Using really old C-41 chemistry

[alspix]

I've been doing some experiments to see if using very old, exhausted C41 chemistry would yield interesting/crazy results. After 1 year of poorly storing half a press kit which had done at least 3 times its specified max number of films, I used it again.

Full write up here:
Dead Link Removed

 

[kraker]

Interesting read, thanks! I've been thinking about developing colour myself (with the advantage that I don't have to search for a lab that wants to do cross-processing)... Your experience is another step towards a "yes" for me.

Just one question: "You don't need special gear - A cheap digital thermometer and a plastic washing up bowl on top of your existing B&W kit." --> So you just keep the right temperature by using a big enough bowl with water at the correct temperature? No heating element or something like that?

 

[Akki14]

That's quite neat. Now you just have to test out those RA4 kits and see if you get similar results. I don't have a decent enough scanner for medium format but I have colour enlarger so I'm part of the way there for colour prints. I have some old (about 6 years) colour paper from my university printing days too... hmm...

 

[alspix]

So you just keep the right temperature by using a big enough bowl with water at the correct temperature? No heating element or something like that?

Yep, I put the bowl in the sink, and fill it up with hot water (to around 45C, but this isnt important, hotter means the chemicals come up to temperature faster thats all). Then I stick my chemical bottles in this, and every few minutes I open the bottle top and check the actual developer temp with the thermometer. If it's not there yet, I stick it back in the water. If it's over, I take it out and let it cool til the temperature is correct. Once it's there, I adjust the temperature of the water in the bowl til it's at 37.5C too.

I heat the film & tank by either putting it in the bowl with the chemicals, or by pre-wetting with warm water just before everything is ready to go.

Development time is 3:15 so there's not a lot of time for the water in the bowl to cool significantly. I just plunge the tank into the bowl between inversions.

Blix temperature is not so critical so I leave it in the bowl during development, remove it at the end and use it at whatever temperature it is at, it requires continuous agitation so I dont put the tank in the water during the blix stage.

 

[kraker]

You've convinced me. I can always get some heater or whatever later on. You can make it as fancy as you want, but for a simple start, all I need to buy is a colour thermometer and some chemistry.