Hi All - I've got a Tetenal c41 kit (5 liter). I'm thinking of calculating the correct amount of concentrates and water for single uses in my Jobo, so as not to mix 5 liters at once. Is this a workable idea? Thanks ---John.
I mix as little as 150ml of kodak flexicolor working solution. I use pipettes for all the small quantities and grads for any quantity larger than 20ml-ish. I have no problem keeping the concentrates but I do shield them with argon from a diy welding bottle (about £12 here for a lot more than I'll use in a long time. Mixed chemicals will keep for a time but are much less stable and air is mixed in when you stir and add.
I haven't tried this yet with C41 but with 5L it might be worth considering decanting the concentrates into empty 3L wine boxes. The inserts are silvered, you can press on the inserts to get the liquid to the neck to excliude all air and then re-fit the dispenser. No air can possibly re-enter and the dispenser allows very accurate dispensing. Works great with B&W developers whether made from liquid like DDX or powder into liquid stock solution such as Perceptol or ID11.
The Tetenal concentrates last a long time, so extreme measures aren't required. I mix up a liter at a time and keep it in dark brown glass bottles. Used that way, you are fine if the liter is used up within about a month. When it goes bad, the developer turns dark, so it is pretty easy to tell. The concentrate itself lasts for months, even opened. Mixing up the Tetenal kit is about as easy as it gets as there are no oddball numbers to deal with -- just nice round ones .
Just wanted to say thanks to you guys in this thread...
Just bought a lot of Tenetal c41 (5L) My question was answered PERFECTLY by this thread.
NOW . . . how much volume do you Jobo users use for (whatever format film you develop)?
I know I can figure this out by doing the math on the recommended volumes for 35mm, still, I'm curious as to your personal experience.
My Jobo tank with rotary processing takes only 140ml for a 35mm film and 240 for a 120. C-41 chems tend to be more expensive than B&W but the Jobo and Jobo tanks reduce the cost by using small amounts of liquid. So much so that I'd be a little worried about buying a 5L amount unless I was a frequent C-41 film user. Of course there always Ilford XP2+ to use up the chems and combine chromogenic B&W with colour
I have a Jobo ATL-1000, so my volumes are based on the 2500 series tanks.
175ml for one 35mm roll and 250ml for two. If you need volumes for other film formats just post your question.
(With all Jobos, the required solution is a combination of the required amount for full development of the given film area and also the amount required to fully cover the film).