New to E6 Kodak 6 bath

[mealers]

I recently bought a Jobo CPE-2 from a pro who'd just completely switched to digital. When I mentioned that I'd like to try developing my own E6 he also loaded up the boot of my car with with loads of Kodak 6 bath kit. Their must be at least 6 complete 5L kits all unused and sealed!! Guess that was my lucky day!

So now I'm doing some research into developing my own E6 and all the info seems available on the net but I do have a couple questions.

Bleach - I have 3 bottles of bleach, parts A and B and a replenisher. Do I use these in a similar way to the colour developer, eg mix part A with water and the part B then goes into that? I cant seem to find much info on the bleach and their isnt any mixing instructions on the bottles?

Final rinse and replenisher - Even though the bottle is sealed and unused there is only half a bottle left, why has this happened and is it still usable?

Please excuse the very basic questions but these are the only things I need clearing up before I get stuck in.

Thanks
Mike

 

[Mike Wilde]

Go to kodak's web site and search for manual z-119. It will give you a very good start into the world of e-6 processing.

I recall that the last e-6 kit I bought had the mixing instructions printed on the box it was shipped in.

For bleach there is a starter, as I recall, although I am not sure if the 5l kits needed it. There is als a starter for the first developer in some e-6 chemistry too. Some of them you just delete by a measured amount the replenisher to make the working solution that you start with.

Kodak has a minimum size of standard bottles. There only was ever a half a bottle worth of final rinse when it was packed in the factory

 

[tim_walls]

Go to kodak's web site and search for manual z-119. It will give you a very good start into the world of e-6 processing.

Seconded - here's the link:
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/business/retailPhoto/techInfo/zManuals/z119.jhtml

For bleach there is a starter, as I recall, although I am not sure if the 5l kits needed it. There is als a starter for the first developer in some e-6 chemistry too. Some of them you just delete by a measured amount the replenisher to make the working solution that you start with.

The Kodak E6 kit I use is -

First developer
Reversal bath
Colour developer
Pre-bleach
Bleach
Fix
Stabiliser

That's from memory (am 200 odd miles from home so I can't check ;-) ) so E&OE. It's not 'designed' for replenishment per se - although I see no reason why you couldn't - so I don't know how this maps to the commercial chemicals/replenishment chemicals.

Instructions for mixing are included in the kit and dead simple. I normally mix either 500ml or 1l at a time and leave the rest in concentrate, as the working solution (bleach notwithstanding) only lasts a week or two.

The bleach lasts forever*, but if you are using solution mixed some time ago make sure to aerate it thoroughly - I've made the mistake of not doing so and it's rather depressing...


* yeah, yeah. Comparitively.

 

[tim_walls]

Oh yes, completely from memory so this is very tenuous I think the solutions/mixing instructions in the 5l kit are -

Water + first developer solution + top up with water to volume.
Water + reversal solution + top up with water to volume.
Water + colour dev part A + stir + colour dev part B + top up with water to volume.
Water + pre-bleach solution + top up with water to volume.
Water + bleach solution + top up water to volume.
Water + fixer + top up water to volume.
Water + stabiliser + top up water to volume.


Also from memory, but to give an idea of the mixing ratios:
First dev is in a 1l bottle.
Reversal bath is in a 500ml or so bottle.
Colour dev is in two bottles, a brown glass bottle and a small (50ml?) plastic one - forget which way round A or B are.
Pre-bleach - mid-size bottle (500ml?)
Bleach - two 1 litre bottles.
Fixer - medium size bottle.
Stabiliser - small (50ml?) bottle.


I don't remember bleach being anything more than a simple dilution exercise - no part A/B/replenisher.

Edit:
Found a photo on't web which matches the kits I've had in the UK over the last two years:
Dead Link Removed

Looks like I was mostly right - colour dev part A is actually in a large bottle, and it's part B that's in the glass bottle.

The photos of the kits you see on all the shopping sites don't actually match what I've ever had delivered (bottles are a different shape if nothing else,) so the formulation may have been changed...

I suspect either that is the case, or you've got hold of a combination of the all-in-one kits and the commercial/replenishment chemistry (which are definitely different - there's definitely no bleach starter in the current 5l kits.)

 

[mealers]

Thanks for the replies, I guess I should make a few points clearer.
The chemicals he actually gave me wasnt part of a kit so I dont have any instructions. I've been looking at Kodaks Z-119 but I'm still confused!
Most of the bottles he has given me are replenishers, can I use these to make working strength solutions or are these usually used for larger commercial operations? (he was also selling another CPE2 and a Coletta processor so I guess he was going through alot of E6)

 

[tim_walls]

Thanks for the replies, I guess I should make a few points clearer.
The chemicals he actually gave me wasnt part of a kit so I dont have any instructions. I've been looking at Kodaks Z-119 but I'm still confused!
Most of the bottles he has given me are replenishers, can I use these to make working strength solutions or are these usually used for larger commercial operations? (he was also selling another CPE2 and a Coletta processor so I guess he was going through alot of E6)

Ahh, in that case you've got the commercial chemistry, so you can ignore everything I've written about the 5 litre kits ;-).


I've never used it, but as I understand it the replenishment chemistry is designed to be used repeatedly, and a certain amount drawn off and replaced with fresh replenisher after a set number of films are developed.

If you're starting from scratch of course you have a slight problem in that the chemistry hasn't reached its equilibrium point as it were between 'used chemistry' and 'replenisher' - the 'starter' chemistry is designed to be added to the replenisher to kick-start the process; so you start with replenisher+starter, and from then on you just top up with replenisher.


It's all there in Z-119, it might just take a bit of re-reading a few times... I'm not sure how useful those chems are if you're not doing huge volumes though; the 'normal' working solutions don't have a very long shelf life (bleach and fix excepted,) and if you're not putting the volume through/replenishing often enough I can imagine them going off. I'm speculating entirely though.

 

[PHOTOTONE]

You can use replenishers, as we pros do. The first developer, color developer and bleach require starters, Instructions are on the starters for making working solutions. The other replenishers: Reversal Bath, Pre-Bleach, Fix and Final rinse do not require starters.

 

[nickandre]

The kits mix quite easily. Dilutions are written on the flap of the box. You now have $300 of chemistry. Well done.

The bleach comes in two bottles. They're both the same, it just requires a lot of concentrate. You can use either bottle, or both if you mix up the full 5 liters. I mix up a liter at a time.