Processing your own Black and White transparencies

Claude submitted a new resource:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists) - Processing your own Black and White transparencies

The process is not really new, it is known since about a century. There are very few specialized black and white reversal films on the market. Agfa Scala is yet produced but for how long? Amateurs can buy B&W reversal developing kits but they are expensive.
So pushed by one of my large format friends (Emmanuel Bigler) I decided to make a little research to find out if it were possible to use common B&W negative films.
I did not invent anything, I simply read articles found on Internet and...

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(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Comments from the previous article system:

By Jordan - 03:43 PM, 07-08-2005 Rating: None
Claude, this is nice. Are you aware of the informational PDF on the Ilford web site about processing? It provides reliable formulae and times for reversal-processing Pan F and FP4 Plus.
I have a couple of comments on your process:
(1) Instead of re-exposure and re-development, you can substitute a sepia-toning bath. This directly converts the silver halide to silver sulfide, and you get nice warm chocolate-coloured slides. The effect is pleasing with Pan F. With TMAX films the colour is very "orange" due to the crystal phases of the silver halide.
(2) You can substitute sodium bisulfate (not bisulfite) for the sulfuric acid. Sodium bisulfate is a solid that dissolves in water to create the equivalent of sulfuric acid. It is sold cheaply for people who have back-yard pools, as an agent to reduce the pH of the pool (trade name here in Canada and also in the US is "pH Minus&quot. If you need a formula, I can provide it.
(3) I agree with you for the most part about the permanganate. However, the guy behind DR5 (www.dr5.com) has reported some archival problems with permanganate. Also, it must be mixed right before use since it goes bad quickly (dichromate is stable).
I have a summary of B&W slide options here: http://www.photosensitive.ca/BWslides.shtml

By Claude - 05:05 PM, 07-08-2005 Rating: None
Hello Jordan,
thank you for your comments and links, it's allways interesting to exchange informations. I knew the sepia process but .... I do not like the chocolate color
I allways mix my chemicals just before use. What I forgot to say was that permanganate must be strongly mixed. (Even with a magnetic stirrer).
Claude