Problems with Kodabrome II RC

[rafaelmotta]

I have 60 boxes of 30x40 Kodabrome RC II, 20 boxes of 30x40 Ilford Multigrade IV and 30 boxes of 17,5x24 Kentmere Paper, all of them are expired between 2004 and 2008.

I am having problems with Kodabrome, during the development the image becomes black so fast, I barely can see the photo, because it is pretty much dark. I try five types of different developers and dilutions (D-72, Ilford ID-14, Ilford ID-33, Dektol, D-23 and Caffenol-C), only the Caffenol show some result, one image become acceptable. I try different sealed packages of papers and all of them are getting these poorly results.

What Can I do to try to fix these problems?

 

[Rick A]

The paper is old and needs a restrainer added to the developer.

 

[Photo Engineer]

It may be overexposure. The paper is very fast IIRC.

PE

 

[fotch]

Welcome to APUG. Did you try reduced exposure?

 

[rafaelmotta]

Can I use powder Potassium Bromide as restrainer. If I can, what dilution factor is useful? I do not have access to benzotriazole so it is not an option for restrainer.

Thank you fotch. I try several types of exposures, apertures with a lot of strips from distinct papers.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Stick an unexposed sheet in developer in the dark (safelight is ok), and if it blackens you need a restrainer. If it does not, then you have overexposed it.

PE

 

[rafaelmotta]

I did the test, the unexposed paper goes black. I will try Photo Engineer, but, you know what restrainer i will use and what diluition?

 

[Photo Engineer]

Use KBr or NaBr (Potassium Bromide or Sodium Bromide) at about 1 g/l and you can go to about 10 g/l in Dektol, but I think it is a losing battle if it fogs with no exposure.

PE

 

[rafaelmotta]

As I said, I had results with Caffenol, for unknown reasons. I hope so much this paper work’s; I do not want to lose this amount of unused paper.