Stabilizer vs wash? Fujimoto CP-31 setup

I'm in the process of setting up my Fujimoto CP-31 with the wash dry unit, and the person who sold it to me didn't have the W/D set up and recommended using the Kodak stabilizer as the final bath. I will be setting up the W/D with running water and I wasn't sure if I should be using the stabilizer in the third bath, or just have two baths, Dev/Blix/Stabilizer/Wash vs Dev/Blix/Wash/Wash. It seems like some of the larger machines I've used just have 2 or 3 washes and no stabilizer, so how important is it in the RA-4 process? The Kodak LORR stabilizer I bought seems to state that the stabilizer is for wash-less setups?

I have my CP-31 set up as Dev, Blix, Wash, Wash. I don't use the stabilizer. If you have running water at the right temp and pressure for the W/D unit, use that. It's definitely better than stabilization, which is always a compromise (re: longevity). Also, doing a wash after a stabilization step would be counter-productive. But anyway, just use water - it's definitely better (and cheaper).

I don't stabilize RA4 either.

I was struggling with this question on my Beseler processor. I dug around the site and found a number of opinions about RA4 stabilizer vs just washing. I ended up compromising with Dev/blix/wash/stab/dry. Works okay so far.

Thanks guys, I thought maybe it was necessary like for C-41/E-6.
I also tracked down the MSDS and it states it has isothiazolone (biocide), magnesium nitrate and acetic acid, I'm assuming relating to neutralizing the blix? Just for future reference.

Most of your questions are answered here: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/the-definitive-word-i-hope-on-color-stabilzers.89149/
C41 doesn't require a stabilizer nowadays. The final rinse mostly serves to neutralize pH and add a little fungicide to the emulsion to keep the bugs at bay. The dyes themselves no longer require stabilization and apparently, this is also true to a large extent for RA4.

I used a Jobo CP-51 for several years ending more than 15 years ago. My machine had the specially designed stabilizer module which is similar but not identical to the wash module ie it has replenishment and heating systems. In fact it was quite possible to use the stabilizer unit as a water wash unit without hacking into the machine. The only modification I made was to fit a switch to turn off heating when using flowing water. I used water in the replenisher feed bottle so that the pump did not run dry and fed the water supply countercurrently into the two wash tanks ie the fresh water fed to the second or last tank and overflowed from it back into the first tank from where it drained. I would imagine the CP-31 is designed similarly.

My point in writing is that I still have RA4 prints made many years ago using both systems yet today there appears to be no difference in colour between those washed and others that were stabilized. The differences that are visible are between different brands of paper but I don't propose to go there because I have not printed RA4 for many years, Kodak and Fuji will have changed over those years and others like Agfa and Konica no longer exist.

It is worth noting that the working solution stabilizer is nearly all water anyway because it is (was?) diluted at a very high rate. It was also replenished at a rate far in excess of that used for the developer and blix. There is a significant amount of fresh stabilizer entering the tanks while paper is being processed.

If I were doing it again today I think I would use just water and save the cost of one chemical. It is worth noting that Fuji's popular Frontier minilabs have never, to my knowledge, used stabilizer.

Hi. This is off-topic but since this is the most recent thread on the CP-31 I am posting my question here:

I recently got a CP-31 and I am wondering how to properly set the processing speed. The only manual I could find online misses the part where the relationship between transport speed and processing time is explained.

Could someone please explain the relationship to me or better yet share the full manual?

Thanks a lot in advance!

curisu said:

Hi. This is off-topic but since this is the most recent thread on the CP-31 I am posting my question here:

I recently got a CP-31 and I am wondering how to properly set the processing speed. The only manual I could find online misses the part where the relationship between transport speed and processing time is explained.

Could someone please explain the relationship to me or better yet share the full manual?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Click to expand...

Welcome to Photrio!
If you make a small number of posts in a few threads - this one included - you can start your own thread with a title requesting a manual. There is a much better chance of getting a positive response for your request.
The "Introduction" sub-forum is a place where you can start a thread right away: https://www.photrio.com/forum/forums/introduce-yourself-to-the-photrio-community.35/

Thanks, Matt. I created a new thread for my question.