Question for users of Rollei Digibase C41 chemistry

[Green Goddess]

Hi folks,

I have been using the Tetenal Rapid C41 kits for a while and I am not entirely happy with the results. I want to move to a system that uses a separate bleach and fix in the hope of getting better results. The Rollei Digibase kit looks very interesting as it is is supposed to have a very good shelf life.

Is the Rollei kit really practical for developing one roll at a time? Do the remaining concentrates last a long time after developing a couple of rolls? Any advice gladly accepted.

 

[markbarendt]

Separate bleach, fix, and stabilizer are very stable and long lasting.

Developer is the least stable.

 

[Green Goddess]

Thanks, I know all that but I'm more interested in how the bottles in the Rollei kit are sealed. Do you extract each chemical from the bottles using a syringe without introducing oxygen into the bottles? That's the impression I get from the product photos.

 

[miha]

Nope, the syringes they provide are there only to ensure accurate measurements of the chemicals. What exactly was the issue with the Tetenal kit?

 

[Green Goddess]

The Tetenal kit uses a blix and I find that it can leave stains and streaks on the negatives as the bleach and fix are working against each other.
I'm interested in using a kit with a separate bleach and fix but I would like one that offers exceptional shelf life of the remaining unused concentrates.

 

[wombat2go]

The containers are not airtight, they have child proof caps.
I purchased the 5L kit in early 2013. I did 6 batches of around 7~9 rolls per batch, each mixed to 600 ml solutions for my tank.
The 5L kit can no longer be airfreighted.

As I had some left over from previous kits, I recently purchased some chemicals separately as it was more cost effective.
( see the containers still in bags)

I don't know the life of the mixed solutions, except that one time I did a batch over about 5 days and OK.
In the other cases I did my batch of rolls then discarded the solutions during clean up.

The time sensitive chemical is Part C, and it starts to change color on expiry as described on maco web site.
But at more than 2.5 years when I used the last of it, Part C was still OK.

The only problem I have is droplets of the stabilizer drying.
To help mitigate:
1) Hold the film strips with one side downwards and tap on the bench to encourage the drops to run sideways instead of trickling down and increasing concentration as they dry.
2) Add an extras rinse of 50% distilled before the stab, and change that rinse every 3 rolls.

I hope you get success!

 

[Sirius Glass]

Welcome to APUG

 

[Rudeofus]

The Tetenal kit uses a blix and I find that it can leave stains and streaks on the negatives as the bleach and fix are working against each other.
I'm interested in using a kit with a separate bleach and fix but I would like one that offers exceptional shelf life of the remaining unused concentrates.

There is a good chance that these "stains and streaks" can be avoided if you use a stop bath right after colour development. Yes, there are advantages to using (there was a url link here which no longer exists), but the defects you mentioned alone do not warrant throwing out the kit you have.

If these "stains and streaks" show up as yellow streaks predominantly in blue homogeneous regions (as in sky), then that's the effect which can be avoided with stop bath. Sadly, you can't fix the negatives you already processed. A kit with separate bleach and fixer will not have these issues either, because bleach is usually acidic.

 

[Green Goddess]

Thanks again for your great responses. So, if I use a separate bleach and fixer, then a stop bath after the developer isn't really necessary?

I will probably mix up small amounts of each concentrate at a time to do small batches of film. I will then use something like Tetenal Protectan to try and preserve the remaining concentrates as long as possible. If anyone else does something similar I would be interested to hear.

 

[Rudeofus]

I went that route (partial mix, protective gas) for a long time, and it worked well. Expect open concentrates to last for about a year at room temperature. Depending on kit, BLIX part 2 (the part containing the Thiosulfate) will be the first part to keel over, followed by the developer concentrate containing the colour developing agent.