Where to Purchase C-41 Chemistry and ship method?

Jeff L · Apr 16, 2012

krifartida said:
I buy from unique photo in NJ, but i am sure henry's or the such stocks them in canada.

Also their sales rep is based in canada, his name is Tony something or another.

kirufartida and Bob,

Henry's doesn't seem to stock much darkroom compared to the old days, especially C41. I sent an email off to an online Canadian darkroom specialty place looking for the 1L Flexcolor kit or the Unicolour/JOBO powder kit, they say they don't have it. I ended up ordering from B&H - $20 for what I need to try my hand at it.

wogster · Apr 16, 2012

The film and processing section at Henry's main store gets smaller every time I go in there, which is about once a year, they went d*****l about half a dozen years ago. I don't think they get any new stuff anymore, just whatever they have left.

mtjade2007 · Apr 20, 2012

I do not see shipping method discussed in this thread so far. It seems some (or most?) online photo chemical suppliers will charge a steep shipping charge because of Hazmat requirement or something of that nature then ship it to you. I guess it is probably shipped by UPS. Well, I mail stuff frequently. I go to USPS to mail something on a weekly basis. I know all the shipping methods USPS offers for individuals. I am not aware of any additional charges that you can pay on top of the regular postage in order to ship stuff like photo chemicals. So it seems it is simply not allowed.

If I understand it correctly I believe you can mail chemicals though USPS, not all chemicals but the kind of chemicals like photo chemicals that are not highly hazardous. You probably need to pack it in a safer manner by following hazmat guidelines or regulations. This is probably enforced if you are a business. What about an individual who knows nothing about hazmat regulations in detail. It is not likely people like you and I who read this forum everyday know about it really. Even if you do the research and do your best to pack chemicals you will have no way of knowing if your package meets the rules exactly.

I have seen people mailing bacon, cake, all kinds of food, etc. Believe it or not I have seen people mailing baby chickens too (in carton box poked with a lot of holes) at USPS. USPS accepted it. I ship bottles full of liquid quite a few times too. There is never one USPS personnel ever said I can not ship liquid. In fact I now purchase postage and print shipping label online at USPS web site. I then send my package to the postal service. I never had any package refused because it contains liquid. Sometimes I would be asked and I always told them it contains liquid but safely packed. I was never refused.

So I am wondering if it is really not allowed to mail photo chemicals. I know how to pack so that no bottles will leak. The caps need to have good liners in them and I cap the bottles tightly. I put each of my bottles in a Ziploc bag sealed. I use boxes reasonably large and filled with enough of padding and packing peanuts. Even if a bottle leaks it will not leave the Ziploc bag and will not leak out of the box. I know I can purchase postage and print the shipping label as usual then send it to the postal service. Even if I present it to a postal service personnel I can honestly say it contains liquid but very safely packed. I know it will be accepted.

I believe if you ship photo chemicals you need to be extra elegant in packing it. That's really not much extra time or cost. So why all those online shops charge so much for hazmat reasons? Why some of them even refuse to ship? The hazmat thing in my opinion is the killer of photo chemical sales which in turn hurts film sales and hurts Kodak.

wogster · Apr 20, 2012

mtjade2007 said:
I do not see shipping method discussed in this thread so far. It seems some (or most?) online photo chemical suppliers will charge a steep shipping charge because of Hazmat requirement or something of that nature then ship it to you. I guess it is probably shipped by UPS. Well, I mail stuff frequently. I go to USPS to mail something on a weekly basis. I know all the shipping methods USPS offers for individuals. I am not aware of any additional charges that you can pay on top of the regular postage in order to ship stuff like photo chemicals. So it seems it is simply not allowed.

If I understand it correctly I believe you can mail chemicals though USPS, not all chemicals but the kind of chemicals like photo chemicals that are not highly hazardous. You probably need to pack it in a safer manner by following hazmat guidelines or regulations. This is probably enforced if you are a business. What about an individual who knows nothing about hazmat regulations in detail. It is not likely people like you and I who read this forum everyday know about it really. Even if you do the research and do your best to pack chemicals you will have no way of knowing if your package meets the rules exactly.

I have seen people mailing bacon, cake, all kinds of food, etc. Believe it or not I have seen people mailing baby chickens too (in carton box poked with a lot of holes) at USPS. USPS accepted it. I ship bottles full of liquid quite a few times too. There is never one USPS personnel ever said I can not ship liquid. In fact I now purchase postage and print shipping label online at USPS web site. I then send my package to the postal service. I never had any package refused because it contains liquid. Sometimes I would be asked and I always told them it contains liquid but safely packed. I was never refused.

So I am wondering if it is really not allowed to mail photo chemicals. I know how to pack so that no bottles will leak. The caps need to have good liners in them and I cap the bottles tightly. I put each of my bottles in a Ziploc bag sealed. I use boxes reasonably large and filled with enough of padding and packing peanuts. Even if a bottle leaks it will not leave the Ziploc bag and will not leak out of the box. I know I can purchase postage and print the shipping label as usual then send it to the postal service. Even if I present it to a postal service personnel I can honestly say it contains liquid but very safely packed. I know it will be accepted.

I believe if you ship photo chemicals you need to be extra elegant in packing it. That's really not much extra time or cost. So why all those online shops charge so much for hazmat reasons? Why some of them even refuse to ship? The hazmat thing in my opinion is the killer of photo chemical sales which in turn hurts film sales and hurts Kodak.

