Unicolor C-41 kit processing 4x5 in tray......feasable?

Was wondering if any APUG users have had any success in processing 4x5
Ektar or Portra sheets in small tray, I do have concerns about oxidation etc
and wonder how many sheets of film I could get (with quality) out of a 1L kit?

Anyone have experience with this method, or better suggestions...temp control is provided
by homemade circ water bath around stainless tray...

Thanks in advance for any input.... would water wash between dev and blix be a good idea?

Harlequin

I have tried this before in 5x7 trays with single sheets, and as long as you can keep the temperature correct (being C-41) it works just fine. But with several sheets, if you interleaf them, that could be a problem, mostly for the developer. Can't give you any meaningful figures on capacity.

One thing I found was I needed to agitate vigorously and continuously or the film seem to come out underdeveloped.

A wash between dev and blix is not recommended due to possible crossover (a stop would be better), and a separate bleach and fix is recommended over a blix.

That is how I started. I recommend the tray is placed in a water bath to get the tray to 104 degrees then just before development pour the developer at proper temperature in the tray. I had a single 5x7 tray in a 11x14 tray water bath.

You might consider an 8x10 print drum. Mine holds four pieces of 4x5 sheet film. You can "float" the drum in a water bath and gently (but constantly) rotate it. Since it's enclosed, it will maintain temperature better than an open tray. And you don't have to work in the dark. I've also heard of people who put the drum on a motor base and apply heat (hair dryer?) while it rotates.

Oxidation shouldn't be any more of a concern than with regular small tank developing of film, since the development time is only three minutes. Always do a clip test though.

No matter what approach you pick, you should do a simulation with water (in place of developer) and measure the solution temperature before and after processing.

Thank you all for the sage advice.
Will be in the "soup" this weekend.

Many Thanks!!

Harlequin

I also use a print drum for this, well black and white, I stopped shooting color, but it worked fine when I used to run 4x5 E-6.

bvy said:

I've also heard of people who put the drum on a motor base and apply heat (hair dryer?) while it rotates.

Click to expand...

I think preheating the drum is adequate. That's what I do anyway. But I'd rather do it in trays, which I think would be easier to control precisely.