tetenal c-41 doubt

[voland]

hi,

I have bought a "tetenal colortec c-41 negative kit rapid", but there's no clear instructions about how often do I rotate the tank during the development in manual mode, I don't have any hobo proccessor.

thanks for your help in advance.

cheers!

 

[Akki14]

I just used the agitator stick and go as constantly as I can keep up for the 3min15seconds. A *j*obo processor is constantly rotating so that's why I try to just go for as constant as I can.

 

[AgX]

Voland,

The manual agitating procedure for use with small tanks is to be found in some of their tech sheets (at least in the German ones):

For E-6:

-) constantly for the first 15sec (1.dev, c-dev, blix)

-) one tilt-cycle every 15sec


For C-41:
(They only state it for the tablet and powder kit, but should be apt for the liquid kits too)

-) constantly for the first 30sec (c-dev, blix)

-) one tilt-cycle every 15sec


Keep in mind it's not about a rotating maneuver but a `tilting the tank upside down and back´ cycle (like you most probably do when processing traditional b&w films).

 

[ben-s]

I now use a Jobo for my C-41 - I find it much less hassle than inverting the tank by hand.

Before I got that, I used a small tank in a water bath, and inverted it once every 15 seconds. The results were as good as they are from the Jobo, but a lot more hassle

 

[voland]

thanks a lot for the information!
I'll try one tilt-cycle every 15sec.

only one more question... do you use Stop bath before the Bleach Fix bath ? I think this is optional.

 

[AgX]

Tetenal does not refer to a stop-bath in their C-41 processing schemes (E-6 employs rinse steps), but states in the text that for C-41 a stop-bath would give greater security against failures of the Blix, in case the latter should be re-used for a next run.

 

[Akki14]

If you use a stopbath, make sure it's at the same temperture as everything else (obviously) and keep it only for c-41. Don't mix it with your B&W stuff, just to be on the safe side.

 

[Discpad]

If you use a stop bath, be sure to give it a quick wash, especially if you use the "blix" (bleach-fix) hack.

 

[Discpad]

If you use a stopbath, make sure it's at the same temperture as everything else (obviously) and keep it only for c-41. Don't mix it with your B&W stuff, just to be on the safe side.

Also, if you use a separate bleach & fix step, don't use the fix for B&W film after it has been used for color (C-41 or E-6), since contaminants (I forget which) will affect the longevity of the B&W film.

Tip of the hat to Photo Engineer, who gave me this warning last year.

 

[Akki14]

I thought the fix for c-41 was a completely different chemical than for B&W fixing ... I don't know, I have blix which is scary red and i'd never use it for anything but its intended purpose.

 

[Discpad]

Don't use the blix hack

I thought the fix for c-41 was a completely different chemical than for B&W fixing ... I don't know, I have blix which is scary red and i'd never use it for anything but its intended purpose.

That is correct: "blix" (bleach-fix) is a mixture of C41 bleach + fixer, or E6 bleach + fixer, and you sure as hell don't want to use it on B&W film!

Do yourself a favor and do your bleach & fix steps separately as they are called for, i.e. no shortcuts. You spend a lot of money for color film: Why risk it to the shoddy blix hack?

Besides, when you bleach separately, it's much cheaper, since you can run a replenished bleach tank. For C-41 bleach, you can even regenerate it (to a point), which will cut the costs even further.

I don't know where you're located, but there are minilab supply houses in every city that can get you off and rolling with the Right Stuff, so you'll get perfect results every time.

 

[AgX]

The problem seems to be the availibility of small volume C-41 kits which contain separate bleach and fix.

But I'll think about that minilab approach to get those chemicals.

 

[Discpad]

SilverX:

I don't know what the market for C-41 chemistry is in Germany; but, if you have a minilab in every grocery store, pharmacy and Aldi, then there has to be a chemistry and paper supplier that keeps them up and running... You just have to find them!

I have to go to bed; but I'll write more tomorrow...

 

[Akki14]

What is so bad about blix anyway? This isn't a "hack" - the kit came with it so it's not my fault, is it? I don't have the high volumes needed for minilab-quanities of anything. I do 6 rolls of colour medium format per month or so, so I split a c-41 kit of tetenal colortec. I am no where near a professional and I'm using 1UKP cameras with mostly expired 1ukp a roll film so why all the fuss? Maybe if I was shooting weddings on the weekend with a 'blad I could see the point. The point is, I'm getting good results now, why make life more difficult? I am in a tiny flat and i cannot store gallons of c-41 stock solutions. And the original point of doing my own c-41 was to do it more cheaply and quickly than sending it to a lab, which is what I'm doing.

 

[AgX]

Akki,

It could be that whole blix discussion started as PE is a strong advocate on the use of separate bleach and fixer on film. I don't know. Anyway, here is one of his statements on this issue:

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

 

[Akki14]

Hm so what I'm using isn't as bad as it could be because the tetenal kit I have is liquid form... and I tend to do my c-41 as a batch over a day or so.