Developing colour

stumac

stumac

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stuart
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Hi all , been playing with b&w developing with success I'm glad to say and now what to try colour but don't know what to buy or where to start. Can anyone point me in the right direction , is it much more difficult than b&w?
 
Not more difficult per se, just needs to be a bit more precise in the timings, and a bit more accurate in the temperature control really...
 
Yep, temperature is the key although I have found that a little variation doesn't make much difference.

I have been devving colour for a few months now and it isn't any more difficult than b&w. I use the Tetenal Colortec C41 kits and they seem to work very well indeed.

An example
15301176656_7b7f396171_b.jpg


I also use a Jobo CPE2 tank but as I have now managed to break the agitating bit that rotates the developing tank I now just use it to get the chemicals and water up to the right temperature and agitate by hand.

So long as the developer is at the right temp (38 degrees for the tetenal kit) the blix and stabiliser can be a few degrees out either way.

I think my process times are as follows

Pre-wash 5 minutes at 38 Degrees
Develop 3 mins 15 secs at 38 Degrees
Blix 4 minutes at 36 - 40 degrees
Rinse 3 minutes at 36- 40 degrees
Stabiliser 1 minute at 36 - 40 degrees
Then a quick rinse in cold water before hanging out to dry.

Hope this helps and if you have anymore questions, we're here to help. (y)

Andy
 
Thanks guys , so I can use the kit (tank, jugs etc) tht I have for b&w ?so I just need the chemicals
 
Yes, shouldn't be a problem so long as they are thoroughly cleaned. I bought 8 x 500ml glass bottles with Kilner stoppers from Wilkos for £16 and just make up 500ml at a time which does 6 to 8 films and seems to last ok stored in the dark under the sink.
 
I've done it, but I didn't like it. For b/w, 20C is real easy, pretty much room temperature. At 38C, you not only need to heat up the developer and other chems, but you need to pre-heat the film and tank, and here is the hardest part - keep it stable at 38C, when all of that heat energy wants to disperse out.

A pleasant surprise though, is that although the kit that I used involved more processes than b/w, and pretty much continuous gentle agitation - the process as a whole is actually quicker than developing b/w with dilutions. The usual develop stage takes six minutes.

Having said that - give it a go, you might enjoy the process more than I did.

One of my efforts using the Rollei Digibase C41 kit:

12115479794_3b34e17bf4_c.jpg
 
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Would you mind linking me to a chemical kit , as I'll probably order the wrong thing , thanks for your help
 
it's not that difficult to keep the 38°C - I used to use one of those thermos coolboxes (the plastic insulated ones) as my water-bath. Fill it up with water at around 44°c (warm water from tap, with a little poured in from a freshly boiled kettle) and (my not so secret weapon) an aquarium heater with the thermostat setting at it's max (mine topped out at 36°c, YMMV). Drop the chemicals bottles into the waterbath, drop the sensor end of the £3 ebay digital thermometer into the tank and shut the lid. Make a coffee with rest of the kettle contents and have a sit down for 10 minutes while the tank temperature settles to 38°C. At this point you can use the water in the tank to "temper" or pre-soak the film in the developing tank for the requisite time, then throw this water away. Keep using the water in the coolbox for any rinses throughout the process, and try and keep replacing the coolbox lid between actions. In a normal temperature kitchen, i'd maybe only get a 1-2°C temperature drop in the entire process...
 
Andysnap said:
I haven't tried this one yet but I probably will at some point.

http://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/products/5157/firstcall-c41-prediluted-kit-3x-500ml-softpack

It does look straightforward and it saves mixing and pouring into other bottles once made up.

Andy
Click to expand...

I'd be interested how that goes. At £20 for 12 films it seems good value too and really simple being pre mixed with squishy bottles to get rid of air etc. I'd like to deb colour myself at some point.
 
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