Ready for C-41

[mshchem]

Just checked 5 liter of LU C-41 Developer is 13.95 USD at Unique, you will need a bottle of starter that's another 13 bucks, but that's enough starter to make 40 liters of developer.

 

[EdSawyer]

Agreed with Mike above. Recycle the bleach. Use the rest 1-shot for best results, etc. C41 fixer can be used for B&W paper and film too, (with the right dilutions).

Kodak is the gold standard here, both on price and quality. The phototherm ssk4 is a great unit, I enjoy mine a lot. It has a few limitations but given the advantages, I can live with those.

 

[kb3lms]

I would recommend the Kodak chemistry as well. You don't have to have starter. Starter is used to make new chemistry give the same result as replenished which has been seasoned. If you use it one shot, does it even matter.

Also, I don't know in what you plan to process, but make sure you agitate constantly for best results. Insufficient agitation can result in color crossover.

-- Jason

 

[sfaber17]

Starter is used to make new chemistry give the same result as replenished which has been seasoned. If you use it one shot, does it even matter.

I think this is a common misunderstanding. In fact the replenisher is designed only to replenish, using small quantities, a tank solution that has been started. The starter has needed ingredients to set the pH and proper dilution. If you use straight replenisher you get more than one stop of increased contrast. If you dilute with water instead of starter, you get part way there, but please use the starter.

 

[bvy]

Not only that, but starter is cheap, easy to mix, and increases your working solution replenisher by 30%. So it's a no brainer for me.

Kodak recommends constant agitation for the first 30 seconds, then every 15 seconds until 3:15. Constant agitation works too, but it's kind of a pain if you don't have a machine.

 

[RPC]

The starter also has needed halides that are not present in, or are in lesser amounts in, the replenisher. Straight developer mixes have the halides and other ingredients and need no starter.

On the other hand, starter is not needed for making color prints from Kodak RA-RT Developer/Replenisher.

 

[rpavich]

Freestyle doesnt carry Kodak chemicals.

No, you have to buy them from other places.

I got my chems from this thread here on the APUG.

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

 

[Jon Buffington]

Tom, glad to see your taking the c-41 plunge! You will find it very easy. I use unicolor, coming from tetenal. Haven't noticed a difference between liquid or powder between the kits. Both work just fine so I have stayed with cost and buy the 2L powder unicolor kits from freestyle. Good luck!

 

[RattyMouse]

Tom, glad to see your taking the c-41 plunge! You will find it very easy. I use unicolor, coming from tetenal. Haven't noticed a difference between liquid or powder between the kits. Both work just fine so I have stayed with cost and buy the 2L powder unicolor kits from freestyle. Good luck!

Hey Jon,

How long do you keep your color chemicals once mixed? I dont shoot a lot of color so am concerned about how long the solutions have to last in order to use them up properly.

 

[Prof_Pixel]

Ratty,

Photo Systems Inc (Unicolor) is just up the Huron River from you Dead Link Removed

 

[rpavich]

Hey Jon,

How long do you keep your color chemicals once mixed? I dont shoot a lot of color so am concerned about how long the solutions have to last in order to use them up properly.

Just like everything else here, you'll get varying answers on this. I keep mine (if I use a Unicolor kit) for a couple of months and dump it when I run about 25 rolls through it. I top off the containers with inert gas to hopefully inhibit oxidation between times of use. (Tetenal Protectan)

 

[Jon Buffington]

Hey Jon,

How long do you keep your color chemicals once mixed? I dont shoot a lot of color so am concerned about how long the solutions have to last in order to use them up properly.

If you don't shoot a lot of color, I would recommend the 1L kits. I generally run about 15 or so rolls through the chems. Though I will admit, the film looks the best within the guidelines stated with colors not quite as vibrant past those guidelines (I think for unicolor kits, it states 8 36 exposure rolls). So anytime I have "critical" or work I really want to be it's best, I use fresh chems. Also, don't leave them around for 6 months. I just processed the 2 rolls this weekend. I knew I was pushing it as the chems were around 6 months old and I had run about 14-18 rolls through them. Colors were wonky. I have been shooting primarily B&W so the c41 chems were just sitting around mixed in their bottles. This happened once before, and again I knew I was pushing it. If I am shooting a lot of color though, I can run through the quickly and have no problems. Just know they do expire. I have been safe every time with chems stored 2-3 months mixed (which is normal for me, I run through 1L about every month or so with my shooting habit of about 2-5 rolls c41 a week).

Of course your going to get different answers. I am not an expert in any means in this department. Just my experience. YMMV.

 

[EdSawyer]

I find the Developer oxidizes (once mixed) over the span of about 6-8 weeks, so I try to use it all up within the first week or two if I can. THe other chemicals last indefinitely once mixed, so generally they are not a problem. (bleach, fix, rinse).

 

[farmersteve]

I need to experiment more. I just tried the Freestyle liquid kit and everything was shifted blue and not dense negatives. I have processed hundreds of rolls of black and white so I kinda know what I am doing. I used an immersion heater (sous vide actually) to keep my chemicals right at 102 degrees. I clearly didn't do something right. I followed the directions in the box exactly. One thing I noticed when I used the "stablilizer" step it had a slight purple tinge to the liquid when I poured it back into the bottle which tells me something went wrong. Any ideas?