Developing C41 Color Process Film

[InbetweenDreams]

This thread will go over all the items you will need to develop C41 color film, the steps and my experiences (so far) with doing it. You do have to buy some equipment, supplies and so forth which might be expensive. I also want to inform that the chemicals used are toxic and you really should dispose of the old chemicals properly, really bad to just dump it down the drain.

Here's all the items that I bought when I started developing film...

1 - Yankee YAFP Funnel (16-oz) - $3.95
1- Doran DOTTFC TFC Precision 1.75" Dial Thermometer with 6" Stem - $19.95
1 -Kalt KACBS Small Changing Bag Double Zipper - $24.95
1 -Paterson PAUT2R Universal Tank with Two Reels (Super System 4) - $26.75
4 -Photographers' Formulary PHAGBNM1000M Amber Glass Bottle with Narrow Mouth - 1000ml - $4.95
1 - Tetenal TEC41PK C-41 Press Kit for Color Negative Film (Powder) - $24.50
1 - Wolverine WOF2D20S Super F2D 4-in-1 Film to Digital Converter - $99.95

Latex/rubber gloves. Get a box of these, you don't want chemicals getting on your skin.
Consider using mats to avoid the chemicals from staining surfaces...

So lets go over the list. You will need a funnel dedicated for developing film, I wouldn't recommend using one you use for food/drinks. You will need a stemmed thermometer to get accurate temperatures. Unless you have access to a dark room (and keep in mind red light will expose C41 film) you will need a changing bag to work the film onto the patterson reel.

Speaking of the patterson reel. The reel I got will load up to two rolls of film. They make other, larger, reels that can accept up to 8 rolls of film, however, requires more chemicals and will not fit in the changing bad. The reel can be changed to accept different types of film so make sure you have it set to accept 35 mm film, don't worry everything comes with instructions and you can be like me and cheat and watch some youtube videos (I will post some).

You will really only need 3 amber bottles, this is to store the mixed chemicals. You could store the chemicals in a refridgerator, you do want to keep them out of light and in a cool place, but make sure you dry off any excess chemicals that might have ran down the sides or bottom, you do not want this stuff to come into contact with food.

The C41 press kit contains the chemical mixes, comes with the instructions on how to mix. Be careful, wear gloves... Lastly a film scanner. If you have a really good, high dpi scanner you can skip purchasing this. It is a pretty good film scanner, accepts all types of film but there are much better film scanners available but be prepared to spend a lot more money.

So here's been my experience developing film...

You will first need to get the film loaded on to the patterson reels. So I place the following items inside the changing bag. Scissors, a bottle opener, the patterson reel and lid and the film. These steps are done in complete darkness. You have to pop the top off the film canister to get the film out and then cut the end of the film. Don't worry too much there is a bit of leader from the edge of the film so you will likely not cut into the picture, but to be safe cut as close to the film canister as you can. Once you have the film cut work it into the reel. You will twist the reel back and forth which feeds the film into the reel. Once you have it loaded into the reel, load the reel into the tank and put the lid on. If you decided to do two rolls of film just repeat...

Here's a video showing you how to load a patterson reel:




Now the difference here is that you can't get a hold of the feeder because if your camera is like mine it rewinds the film, so you have no choice but to pop it open and cut it first. But once you get the film canister open, yes cut the leader off as shown and you will also cut the end off of the spindle. Question me if you need clarification....

So at this point you need to have the film loaded in the patterson reel. You can take it out of the bag as long as the top is on and secure (the lid is only put on to mix chemicals).

You have to heat the developer and blix up to 104 F (40 C). Use the thermometer to watch that. What I did was use a large pan and filled it with hot water. I just put a pot of water on the stove and heated it up, dumping into the large pan with the bottles of developer and blix sitting in the pan. Once you get the developer up to 104 F (40 C) you will pour the developer into the patterson tank and if I remember correctly the developer stays in for 3 minutes with inversions every 30 seconds. Refer to the instructions that come with the C41 press kit. After that, use the funnel the fill the amber bottle back with the developer. The kit can process 8 rolls of film, so you will keep reusing the chemicals until they are depleted. I do not believe there is a rinse, I think you go straight into the blix step, the process is the same, blix is 104 F (40 C) and I do remember the blix being 6 minutes and the same 30 second inversions. After the blix you will rinse with water at 104 F for 30 seconds. The last stage is the stabilizer which is ok at room temperature where you stir for the first 15 second and sit for a total of 45 seconds. After that, you will need to let the film dry. I might add that the stabilizer might leave some residue on the film so you might consider a quick rinse after the stabilizer however I have not tried that myself and I do not know if there might be any effects of doing so.

Anyway the bottom line is follow the instructions on the C41 press kit, different kits may have different instructions and are probably different than what I have posted here.

The film will take about 45 minutes or longer to dry. You will want to dry it in a dust free enviroment, the film is very sticky when it is wet and dust will stick to it.

Here's what you can expect if everything goes well:

PICT0022 by axle2152, on Flickr

PICT0019 by axle2152, on Flickr

PICT0023 by axle2152, on Flickr

PICT0040 by axle2152, on Flickr

Feel free to ask questions.