Processing 50s Ansco Color Positive film with old Ansco Color kit

typicalaussiebloke · Oct 30, 2014

G'day all.

I have a few rolls of Ansco Color Positive films from the 40s and 50s and have shot a 120 roll from 1955 about a month ago. I have been cutting samples and attempted cross processing in C-41 but got clear base. However I then saw on Ebay an old unopened Ansco Color developing kit made from around that time selling cheap so I bought it. I understand that chemicals go off after a period of time but I have seen some people on Flickr using 100 year old developing powders as an experiment and they worked fine for their films, I may be right or wrong here but I guess in powdered form developers last longer? This Ansco kit is in powdered form in sealed cans so perhaps it might possibly still work.

I intend to have a go at developing that Ansco Color film in it and hope for the best, only main thing stopping me is the re-exposure to lamp part of the process as I am unsure whether to re-expose the film for a longer period of time and perhaps at closer range from the bulb given the loss of sensitivity of the film being nearly 60 years old, and I am uncertain whether I can just leave the film inside the Paterson reel during re-exposure or not as rolling the film back onto the reel while wet it might stick and not go back on properly. I admit I've not yet done reversal developing before so need some advice with this procedure. As for the No.2 photoflood bulb, I guess I can find some on Ebay but is there an easy available alternative?

I aim to at least get a picture on this film even if colours don't form properly, as long as I get something usable that will be good enough.

Below are pics of the developer kit, the developing instructions from a late 40s magazine and the film I intend to develop.

Rudeofus · Oct 31, 2014

I'd say do this step by step, before you waste more film and produce more clear slides. Take a roll and make exposures of a scene with very high contrast. Cut a test clip in complete darkness and develop it in a standard paper developer in order to find out which sensitivity your film really has. After development only fix and wash, you should be able to use a standard rapid fixer for this, no need to open your original chem containers at this stage.

Once you know how to expose your slides, find out whether the original compounds still work:
- In full room light, dip a piece of standard B&W paper (or a B&W film clip) into a small batch of mixed FD and see whether anything happens. If the test clips don't turn black within a few minutes, you need to find a substitute for your FD.
- If full room light, put a test clip of your B&W processed Ansco film into a small batch of bleach and see whether that works.
- Once the clip is fully bleached, wash it and then put it into a small batch of mixed color developer. It should form silver and dyes now, and you can verify how much dye you got by rebleaching and fixing. This step will also tell you whether you have to extend the CD times.

I'm curious what you will get ...

fotch · Oct 31, 2014

Is the color developing kit for negatives or reversal processing like your film?

typicalaussiebloke · Oct 31, 2014

fotch said:
Is the color developing kit for negatives or reversal processing like your film?

It's a reversal kit.

typicalaussiebloke · Oct 31, 2014

Rudeofus said:
I'd say do this step by step, before you waste more film and produce more clear slides. Take a roll and make exposures of a scene with very high contrast. Cut a test clip in complete darkness and develop it in a standard paper developer in order to find out which sensitivity your film really has. After development only fix and wash, you should be able to use a standard rapid fixer for this, no need to open your original chem containers at this stage.

Once you know how to expose your slides, find out whether the original compounds still work:
- In full room light, dip a piece of standard B&W paper (or a B&W film clip) into a small batch of mixed FD and see whether anything happens. If the test clips don't turn black within a few minutes, you need to find a substitute for your FD.
- If full room light, put a test clip of your B&W processed Ansco film into a small batch of bleach and see whether that works.
- Once the clip is fully bleached, wash it and then put it into a small batch of mixed color developer. It should form silver and dyes now, and you can verify how much dye you got by rebleaching and fixing. This step will also tell you whether you have to extend the CD times.

I'm curious what you will get ...

Thanks for the advice. I have already exposed that particular film about a month ago so too late to do an exposure test with it, I am pretty sure I've exposed it okay as I've shot many 50s films with calculated overexposure based off their ASA rating and have got consistent good results. Anyhow will try out what you suggested and see how I go.

Photo Engineer · Oct 31, 2014

Just an aside. This film is so soft, it would probably wash off in a C41 process regardless of temperature.

That said, this film did not keep very well even when fresh, and usually came out with mud colored images rather than good color. It also fogged rather rapidly IIRC.

When I was young (a teen), I was given several rolls of expired Anscochrome that I shot in my old 620 camera. I could buy the kits across the counter then, so saved up and did so. The results were far less than I hoped for.

Beware of bad chemistry. FD and CD should be straw colored to tea colored when mixed. All of the little bottles inside should be intact with rubber lids or some such. The CD, if it has an odor, should lift the hair on the back of your neck. Don't worry about it. It is Ansco's answer to benzyl alcohol, and it really stinks.

