Those who do their own Color Sheet film developing ... the minimum?

Those who do their own Color Sheet film developing ... 4x5 or Mf, do you ever just develop a sheet or two?
What is your minimum that you develop? Color is difficult because of the temperature requirements, so we have always shot a couple of 120 or sometimes 35mm rolls of color film, then develop them all together at one time. Once or twice a month when shooting color in spring and fall.
Have never shot any sheet color film, but really enjoy shooting a couple of sheets B&W, MF or 4x5, then come home and develop them. For me its very creative, in trying to get a specific feel for a shot and getting the result we are shooting for.
Would like to try it in color... but... oh my.. .. Yes we could send them off.. but that kills the nice tempo of going out and trying again, next day.
So is there some scheme perhaps some of you have work with that will allow this?

I use the Unicolor press kit. The BLIX goes non-reactive in about 30 to 45 days. So I usually collect enough sheets of 4x5 to exhaust the one litre kit. Then I develop all at once. Sometimes I am too impatient and I develop less than the 32 sheets and just throw out the chemicals after 30 days.

I one shot the developer 125ml at a time so I get 8 processes with 4 sheets each in a Unicolour print drum. total 32 sheets.

For 35mm and 120 I do not one shot. You can get about 8 rolls of 120 or 8 rolls of 35mm in a one litre kit. Again after 30 days, exhausted or not I throw it out.

Yes, I process one sheet of 4x5 film at a time. Or one roll of 120 film at a time. I use a Paterson tank that fits 2-135 rolls, or 1-120 roll or 1-4x5 sheet of film. Works well.

I use the Unicolor kit. I save up enough film to develop the equivalent of sixteen rolls. If I only have a few sheets of 4"x5" film, I develop what I have. I can do up to ten sheets at a time.

WilmarcoImaging said:

Yes, I process one sheet of 4x5 film at a time. Or one roll of 120 film at a time. I use a Paterson tank that fits 2-135 rolls, or 1-120 roll or 1-4x5 sheet of film. Works well.

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What developer are you using?
Last year we converted over to Flexicolor, a non blix developer, and really liked it, but its more complex then the Unicolor, but lasts a lot longer.
Thinking of just trying to do a set up that is specifically for 4x5 or MF developing. As there is a smaller need than when doing several rolls of 120.

I use Kodak Flexicolor chemicals from the list bvy maintains on this forum. Mix the concentrates into a working solution, and store in 1 liter PET plastic beverage bottles. The chemicals last a very long time when stored this way.

Yes that's we got hooked on from the same thread, so what's your reference for sheet film? Do you wait to develop the sheet film until you have a roll also?

Hi peter, no I develop one sheet of 4x5.

Or 1 roll of 120.

Or 1 roll of 135.

Only one at a time.

Perfect.. now real curious of your set up, and procedure. Could you explain this a little to me.
Do you set everything up each time, gather everything together, warm up a bath to the temp, and get everything ready for that one development, or... ?

Here it is:

Load film in tank.
Fill tempering bath with water.
Put chemical bottles in tempering bath.
Pour 100 deg pre-wet water into tank
After approx 5 minutes put tank+film in tempering bath.
After approx 5 minutes pour out pre-wet water and begin process C-41 at 100 deg F:
Developer 3:15
Dilute acetic stop bath 1:30
Plain water rinse 3:00
Bleach 6:30
Plain water rinse 3:00
Fix 6:30
Plain water rinse 3:00
Final rinse 1:30
Hang in a closet to dry.

Yes we understanding the developing part, what we were curious about, and now looking at your web site, we understand your a professional, and have this all ready to go, and set up in your darkroom.
No big deal, sheet or roll at a time! Well done! Simple!
Yet on, the other hand, our darkroom area is a truck camper, when its not on the road, small and limited in space, but works out really well, but you have given me encouragement to go ahead and try sheet color film. It will take a little while to work out the kinks with our situation, but we Thank you!

