C41 Saving chemistry?

PhilippReichmuth · 2005-06-04T15:16:28+00:00

Hallo ihr, ich habe hier einen älteren Rotations-Durchlaufprozessor V50 von Mafina für die Filmentwicklung. Sehr schönes Teil, voll programmierbar und beste...

PhilippReichmuth

Hi everyone, I’ve got an older Mafina V50 rotary processor here for film development. It’s a lovely piece of kit, fully programmable and basically consists of washing machine technology (http://laborfoto.de/V_50.htm). The unit has a drum for four 120 or three 135 films and uses around 500 to 600 ml of chemicals per bath, which unfortunately (here’s the catch) cannot be recovered. There is a chemical separator available for the unit, but I don’t own one. Developing C41 works quite well in itself, but with Tetenal chemicals at least, it’s a total waste because the machine discards the bath after three to four films, even though you could use it to develop the same amount of film again. Is there an alternative option here? Can I simply perform 50% dilution of the C41 chemicals, or are there alternative C41 chemical kits I could use? Thanks – Philipp

Gast

Hi Philipp, If I’ve understood you correctly, your machine needs about 500 ml for 4 films. The 500 ml capacity is enough for about 6 films. So you won’t be losing too much. Have a look at Amalogo; they offer a robust C41 developer that you can dilute slightly without any loss of quality. http://www.phototec.de/catalog/pdf/dilu_01.pdf Perhaps it will be helpful. Regards, Raimar

PhilippReichmuth

Hi Raimar, Thanks for the link. The machine’s film capacity depends on the type of film. With roll film, four rolls fit on the drum; with 35mm films, only three, because it’s longer and has to be wound at an angle. For roll film, the machine is still reasonably efficient – in other words, by using four rolls instead of six, it only wastes a third of its potential capacity. With 35mm film, I can only get three rolls out of the 500ml, which is just 50% and, in the long run, too inefficient for me. With the ‘large’ 3l Tetenal kit, the development of a single roll of film then costs around four euros. Basically, I’d need a C41 chemical set that can be diluted by about 50%, but I don’t think such a thing exists – though I’d be happy to be proven wrong. Philipp

MirkoBoeddecker

Phillip, That won’t work because of the Bleach bath. At such a high dilution, I doubt it’ll bleach properly. Besides, you’ll be in a right mess with the timings and colour balance. Couldn’t you simply ‘replace’ the ‘chemical separator’ with two measuring jugs, which you place under the drain one after the other by hand? I once had an old US processor that worked the same way, and for environmental reasons alone, you really should collect BX and DEV separately and take them for disposal. It worked well for me – except that I couldn’t go for a coffee while developing, but had to stand with a bucket at the ready and quickly place it underneath when the liquid came out. The wash water simply drains away – as there’s no jug on the rack (or if I should ever – shame on me – have forgotten), it drains through a funnel and hose into the drain. Principle: Hose – jug or not – rack, funnel, drain. Regards, Mirko

mau

I ‘inherited’ a similar item 10 years ago and do the same as Mirko. PS. When cleaning, add a little of the solution used in the first wash cycle to the first load of washing water. This ensures that any remaining fix residues don’t spoil the results.

Gast

This ensures that any leftover fixative doesn’t ruin the results.

Thanks! Even though I don’t do any colour photography at home, you’ve saved my evening :-) Best regards, Franz