PE

typicalaussiebloke · Oct 31, 2014

Photo Engineer said:
Just an aside. This film is so soft, it would probably wash off in a C41 process regardless of temperature.

That said, this film did not keep very well even when fresh, and usually came out with mud colored images rather than good color. It also fogged rather rapidly IIRC.

When I was young (a teen), I was given several rolls of expired Anscochrome that I shot in my old 620 camera. I could buy the kits across the counter then, so saved up and did so. The results were far less than I hoped for.

Beware of bad chemistry. FD and CD should be straw colored to tea colored when mixed. All of the little bottles inside should be intact with rubber lids or some such. The CD, if it has an odor, should lift the hair on the back of your neck. Don't worry about it. It is Ansco's answer to benzyl alcohol, and it really stinks.

PE

Thanks for the tips, will see how the developers look once I mix them. The film being soft certainly explains why I was getting a clear base.

railwayman3 · Nov 1, 2014

Photo Engineer said:
That said, this film did not keep very well even when fresh, and usually came out with mud colored images rather than good color. It also fogged rather rapidly IIRC.

When I was young (a teen), I was given several rolls of expired Anscochrome that I shot in my old 620 camera. I could buy the kits across the counter then, so saved up and did so. The results were far less than I hoped for.

PE

By odd coincidence, I was also given a 500ft roll of expired Anscochrome way back in the 1970's when I was just getting interested seriously in photography. I managed to load some cassettes, and at that time (as with other various obscure makes) there were lab processing services. Just like your experience, the results were very muddy and "plummy" colours, and I nearly lost interest totally. Thankfully, my Dad gave me a roll of Kodachrome II to try instead !

Canelo · Nov 14, 2016

typicalaussiebloke said:
G'day all.

I have a few rolls of Ansco Color Positive films from the 40s and 50s and have shot a 120 roll from 1955 about a month ago. I have been cutting samples and attempted cross processing in C-41 but got clear base. However I then saw on Ebay an old unopened Ansco Color developing kit made from around that time selling cheap so I bought it. I understand that chemicals go off after a period of time but I have seen some people on Flickr using 100 year old developing powders as an experiment and they worked fine for their films, I may be right or wrong here but I guess in powdered form developers last longer? This Ansco kit is in powdered form in sealed cans so perhaps it might possibly still work.

I intend to have a go at developing that Ansco Color film in it and hope for the best, only main thing stopping me is the re-exposure to lamp part of the process as I am unsure whether to re-expose the film for a longer period of time and perhaps at closer range from the bulb given the loss of sensitivity of the film being nearly 60 years old, and I am uncertain whether I can just leave the film inside the Paterson reel during re-exposure or not as rolling the film back onto the reel while wet it might stick and not go back on properly. I admit I've not yet done reversal developing before so need some advice with this procedure. As for the No.2 photoflood bulb, I guess I can find some on Ebay but is there an easy available alternative?

I aim to at least get a picture on this film even if colours don't form properly, as long as I get something usable that will be good enough.

Below are pics of the developer kit, the developing instructions from a late 40s magazine and the film I intend to develop.

Greetings. I have the same kit with no instructions. Would you be able to share the instruction sheet? Thank you

Photo Engineer · Nov 14, 2016

I have searched my Ansco literature and find no film instructions, just instructions for Printon.

PE

Canelo · Nov 14, 2016

Photo Engineer said:
I have searched my Ansco literature and find no film instructions, just instructions for Printon.

PE

Thank you for the reply. Unreal to me that with the internet, nothing can be found. Even on eBay, I occasionally find kits, or individual chemicals, but absolutely no instructions.

railwayman3 · Nov 14, 2016

Regarding the re-exposure - I remember my Dad processing the original Ferraniacolor, in the 1960's, using the Johnsons-of-Hendon powder kit. The re-exposure was done by leaving the film on the transparent spiral, in a white china basin of water at process temperature, and using (I think) a "photoflood" bulb about 3 feet above the bowl for 2-3 minutes. Care was needed not to splash the very hot glass bulb with water ! Probably an ordinary 100w bulb would work, given a longer time....or even an equivalent LED bulb ?

Photo Engineer · Nov 14, 2016

Unless the sensitizing dyes were retained, (very rare) the film would only be sensitive to blue and UV and thus might need a very high intensity light not limited to narrow bands or weak illumination.

PE

dmschnute · Nov 15, 2016

Canelo said:
Greetings. I have the same kit with no instructions. Would you be able to share the instruction sheet? Thank you

Attached PDF is the instruction card from a circa 1959 kit. Hope it is of help.

This was my first crack at color processing. At the time, the result was rather gratifying, although I recall that the color was rather bland. Probably why the kit never got used. The slides themselves have faded to clear almost beyond recognition.

Processing 50s Ansco Color Positive film with old Ansco Color kit

typicalaussiebloke

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