What was GAF's color slide film process in early 1970s

ssloansjca · Jan 18, 2014

In the early 1970s I shot and home processed a lot of GAF film, mostly GAF 64. As I recall the GAF process was similar to Ektachrome Process E3. As I remember it required a light, not a chemical, re-exposure step. I do not remember what the GAF process was called. GAF 64 film was cheap and lovely and came out great when you developed it yourself. The problem was GAF's own processing was terrible and the film got a bad reputation and was discontinued. I developed my own Ektachrome (E3 and E4) and GAF at this time in my life.

GAF is General Aniline & Film or GAF for short...

Does anybody recall what the GAF reversal process was called?

~Steve

AgX · Jan 18, 2014

It can not have been similar to the Ektachrome process, as the GAF transparency films were not based on the Ektachrome but the Agfacolor principle.

Processes were AR-1 and AR-2.

Ian Grant · Jan 18, 2014

I have alternative formulae in a few books, as AgX says similar to Agfa, after all they were once Agfa Ansco until the company was stolen by the US government.

Ian

ssloansjca · Jan 19, 2014

AR-1 and AR-2

Thanks, do you know which reversal process would have been available in kit form in about 1974? I do seem to remember a light reversal step?

Thank You:

~Steve

fotch · Jan 19, 2014

Ian Grant said:
I have alternative formulae in a few books, as AgX says similar to Agfa, after all they were once Agfa Ansco until the company was stolen by the US government.

Ian

Depends on which side your were on: "1941 American assets were seized during World War II as enemy property "

OzJohn · Jan 19, 2014

Ian Grant said:
I have alternative formulae in a few books, as AgX says similar to Agfa, after all they were once Agfa Ansco until the company was stolen by the US government.

Ian

I think that unless you have made a serious study of the infamous IG Farben cartel of which Agfa was a founding member, it may be safer not to assert that the US government "stole" Ansco. All governments are entitled to seize the assets of enemy nations upon declaration of war and throughout history have done just that.

While there were some questionable processes relating to the eventual sale of Ansco after the war to parties other than Agfa, part of the proceeds found its way to a Swiss company that was later shown to be nothing but a front for IG Farben shareholders. By rights, any assets of that conglomerate should have been used to compensate the victims of Farben's wartime practices (forced labour, medical experimentation, operation of a private concentration camp etc). This did not happen and by the end of the 1950s each of the three largest component companies (not Agfa), by then operating as separate entities, was worth more than the parent was prior to WW2. OzJohn

Sirius Glass · Jan 19, 2014

OzJohn said:
I think that unless you have made a serious study of the infamous IG Farben cartel of which Agfa was a founding member, it may be safer not to assert that the US government "stole" Ansco. All governments are entitled to seize the assets of enemy nations upon declaration of war and throughout history have done just that.

While there were some questionable processes relating to the eventual sale of Ansco after the war to parties other than Agfa, part of the proceeds found its way to a Swiss company that was later shown to be nothing but a front for IG Farben shareholders. By rights, any assets of that conglomerate should have been used to compensate the victims of Farben's wartime practices (forced labour, medical experimentation, operation of a private concentration camp etc). This did not happen and by the end of the 1950s each of the three largest component companies (not Agfa), by then operating as separate entities, was worth more than the parent was prior to WW2. OzJohn

+1

Gerald C Koch · Jan 20, 2014

The Ansco/GAF color emulsions were very soft. I only tried developing the reversal film once, after the bleach the emulsion just slid off the base. Never tried again. The formulas for AR-1 and AR-2 were published in the Dignan Newsletter.

gleaf · Jan 20, 2014

1967 or so. Seem to remember being told to take a big honeywell strobe to the side of each 35 mm reel to do the light exposure step. We unrolled in room light and re rolled it. No big strobe handy.

ssloansjca · Jan 20, 2014

I just used Patterson reels holding each end to 100W bulb for 30 seconds, it did the job. Here's a sample:

http://www.ssloan.net/trains/sp/_images0001/sp2273_0001.jpg

~Steve

What was GAF's color slide film process in early 1970s

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