Processing colour film as B&W?

[Philippe-Georges]

As I have a vast stock of different colour film, sheet and roll, in the freezer and not using is as I lost interest in colour, I was wondering if this film could be processed in a B&W developer and, if so, in which one.
I do realize that the filmbase will still be red-orange and rather impossible to print, but I intend to scan...

Any thoughts?

 

[zanxion72]

I would not bother. The result is so poor that it just isn't worth it. More interesting shooting the film with the emulsion side the other way around. If you want to get rid of it, just sell/give it away.

 

[removed account4]

hi Philippe-georges
I do this all the time with both c41 and chrome film. yes, it is all worth exposing and processing in b/w. you will have to experiment a little to decide
which developer you like to use, I typically use a strong print developer ( like dektol (d72 ) or ansco 130 1:6 @ 6 mins ). I also mix a little in the coffee developer I make
( caffenol c + a speck of either of those print developers @ 8 mins) or I split process the print developer first normal agitation 1:10 @5 mins, 5 mins continual agitation in the caffenol
and get great results. I sometimes contact print the sheet film ( I do this for all formats unto 4x5 )
and often scan my film when I to this to extract the orange layer ( slide film is a different color layer yellow I think ). the images won't be perfect,
but the dye cloud instead of grain is really beautiful.
good luck !
John

 

[Don_ih]

dye cloud instead of grain

I'm wondering what you mean. The b&w developer only develops the silver. The resulting image is monochrome.

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

With a little bit of testing, it's possible to repurpose C41 films as B&W. Very decent results can be obtained if the colloidal silver layer in C41 is removed after developing. @David Lyga has proposed a simple method for this. It works fine and doesn't require any chemicals that's not already there in the darkroom.

 

[AgX]

the dye cloud instead of grain is really beautiful.

I'm wondering what you mean. The b&w developer only develops the silver. The resulting image is monochrome.

With his remark John referred to his practice of using Caffenol as developing agent. And Caffenol is a staining developing agent. Thus it makes dye clouds.

 

[Don_ih]

With his remark John referred to his practice of using Caffenol as developing agent. And Caffenol is a staining developing agent. Thus it makes dye clouds.

Ah. Ok.

 

[AgX]

But a staining developer is no good idea if you want to get rid of the orange mask of C-41 films by dye bleaching.

 

[focus_on_infinity]

Personally, I'd sell it to someone who is interested in color, and then just replace it with b&w film.

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

With a little bit of testing, it's possible to repurpose C41 films as B&W. Very decent results can be obtained if the colloidal silver layer in C41 is removed after developing. @David Lyga has proposed a simple method for this. It works fine and doesn't require any chemicals that's not already there in the darkroom.

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threa...eloped-or-printed.117199/page-50#post-2138021

 

[removed account4]

With his remark John referred to his practice of using Caffenol as developing agent. And Caffenol is a staining developing agent. Thus it makes dye clouds.

.. even if I process it in straight dektol or ansco 130. the "grain" from color negatives isn't / doesn't look like grain like with black and white film ... PE referred to this "stuff" as dye clouds ..

 

[AgX]

"dye clouds" is only used with reference to chromogenic development. However the staining part of staining-development can be regarded as such too in this context, though the couplers are missing, and thus the dye forming does not even need the diffusion to such couplers, thus forming smaller dye clouds .

I can't imagine PE used it in another meaning.

 

[removed account4]

I can't imagine PE used it in another meaning.

thanks for the explanation..

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I've been known to misunderstand high-tech, fancy talk, maybe he was talking about something else and
in my cluelessness I equated the weird grain in my cross-processed film ( something photo-purists told me not to do ) as dye clouds ...

 

[Philippe-Georges]

I still have two unopened boxes of AgfaColour 13x18 cm and one and a half boxes of Fuji Provia 13x18 in the freezer. They got frozen in before the expiring date.
As these are deep frozen, I wouldn't know how to ship them without warming up and be destroyed, that's why I want to use the film myself...

BTW, my well looked after Sinar Norma 13x18 cm camera + G-Claron 210mm (in Prontor Professional) will be for sale at Catawiki soon.

 

[AgX]

If frozen film would be destroyed by warming, how then would you use those films yourself?

 

[Don_ih]

I still have two unopened boxes of AgfaColour 13x18 cm and one and a half boxes of Fuji Provia 13x18 in the freezer. They got frozen in before the expiring date.
As these are deep frozen, I wouldn't know how to ship them without warming up and be destroyed, that's why I want to use the film myself...

BTW, my well looked after Sinar Norma 13x18 cm camera + G-Claron 210mm (in Prontor Professional) will be for sale at Catawiki soon.

Include the film with the Catawiki sale. It will drive the price up.

 

[Philippe-Georges]

If frozen film would be destroyed by warming, how then would you use those films yourself?

Just by 'defreezing' what I need before using it.
Any way, 'defreezing' will be done in the refrigerator, then acclimatized in room temperature just before exposing.

 

[Don_ih]

Freezing film that was previously thawed will likely do no damage, so long as no moisture condensed on the film while it thawed. Thawing shouldn't prevent you from selling it. I once bought some boxes of frozen film from someone who didn't want to mail them because the film would no longer be frozen. I said, I won't be freezing it, anyway - I'll be using it.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Are you scanning? If so, use c41 developer and convert to BW in PP.
If you are using enlarger, use regular developer, anything not fancy will do.
Getting it on the dr paper takes longer for exposure.
I did it couple of times. I prefer ecn2 films as BW.

Best results always takes more effort. Selling film will take some effort, but it will allow to buy normal BW film.
Someone will get what they want, color film will be not wasted and you will get better results.

 

[Don_ih]

Selling film will take some effort

He's a subscriber here. He could have that film sold by this afternoon.

 

[Disconnekt]

It could, Ive shot a few rolls of Kodak 50D & developed it in L110 (Legacy Pro version of HC110) & fixed in Photographers Formulary TF5. I used Ilford Pan F+ Dilution E/time

 

[relistan]

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threa...eloped-or-printed.117199/page-50#post-2138021

Super interesting, thanks for posting!

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

Super interesting, thanks for posting!

Yes, it works fine and with a bit of testing, it is possible to get nice results. I was happy with the results I got from the films I tried - Fuji C200, Kodak ColorPlus 200, Fuji Superia 100, Fuji Superia 400, and Kodak Ektar. If you plan to try the method, you can replace the relatively more expensive C41 blix by a suitable strength Ferricyanide + Thiosulphate blix as done by @David Lyga or simply use a rehalogenating bleach followed by a weak fixer.