Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/02/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I'm sorry for posting to this thread so late but I was swamped by work and didn't get to read my groups until today. I started processing my C41 a few years ago because the local labs were terribly untidy and always returned my negatives scratched and fingerprinted, not to mention that they never managed to understand that cutting the film in five frame strips for 35mm (or three frames in the case of 6x6) was important to me for archiving reasons. The other motive for "rolling my own" is that I shoot a few sheets of 4x5 every now and then and none of the local labs handle it. After trying a variety of chemicals, the solution I've found to be the most economical in the long run, and one that avoids the stale chemicals problem is the Kodak chemilcals intended for minilabs, named Flexicolor C-41 LORR . The initial set meant a substantial expense but the developer replenisher keeps really well in the fridge for more than a year; 15 months is the longest I have kept the three part concentrates open. They are intended for 10 litres of replenisher but it needs to be "aged" by means of a very cheap developer "Starter" that keeps forever to make fresh developer work solution (remember it is a type of chemicals meant for minilabs) so you actually end with about 11 litres -about four gallons- of fresh Developer per bottle set. Fortunately the Starter is very cheap and doesn't go stale as only a very small amount is required and comes in a one liter bottle of concentrate. The Bleach and Fix keep perfectly out of the fridge (I have an open jug of bleach that has kept well for nearly two years) and the Final Rinse also seems to keep forever. At first, I tried to replenish the solutions (very easy to do if you use a precise graduate) since the only critical replenishment is that of the developer. However, noticing that at the rate I was shooting C41 the ten liters of developer would last four years, I started dumping it every two uses (you increment the process time by 15" per use) and just replenish the other solutions. It comes out at about twenty five cents (USD) per roll. By using the LORR solutions, the whole process is faster than B&W since there are no intermediate rinses. You go from one solution to the other and are done in less than twenty minutes, including the five minute preheat of the dry tank in the CPE-2. I hope it still helps. - --Jorge. * * * * http://www.jorgemtrevino.com * * * * - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeffery Smith" <jls@runbox.com> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Sent: Monday, January 26, 2004 4:38 PM Subject: RE: [Leica] Any of you use a JOBO CPE-2? - THANKS! > Many thanks to those of you who gave me feedback on the CPE-2. I ordered > one with the lift. For those of you using Tetanal, the guy at JOBO told > me that they are phasing out the 1-liter powdered version of the > chemicals. They never did distribute the tablet form in the US, so it is > 5-liter kits for me. > > Jeffery Smith > New Orleans, LA > > > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html