Anyone home processing C41?

[Wheelu]

I have always developed my own B&W and have dabbled with colour slides, but never tried colour negatives.

Is it worth the effort? Can you get as good a result at home with the kits that are available as you could expect from a professional lab - assuming that you can control the temperature within tolerances.

What are the current recommendations for kits, and are there any pitfalls?

[frank1]

I used to do neg developing, get a batch together approx 12 films. Results were fine but printing them was an effort, would I like to do it again. No a lot of time with little to show for it, okay if you've got a scanner but at least getting them processed you have the prints and for a reasonable sum. Temperature s much the same with slide dev. I personally wouldn't recommend it over shop processing

[Wheelu]

Thanks for that Frank. I do have a scanner so getting something from the negs would not be a problem for me. What is a problem is having 120 film C41 processed in this neck if the woods, it looks like mail order is the only possibility, other than home development.

I don't much like the idea of hoarding 12 films, as I normally shoot B&W and it would take me quite a time to get through 12 colour films. That could be a deal breaker unfortunately.

BTW I must apologise for posting this thread in the wrong place, I guess that it should have gone into traditional processing, rather than capture

[Benchmark]

I usually develop all of my films at home. C41 processing is very easy, and as long as the temperature is OK it should be difficult to go wrong.

I occasionally use RGB Labs at Middlesbro, who will process and sleeve a 135 or 120 roll film on the hour for £3.00. However, I find that most of the time it is quicker, easier and more fun to do it myself.

I personally use the 5 litre Tetenal kits from Morco for both E6 and C41 chemsitry. The 5 Litre E6 kit cost less than two 1 Litre kits, but like most chemistry it doesn't keep well once mixed or opened. The E6 First Developer is especialy sensistive to oxygen, and has a life of only a few weeks once opened, whilst the Bleach Fix is very stable.

To overcome this problem I bought a number of 250 ml polyethylene bottles from a laboratory equipment supplier, into which I decant the unused first dev concentrate until each bottle is filled to the brim, and then stopper tightly. I use a whole 250 bottle of concentrate for each mix, so avoiding the risk of the concentrate going off.

Finally, I use Protectan to purge oxygen from the remaining botttles (except the Bleach Fix, which needs oxygen to keep it working).

HTH

[Wheelu]

Thanks very much for that detailed and helpful response, both the (relatively) local lab and the kits sound like real possibilities. The home development side might be a retirement project.

[Malcolm_Stewart]

... The home development side might be a retirement project.

I'd be surprised if you can find enough time when you retire!

[Wheelu]

I'd be surprised if you can find enough time when you retire!

I look forward to finding out

[OLDFELLA]

Having done a lot of colour negs and positive, having the full monty, Durst colour enlarger with built in colour analyser and Durst tank (feed the paper in then just wait until it comes out the other end) I think it`s a pain in the ass. You cannot beat digital.I mixed my own chemicals for colour, but tranparencies are a dead loss. The water has to be the correct PH. if you live in LONDON it`s to alkaline and if you live up north its to acid.

[zx9]

The water has to be the correct PH. if you live in LONDON it`s to alkaline and if you live up north its to acid.

Depends where 'up north', the Yorkshire Wolds are on chalk with water as hard a London's. I had worse drying mark problems 'up north' than I have now living 'doon sooth'

[Malcolm_Stewart]

What's wrong with using de-ionised water for the final rinse? Works for me in Milton Keynes. (Hardest water I've encountered.)

[zx9]

What's wrong with using de-ionised water for the final rinse? Works for me in Milton Keynes. (Hardest water I've encountered.)

Nothing at all Malcolm, a fine tip, though 25 yrs ago when I was in E.Yorks, it was called distilled water and reserved for topping up the car battery

[beejaybee]

though 25 yrs ago when I was in E.Yorks, it was called distilled water and reserved for topping up the car battery

De-ionised water is intended for topping up batteries, it can contain a lot of contaminant but nothing which will "poison" a lead acid cell when in solution. Distilled water is, well, distilled, much more expensive to make but guaranteed to contain no contaminants. Actually it usually does contain a trace of silica (glass) and/or stainless steel (iron, chromium) from the vessels used to do the distilling - but not enough to change chemical reactions to any significant degree or leave any stains. Demin water may well stain when dried. "Ironing water" won't stain but these days contains additives designed to promote softness or add "fragrance" to clothes it's been used on and may well interfere with film chemistry!

[Benchmark]

though 25 yrs ago when I was in E.Yorks, it was called distilled water and reserved for topping up the car battery

De-ionised water is intended for topping up batteries, it can contain a lot of contaminant but nothing which will "poison" a lead acid cell when in solution. Distilled water is, well, distilled, much more expensive to make but guaranteed to contain no contaminants. Actually it usually does contain a trace of silica (glass) and/or stainless steel (iron, chromium) from the vessels used to do the distilling - but not enough to change chemical reactions to any significant degree or leave any stains. Demin water may well stain when dried. "Ironing water" won't stain but these days contains additives designed to promote softness or add "fragrance" to clothes it's been used on and may well interfere with film chemistry!

I have bought purified water from Boots in the past, which works well in batteries, and for photographic purposes. I am sure they still sell it in five litre bottles for medicinal purposes.

If you have a problem with the pH of your mix, it may be worth trying some bottled drinking water. Something like Highland Spring should be very mildly acidic, and is available in large bottles from supermarkets.

Alternatively, depending on where you live, it may be worth a short trip out to a neighbouring (soft water) area with a 25 litre plastic bottle

For washing purposes, you only need to use the good water for the final rinse. It can also be re-used.

[John_K]

I have stopped using 120 film for colour negs as I found with the short processing times I was getting unpredictable results with uneven development at the edges of the film. So beware. It never happens with B&W as the times are usually always longer than the 3 mins 15 seconds used for colour.

As for the hard water/soft water conundrum if you use the Tetenal kit that has a final bath of solution that both preserves the colour integrity of the film and softens the water so you never get drying marks. I also use it for my B&W negatives as well as it is far better than 'wetting agent' in the final bath.