Topic: Processing Agfa scala at home?

[Aksel]

Just got offered 42 rolls of freezer stored agfa scala.
Thinking about the issue with development, have anyone done this at home with other developers than the correct one, and if so - how are the results? I will not take the cost of sending all 40 rolls off to get them processed, so would need to be able to produce usable result from home. Should I just buy it and hope for the best or is it really just waisting good film?

[jojonas~]

ooh, I'm interested too! I got my mits on two rolls of agfa dia direct, the forerunner to agfa scala, and I'm wondering what to do with them.

asa 32!

[LT]

I've not tried it, so shouldn't really be replying, but foma made/ makes a reversal kit  - don't know if you can use that. Silver print sell it. Not sure if it is useful here though.

[Aksel]

Many thanks Leon,

Just emailed Silverprint to ask, will post their reply here.
If it works that would be superb!

[Chris A Fraser]

I am also very interested. I shot a number of rolls a few years back and love the stuff.

[Mike Crawford]

Many, many years ago when Scala first came out, Silverprint were potentially going to have a wee problem with Agfa for suggesting in a newsletter that the film could be processed with a normal bw reversal kit as well as getting it done at a lab. (There was only one UK lab, Joe's Basement who had the sanctioned processing line.) I did some tests for Martin with a kit, can't remember which one, and it worked fine. As I remember, my first and only attempt was slightly low contrast but I'm sure could have been improved with one more test. It also processes very well as a conventional bw neg but best to test to work out it's rating.

Have fun with it!
Mike
PS. I think Agfa then dropped the heavy threats!

[LT]

Thanks Mike - interesting.   

I've got some instructions in my Ilford Darkroom Practice Manual on home-brew (sort of) film reversal processing chemicals - based around Bromophen. I can copy them out here if anyone is interested in DIYing it? I think it works with any mono film (maybe with the exception of xp2)

[Francois]

Yep, they work with any B&W film. They'd also work with slide and XP2 since the color part isn't developed and the silver is not bleached in the same way as C-41.
It's one of those develop, stop, bleach, re-expose, re-develop, fix type of process.

[Aksel]

That´s good news, Many thanks for the info Mike!
I ended up buying the lot, hoping to find a good solution to the dev. issue 

[jojonas~]

It also processes very well as a conventional bw neg but best to test to work out it's rating.

this is what I'm after, thanks mike! thinking I'll just make a caffenol or rodinal stand or my standard 4min in dektol.

[Mike Crawford]

If it's processed as conventional BW, I think it's best rated (or tested at) 100 ISO, but I might have got that the wrong way round!

I can't remember how BW films are rated if they are being processed as tranny but wasn't it 100 rated at 200 for slide? Or was it 50?

Memory gone! I'm sure someone will know.

[jojonas~]

worth looking up. I know you should expose for different iso if you want to make slides out of negative film atleast.

[Mike Crawford]

this is what I'm after, thanks mike! thinking I'll just make a caffenol or rodinal stand or my standard 4min in dektol.

Just a thought, but the comments I made were about Scala which was sold as a 200 ISO film. Pretty fair to say, and I doubt I will be sued now, that it was a conventional BW film, perhaps with a few adjustments to the emulsion. However, don't know myself what Dia Direct was, or more importantly if it was a normal BW film reverse processed. (I did shoot a roll once in the 70s but don't remember much what it was like!). Scala came out some time after DD finished so don't know if it was from the same family.

[Yglotte]

Here's, if you're interesseted, a lab in Paris who developpes it http://www.arkalab.com/arka-labo-photo-paris/services-argentiques/film-scala-200x.php

[Aksel]

I got a reply from Silverprint today; not totally convinced but I´ll give it a try.
First things first - need to get out there an shoot some of that Scala 


"We love the Foma Reversal Kit, the only thing on the market at the moment to enable customers to develop their own reversal film!  With the kit you do not get instructions on a variety of film as you must be aware, we cannot advise a particular method but only say that you will need to experiment with it to get the results you need.

Perhaps you could do a trial run with a different film before using on the Scala"


Edit: thanks Yglotte, if I shoot anything that feels important I`ll hand it over to those who know what they´r doing 

[Francois]

Here's, if you're interesseted, a lab in Paris who developpes it http://www.arkalab.com/arka-labo-photo-paris/services-argentiques/film-scala-200x.php

Tu sais, tu pourrais ajouter l'addresse dans le forum des ressources
On ne sait jamais si ça pourrait servir à d'autres.