I've done as much research as I can over the last few days, learning what I can through searches here, on google, and other sites, about home developing 120 E-6 process film. I've been doing black & white 120 film at home in a Paterson tank for the last few months, and think I have that process pretty well smoothed out, so am looking to give slide film a try.
I think I understand generally what needs to be done in terms of temperature control, agitation, mixing of chemicals, etc. But the one thing I can't really find a good consensus on, and particularly with the Kodak E-6 Single Use Kit, is how long should I expect the _concentrated_ chemicals to last, once they've been opened?
It sounds like Kodak provides an expiration date on the bottles, but I can't find any information on whether or not that date applies to the unopened bottles, or if it would also apply if they have been opened. With the b&w chemicals I use (all Ilford), they provide an estimate based on how full the bottle is (i.e., 36 months full airtight, 12 months half-full). What about this kit? Is it reasonable to expect the chemicals to last, say, 6 months after they've been opened the first time, stored half-full? If so, it's probably worth it for me to give it a try - I'm a pretty low-volume film shooter, this is mainly just a hobby, but I'm enjoying immensely learning the old techniques (I'm one of those "reverse" photographers - started out with digital for about 10 years, and now going back to learning about the entire film based processes).
I think I understand generally what needs to be done in terms of temperature control, agitation, mixing of chemicals, etc. But the one thing I can't really find a good consensus on, and particularly with the Kodak E-6 Single Use Kit, is how long should I expect the _concentrated_ chemicals to last, once they've been opened?
It sounds like Kodak provides an expiration date on the bottles, but I can't find any information on whether or not that date applies to the unopened bottles, or if it would also apply if they have been opened. With the b&w chemicals I use (all Ilford), they provide an estimate based on how full the bottle is (i.e., 36 months full airtight, 12 months half-full). What about this kit? Is it reasonable to expect the chemicals to last, say, 6 months after they've been opened the first time, stored half-full? If so, it's probably worth it for me to give it a try - I'm a pretty low-volume film shooter, this is mainly just a hobby, but I'm enjoying immensely learning the old techniques (I'm one of those "reverse" photographers - started out with digital for about 10 years, and now going back to learning about the entire film based processes).