Here is how it works, some photo chemicals are considered class-8 (corrosive) dangerous goods (DG), if you look at a box kit, you will side a pair of triangles, one white, one black, long sides meet up to make a diamond, and the black half will have the number 8 in it. DG handlers are specially trained to recognize this stuff, it requires special handling and documentation, even it's location on a truck is defined by transportation laws. If the truck is involved in a crash, EMS crews will look at the DG paperwork, which MUST be kept in a specific place in the truck, in order to determine how it should be contained and cleaned up. BTW if the transportation department finds a DG on a truck and the driver does not have the paperwork, he can personally be fined and so can the carrier. That is why there are extra fees to deal with dangerous goods.

Photo Engineer · Apr 20, 2012

There are no charges for DGs if the USPS does not know they are there. If they have a mess to clean up because you didn't tell them about the DG, you will certainly pay a huge fine. But, if you declare the DG, they have the option to refuse it or the option to charge a huge extra fee for transport.

In some locales you can ship DGs via UPS, but you have to go to a certain center in your locale, they must pack it, and they must have details of the ingredients.

You can get a license to pack and ship DGs I am told.

Both UPS and USPS have refused shipping developer because it contained alkali in a concentrated form.

PE

wogster · Apr 20, 2012

Photo Engineer said:
There are no charges for DGs if the USPS does not know they are there. If they have a mess to clean up because you didn't tell them about the DG, you will certainly pay a huge fine. But, if you declare the DG, they have the option to refuse it or the option to charge a huge extra fee for transport.

In some locales you can ship DGs via UPS, but you have to go to a certain center in your locale, they must pack it, and they must have details of the ingredients.

You can get a license to pack and ship DGs I am told.

Both UPS and USPS have refused shipping developer because it contained alkali in a concentrated form.

PE

Not telling them, means it does not get any special handling, this increases the risk of a spill, a modern carrier facility is not a safe place (I've worked in one), it's all about moving a very large volume of goods in as short a time as possible. Stuff gets tossed around, not because guys want to toss it around, it gets tossed around because the guys dealing with it don't have time to be as careful as they would like with it.

CatLABS · Apr 20, 2012

According to Unique photo - the champion chemicals have no Haz mat rating, and thus can be shipped anywhere with UPS with no special requirements. I have ordered them several times with no issues.

markwny · Apr 20, 2012

I'm seriously considering the PF 1L Flexicolor kit. I do wonder if there are any issues using it on a Jobo though. I normally like to use my developer one-shot, but the cost of Flexicolor makes that very expensive. Does anyone have experience with using Flexicolor on a Jobo?

Photo Engineer · Apr 20, 2012

I do it regularly! I use it one shot except for the bleach and stabilzer / final rinse which I reuse.

PE

Chuck Mintz · Apr 25, 2012

i want to put in a plug for going to your local photo dealer. Sort of old fashioned but it worked for me. Dodd Camera in Cleveland orders both E6 and C41 for me. They do not ship but for those of you near a city that still has a decent dealer left, you need to give them a try. I switched to C-41 last year, started the Digibase from Freestyle which was fine until they did not have the large kits and the smaller ones were pretty pricey if you have much to do. Everyone on this forum knows they should try their dealer, but I have been guilty of assuming they would not be interested. I was wrong.

Rolfe Tessem · Apr 26, 2012

Since Tetenal discontinued their 5 liter kits a couple of years ago, I switched to Kodak and have had great results ordering from http://www.pdisupply.com. I think they largely serve minilabs, but they are happy to ship the small Flexicolor kits. These are the ones with SM in their names -- there are so many that it is a bit tricky trying to find the right stock numbers. To save anyone that trouble, here is what my last order consisted of.

Qty Prod No Name Options Price
1 KF51-1925254 KODAK FLEXICOLOR SM Tank Final Rinse 12X3L - - - $22.69
1 KF50-8462681 KODAK FLEXICOLOR SM Tank Fixer 2X3.9L - - - $59.67
1 KF49-8824690 (Hazardous Fee) KODAK FLEXICOLOR SM Tank Bleach - - - $57.51
1 KF48-1756337 (Hazardous Fee) KODAK FLEXICOLOR SM Tank Developer - - - $59.25

EdSawyer · Apr 26, 2012

The last time I ordered C41 flexicolor (not the SM) from Adorama, it shipped cheap and fast via UPS with no hazmat fee. Just FYI.

markwny · Apr 26, 2012

EdSawyer said:
The last time I ordered C41 flexicolor (not the SM) from Adorama, it shipped cheap and fast via UPS with no hazmat fee. Just FYI.

I see that Adorama sells 5 gallon and 10 liter versions of the developer. Is the first the original developer / replenisher and the second the LORR version?

EdSawyer · Apr 27, 2012

This is what I use for developer:

Dead Link Removed

I also use the starter (you can find this elsewhere, and you can go without it if need be):

Dead Link Removed

I mix it in 5L batches, so the 5Gal kit makes 4 5L batches (approximately). I use it one-shot in a Phototherm SSK-4.

I don't use the LORR stuff, for various reasons.

hope that helps
-Ed

markwny · Apr 27, 2012

EdSawyer said:
This is what I use for developer:

Dead Link Removed

I also use the starter (you can find this elsewhere, and you can go without it if need be):

Dead Link Removed

I mix it in 5L batches, so the 5Gal kit makes 4 5L batches (approximately). I use it one-shot in a Phototherm SSK-4.

I don't use the LORR stuff, for various reasons.

hope that helps
-Ed

Thanks Ed. This answers all my questions. Thanks for taking the time to give me a helping hand.

Mark

Where to Purchase C-41 Chemistry and ship method?

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