Author Topic: C-41 Completely blank film (Read 3520 times)

Kayos · « **on:** February 07, 2016, 07:14:19 PM »

Is this developer sudden death?

There are no edge markings or anything, just 2 completely blank films from the same tank, different films and different cameras

The chems have been sealed up but not used for a while

subcolour · « **Reply #1 on:** February 07, 2016, 08:14:27 PM »

Last time I had that, it was the batteries going on my camera.

Edit: Just read you used different cameras, it's not going to be that then.

Indofunk · « **Reply #2 on:** February 07, 2016, 08:50:14 PM »

I had a couple of cases of C41 sudden death. Since then, based on a recco from someone on this forum, I do a leader test before every C41 development and it has never failed. Also it tells me whether the chems are getting old and weak, so I know to add 30 seconds or so.

Also based on a forumite recco, I've been militant about preventing blix -> dev contamination. I use separate pitchers (well, I always did), separate mixing utensils, I wash the tank thoroughly after each cycle, I even dry the dev pitcher far away from the blix pitcher

Like I said, never had a sudden death since

Kayos · « **Reply #3 on:** February 07, 2016, 09:00:03 PM »

Only batteries in these cameras are the small ones for the meter, otherwise 100% mechanical, plus if it was exposure then I should have edge markings.
I'm pretty careful with contamination, I mix my chems in 1l batches and store them in accordian bottles, i then heat up the required amount in separate marked bottles

Looking on Lightroom, the last time I scanned any colour was over 3 months ago, and the storage may not have been ideal temperatures, and of course my part C developer has died too, I have an unopened concentrate set to use but I think i'm going to have a full scale wash of everything first just in case

Indofunk · « **Reply #4 on:** February 07, 2016, 10:15:22 PM »

People on this forum have reported mixed results with long-term storage of C41 chems. Mostly it seems that people are able to store C41 for a long time under less-than ideal circumstances, but in my case at least one of the sudden deaths was after long term storage. There was another forumite who insisted on disposing of working dilution C41 after 30 days to avoid any inconsistent results. I think it comes down to figuring out your own level of comfort. And leader tests. Always leader tests

Kayos · « **Reply #5 on:** February 07, 2016, 10:22:37 PM »

I have the 2 leaders next to me, I got the chems warmed up and just got on with it. Luckily they were both test rolls so nothing major lost

Terry · « **Reply #6 on:** February 07, 2016, 11:08:38 PM »

Ditto that, Satish. I have separate stirring sticks and funnels (labelled 1 and 2) and I wash the tank and reel thoroughly after each use. I store the chemicals in tightly capped brown glass bottles; still using a batch of chems that I mixed in September. I always do leader tests too. My biggest problem is that the blix leaks out the top of the tank when I invert (steel tank with a rubber lid) and I'm running a bit low now!

Indofunk · « **Reply #7 on:** February 08, 2016, 12:01:34 AM »

Quote from: Terry on February 07, 2016, 11:08:38 PM

Ditto that, Satish. I have separate stirring sticks and funnels (labelled 1 and 2) and I wash the tank and reel thoroughly after each use. I store the chemicals in tightly capped brown glass bottles; still using a batch of chems that I mixed in September. I always do leader tests too. My biggest problem is that the blix leaks out the top of the tank when I invert (steel tank with a rubber lid) and I'm running a bit low now!

Aha! The one advantage of plastic tanks

I can "burp" the tank after adding blix, so it never leaks (took me a while to figure that one out, but once I did, no more purple drops flying everywhere)

Maybe you can unscrew the top ever so slightly between inversions to let the air out (but no light in)? That will also squirt some blix out, but less so than full drops when you invert.

Terry · « **Reply #8 on:** February 08, 2016, 01:44:10 PM »

Good idea! Maybe I can burp it with the filler lid...
I always wonder why the blix leaks but the dev never does. Any Ideas on that one?

Francois · « **Reply #9 on:** February 08, 2016, 01:56:13 PM »

Liquid density? Or the rubber lid tends to get softer as it warms up?

Kayos · « **Reply #10 on:** February 08, 2016, 02:11:12 PM »

I cleaned all my stuff, bottles, measuring cylinders, and other bits, but headed for the (relative) safety of black and white

I will leave the colour stuff until another day

Indofunk · « **Reply #11 on:** February 08, 2016, 03:18:13 PM »

Quote from: Terry on February 08, 2016, 01:44:10 PM

Good idea! Maybe I can burp it with the filler lid...
I always wonder why the blix leaks but the dev never does. Any Ideas on that one?

Blix is volatile, and volatile liquids are generally even more volatile at higher temperatures, so therefore lots of noxious gas production

imagesfrugales · « **Reply #12 on:** February 08, 2016, 04:59:49 PM »

Kayos, did you use an older working solution or did you make them fresh from concentrate?

Maybe this thread could be useful for you?
http://www.filmwasters.com/forum/index.php?topic=8224.0

Imo the biggest advantage of developing at room temp is that you do not presoak and so you don't dilute the developer with pure water more and more each time.

I just made a leader test with my diy 6 months old working solution and it's still active. Almost spooky. Stored in a green glass bottle and a little pfff of lighterfluid sprayed in to prevent oxidation.

Terry · « **Reply #13 on:** February 08, 2016, 05:34:22 PM »

I got 33 rolls on my last batch of C-41. I could probably have gotten more; I didn't try extending the dev time, just chucked it all out when the test strip came out a bit light. Haven't been counting on the current batch, but I'm most likely going to make a new one when the blix loss stops me. Do we have any stats on the useful life of the blix? Is it longer than the developer?

imagesfrugales · « **Reply #14 on:** February 08, 2016, 06:02:53 PM »

Hi Terry, I use single bleach and bw-fixer. The bleach almost lasts forever and bw-fixer is always at home.

Kayos · « **Reply #15 on:** February 08, 2016, 06:06:43 PM »

The reason it surprised me is I previously left a bottle of dev in the loft for 9 months and it worked fine, I've plenty of concentrate to make more, just slightly annoyed I only got about 6 rolls from this batch

imagesfrugales · « **Reply #16 on:** February 09, 2016, 09:20:34 AM »

My first C-41 kit was from Rollei, and the working solutions died after 2 months. And, as I wrote in the other thread, you never know how old the concentrates already are when they are delivered.

Terry · « **Reply #17 on:** February 09, 2016, 07:59:43 PM »

Reinhold--can you direct me to a blix recipe?
Thanks,
Terry

imagesfrugales · « **Reply #18 on:** February 09, 2016, 11:36:22 PM »

Maybe here:
http://www.bonavolta.ch/hobby/en/photo/c41_ra4_chemicals.htm

Scroll down for a simple bleach recipe with pot. ferricyanide. I didn't check it myself. I use a years old working solution from the Rollei c-41-kit that could be bought seperately. Unfortunately they redisigned the kit and now sell a combined blix.

Maybe this fertilizer can be used, still have to check:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Eisenchelat-13-Fe-EDTA-NaFe-100g-reinst-Dunger-/351136114767?hash=item51c157e84f:m:m6w-BIjqDv4eoII4gKZJupg

Terry · « **Reply #19 on:** February 10, 2016, 12:44:33 AM »

Many thanks; this is great! I see that I can get Flexicolor fixer from B&H. And I see that Artcraft sells CD-4. Magnificent.