Rolf-Werner
Hi everyone,
What have your experiences been with the ADOX RA-4 kit in terms of the shelf life of the concentrates?
I opened the kit in May and used 100 ml – just to test it out, so to speak. The residue has been stored in a relatively cool cupboard, covered with Protectan, ever since.
I’ll be doing some more work on it soon. Can I carry on using it without any worries, or should I get a new kit instead?
Thanks for any tips!
Rolf
jonny
Unfortunately, I don’t have any first-hand experience with this kit. But as they say, ‘the proof is in the pudding’. If the chemicals are off, you’ll notice it straight away (lack of black) and you can always reorder.
€
If you’d like a more theoretical explanation:
I use Kodak RA-4 chemicals (Ektacolor RT/LU, 5 litres). The developer concentrate consists of three parts: A, B and C. The consensus among users is that, contrary to intuition, preparing partial batches of the concentrates is generally not advisable, as one part—which is particularly sensitive to oxidation (developer part B?)—is packaged with a special protective gas (not just ordinary Protectan), which prevents a specific reaction from occurring in that particular concentrate. As soon as the bottle containing the concentrate is opened, the gas escapes and the degradation process can begin. The shelf life is then relatively better in the stock solution, so they say. Furthermore, the precise measurement of small and very small partial quantities is fundamentally prone to error. It is therefore better to always prepare the entire batch in one go (demineralised water is preferable) and store it completely airtight (ideally, for example, in a bag-in-box wine bag, from which partial quantities can be removed without air entering). In that case, storage periods of several months are normally no problem with Kodak chemicals. This may be similar with the ADOX kit, but not necessarily so.
Rolf-Werner
Actually, theory is always welcome :)
The wine skins are a brilliant idea – thanks for the tip, Elizabeth! Where can you get them?
Best wishes,
Rolf
jonny
The bags are available in various sizes for just a few pence on eBay, including
here. However, I don’t put a 5-litre batch into a 5-litre bag; instead, I divide it between two 3-litre bags to make it easier to handle. The bags can, of course, be reused without any problem once they’ve been cleaned.
Rolf-Werner
Now I’ve got a result, so I’m bringing this thread back up.
?
Last weekend I prepared a new batch of RA4 using the concentrates I’d opened back in May. The aim was to make some contact prints. Part I showed silvery, shiny flocculations, but in principle everything was still working.
?
Although I’d set the filtration for the film back in May (Ektar 100, Y55 and M55), the contact prints using the same film now showed a distinct red cast. I turned M down to 60, which helped, but in the blue parts of the image it now has more of a purple cast; I felt like I could filter myself to death.
?
Not all the prints have this cast; some look rather too green, but it was clear that I wouldn’t be using this for the final prints. At the very least, I’m going to order a new pack and test it with the same negatives and the same settings.
?
Hope that wasn’t too amateurish and that it helps a bit. As soon as I have further results, I’ll get back to you, though it might take a few more weeks...
?
Best regards,
Rolf
ZalmanYanowsky
Hello Rolf,
I haven’t developed colour film for a few years now (to be precise: not since Kleinschmidt’s brilliant RA 4 - RT was discontinued), but up until then I did so frequently and with good, consistent results.
Far be it from me to play the know-it-all, but I doubt that the poor results you’re complaining about are caused by incorrect filtering. When you write that you ‘turn filters in’, I must assume you’re talking about densitometric densities (not Agfa or Kodak densities). Now, the difference between these three is barely discernible given such a small difference in density, so I flatly dispute that increasing from M 55 to M 60 reduces a red cast, let alone a distinct red cast as per your description. I consider this to be a coincidence and caused by one of several imponderables to which you seem to be exposed in the setup you described.
I believe there are other causes at play here. A concentrate that was opened six months ago strikes me as suspect, especially as the colour casts you are now producing are not consistent, but even veer towards green, and blue areas are taking on a purple cast.
I would throw the residue of the concentrate away without hesitation (for block supervisors: dispose of it properly) and carry on with fresh chemicals.
Are you sure your paper is still in good condition? Do you keep it in the fridge? How old is it? Are the (unexposed) whites, to put it euphemistically, turning ivory-coloured?
Good luck and do let me know how it goes! I’ve only just stumbled across this forum and don’t know all its features yet. Can you send private messages here?
Best regards, Zal
Gast
I reckon the contents of that two-year-old thread have already been disposed of (properly) :)
