

 

[NB23]

I spoke to a rep at Canada's only (I think) Kodak chemical distributor. I was trying to get a hold of Ektacolor RA Developer because no one has any. They told me that Sino Promise has cancelled all shipments for the past month and has given no estimate on when any future shipments might be made. They have been getting desperate phone calls from people with minilabs, etc., and there's nothing they can do except recommend people try to find Fuji chems (which they don't sell). I called Sino and asked where I can get Ektacolor RA Developer and they referred me to the previously mentioned company. I won't go into detail but I called around to a number of other places and no one is able to get any.

So ya, the struggle is reel... I didn't get into asking them what else they're running out of.

I ended up picking up a couple Tetenal RA kits from a local store. They cost easily double or more what Kodak chems would have cost ($135+tax CAD for 5 litres).

if you are smart this means to buy all ilford chem you can because demand just doubled. And who says double demand says monopoly... says higher prices.

Just watch.

 

[Moose22]

Me too.

This is good to know, guys.

I've just started with the xtol (the EcoClear stuff, actually) and worry that I won't even come close to using the batch before it goes bad. I'm using it full strength, not replenishing. The last two litres are tightly sealed in the back of the cabinet, but part of me is thinking I should just buy another bag now in case things are wonky in February and my mixed xtol has all gone bad. Maybe I'm just worrying about things not worth worrying about, a spare bag of the dry stuff should last, and I guess the mixed xtol will last until it doesn't, and we'll see what happens.

I've given up hope on starting color at home. I just don't shoot enough film to justify it, anyway, so I just doubled down on B&W for now. Even if I toss half of it the eco clear xtol I have mixed is cheap per roll.

 

[Adrian Bacon]

I don't know.
But if you read through their site, and look at some other background information, it becomes clear that their store front and their distribution businesses are separate parts - they aren't running distribution out of the back of the store.
Perhaps they distribute mini-lab chemicals without an intention of putting them on the storefront site.

I buy quite a bit of stuff from freestyle distribution and they may not literally run their distribution out of the back of the store, but the two inventory systems appear to be one and the same. If you have a wholesale account with them, you can request that they update your online (storefront) account to reflect that and then just buy stuff at wholesale prices directly off their main website. For stuff that they don’t directly distribute, you get the normal online retail price, and for stuff that they are a distributor for, you get the wholesale pricing. Almost all of the online orders ship from their warehouse unless you buy something that is only located in their retail store, then it’s shipped from there.

If they sell it, it’s on their website. I'm not aware of a separate list of inventory that only wholesalers or mini labs would use, as I buy my c-41 chemistry from them and they know I run a lab, and I buy enough other stuff from them that if I stopped, there’s a pretty high likelihood that they'd reach out and ask what’s up as they’d suddenly be missing a non-insignificant amount of cash coming in. I doubt that I’m a large account by large account standards, but I generally have at least one order a week in with them, and I usually order enough at a time to get free shipping.

 

[MattKing]

Thanks Adrian for the information that only a wholesale purchaser would have!

 

[Adrian Bacon]

Thanks Adrian for the information that only a wholesale purchaser would have!

im not big enough potatoes to get preferential treatment, really insider info, or anything like that, but I have no doubt that they’d notice and be like “what just happened?” if my cash suddenly started going elsewhere.

 

[grainyvision]

I'm amassing a pretty large backlog of personal C-41 film that I've been waiting for LORR developer to come back in stock for. I'm considering testing one of the C-41 homebrew formulas at this point. Fuji chemicals seem impossible to buy just developer for without buying a massive quantity. I have a pack of LORR developer I found which has a date of 2019 but unsure how trustworthy that would make it. The part C is a bit more brown than I recall it normally being. I also have some really old Tetenal C-41 powder developer but I could always tell a difference between the powder and proper minilab style chemicals. Sad state of affairs for the small hobby devs that don't want to use 2 part kits.

 

[halfaman]

The part C is a bit more brown than I recall it normally being.

Pale or light brown color is perfectly normal for a CD-4 concentrate. Start to worry when it is regular brown and totally dead with hits an almost black color.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I'm amassing a pretty large backlog of personal C-41 film that I've been waiting for LORR developer to come back in stock for

FWIW, prompted by Old Gregg, I ordered from Miami Digital and got my Flexicolor LORR color developer replenisher (5L kit) in just three days. Cost a little more than waiting for Unique Photo to get stock, but I can mix chemicals and start working through my backlog this weekend or next.

 

[Adrian Bacon]

I'm amassing a pretty large backlog of personal C-41 film that I've been waiting for LORR developer to come back in stock for. I'm considering testing one of the C-41 homebrew formulas at this point. Fuji chemicals seem impossible to buy just developer for without buying a massive quantity. I have a pack of LORR developer I found which has a date of 2019 but unsure how trustworthy that would make it. The part C is a bit more brown than I recall it normally being. I also have some really old Tetenal C-41 powder developer but I could always tell a difference between the powder and proper minilab style chemicals. Sad state of affairs for the small hobby devs that don't want to use 2 part kits.

how much is a massive quantity? You can get the 2x10L pack which is basically the same as getting 4 5L lorr packs. https://www.pakor.com/fuji-neg-n1-r-developer-replenisher-2x10-l-3 If you have a big backlog, you’ll prob run through at least one of the 10L mixes and still have one unopened bottle to go unless you replenish, but even then, you gotta burn at least a liter just to get an initial bottle of working solution.

 

[removed account4]

I buy sprint chemistry, they sell it off their website. easy to use and works every bit as good as any kodak chemicals I have ever bought.
there's no supply chain issues from them that I know of.

As long as there's an ample supply of bulk chemicals there is no need to hoard commercial products.

+1
and as long as coffee, baking soda Vit c and road salt can be purchased. not much of an issue

 

[RalphLambrecht]

From the mouth of the Owner of my local dealer “buy all the Kodak chems you can afford, they announced me that they won’t produce any for the foreseeable future”.

We can speculate, or it is maybe old news. But now is your chance to buy XTOL, D76, HC110... who knows what’s happening.

As long as there's an ample supply of bulk chemicals there is no need to hoard commercial products.

 

[Sirius Glass]

As long as there's an ample supply of bulk chemicals there is no need to hoard commercial products.

We must rush out to stock up to keep the chemicals from the hoarders!

 

[mshchem]

Are any photo stores, smaller operators really shut down?
Crazy times.