So what, .. here's the History:
Manly we have the B&W stuff arranged, and that has to be set aside, and then get all the color developing stuff gathered together out of the shed and set up.
When we first got back in film, we shot only color 35mm, had it developed, and then gradually were captured by B&W, and started our won development of that, and then color 35mm later. Then got into the larger format, using my dads old 3x4, and then a friend gave me a non operating, 4x5 Speed Graphic for Christmas. Someone had dumped it on him, and he smiled as his eyes lit up and said. "Ah, you shoot film?"
The 4x5 was all apart, screws and parts stored lose in its old Graphic camera case. No organization! Given up on! Someone tried to repair it, but failed, and it was totally non functional.
Repaired it, and, oh my, discovered such a difference. Hardly shoot 35mm anymore.
Then we got into MF, and started shooting color roll film in that, but generally only in spring and fall, for the color, as the procedure for developing color film is more exacting.
But lately, have wanted want to shoot more color. But the fall is over, and the subjects were interested in capturing, are fewer. Maybe a shot or two at a time! Its coming into winter!
So.. now ya all know the history of this post.. and realize where gonna have to make a setup that is easy and fluid, cause we wanna go down the color road of sheet.
Gads its great being retarded... mean retired, and hope your having as much fun!
And if your still working, thank you for supplying cash for my social security check each month!
Ha... ah ha.

I set up a big bucket of water at 104 degrees. In the bucket are several small 150 ml bottles with developer. I pay most of my attention to keeping this bucket at 104. I also put two 500 ml bottles of water for pre rinse.

I keep stop bath and blix in another bucket at 100 degrees. You do not have to keep stop and blix precisely at 104..

I pre-rinse the unicolor drum for 1 min the pour out and add developer. I develop for 3:15. Then stop then blix. All on shot.

I put the negatives on an old Yankee tank and hold until I have 12 negatives. Then wash 5 minutes.

I put stabilizer in a tray mixed 200:1 with photo flo 200. Each negative is held for 30 seconds in the tray then hung up to dry.

I asked Santa for a sous vide machine to help with temperature control on he prerinse and developer bucket.

Kilgallb said:

I set up a big bucket of water at 104 degrees. In the bucket are several small 150 ml bottles with developer. I pay most of my attention to keeping this bucket at 104. I also put two 500 ml bottles of water for pre rinse.

I keep stop bath and blix in another bucket at 100 degrees. You do not have to keep stop and blix precisely at 104..

I pre-rinse the unicolor drum for 1 min the pour out and add developer. I develop for 3:15. Then stop then blix. All on shot.

I put the negatives on an old Yankee tank and hold until I have 12 negatives. Then wash 5 minutes.

I put stabilizer in a tray mixed 200:1 with photo flo 200. Each negative is held for 30 seconds in the tray then hung up to dry.

I asked Santa for a sous vide machine to help with temperature control on he prerinse and developer bucket.

Click to expand...

I did this for years. I have a fancy Jobo setup now. The results are the same. For 4x5 the old Nikor sheet film tanks hold 1 to 12 sheets of 4x5. Use Flexicolor C41 RA chemistry. I processed C-41 and E6 35mm and 120 in Paterson tanks for years using nothing but a bucket of hot water. You can use an immersion heater too. Pre-heat the tank and film with warm water and go. Don't forget Cibachrome made a miniature drum for a single sheet of 4x5, not sure how you would keep it warm?
1 liter of C-41 chemistry would be easy to use as a replenished system, not an option with a Jobo, as Jobo machines put so much air into the developer it's strictly 1 shot per Kodak.

I also try to have enough film to get through the C-41 kit within 30 days. Mix roll and 4x5 until the kit is exhausted. For 4x5 I do four sheets at a time using the taco method in a Patterson tank.

No issues with just doing a sheet or 2 in C41 by themselves if I’m really impatient. Or a single roll of 120. I use the cheap Unicolor C41 powder kit. I can get 20+ rolls and however many sheets that equals out of it.

After 10 films I add 30 seconds to the developing time. Then another 30 seconds every 5 films after that until I don’t like the results. The blix Time remains the same throughout. I store the chemicals in accordion bottles.