"contamination" between b/w and C41 chemistry?

[Havoc]

Right now I've only done b/w development. But I do have quite a lot of color negative film around so I thought I'd try C41 development. But I've read so much about keeping all those chemicals separated etc that I'm a bit scared of starting.

- I got a separate set of beakers for my CPE2 so I do not have to use the b/w ones for C41
- likewise I got separate storage bottles

BUT:
- do I keep the tanks also separated?
- somewhere I read that you should not use the stabiliser in the same tank you develop in. But the film is on the reel, I don't see myself swapping reels with wet film. Or am I getting to paranoid?
- can I mix the chemicals in the same (plastic) measuring beakers or should I get different ones as well?

Any other things I need to take care of before starting?

[koraks]

I use the same equipment for any process and any kind of solution, so no dedicated tanks or beakers for color/B&W, dev, fix etc. etc. I just rinse everything immediately after use. No problems at all.

[Corran]

Same. Just rinse everything, which should be your SOP anyway.

[Mick Fagan]

With regard to the stabiliser bath at the end of C41, I always used either a dedicated jug or tray, depending upon whether it was roll film or sheet film. This is the only thing in film developing that I have ever kept as a dedicated unit. Washing a stabiliser bath dish/tray, or jug, takes quite a while to eradicate the surfactant in the solution, so only for that bath have I ever used a dedicated container.

Everything else is just washed, then re-used for whatever process is next.

If you have sheet film on reels, remove each sheet separately and run each individual sheet through the stabiliser bath. I do this by hand; wear gloves. For roll film, I separate the reel and quickly turn the half reel with the film on, then drop it into the stabiliser bath.

Mick.

[Havoc]

Ok, so I'm overthinking it. "Paralysis by analysis" as it is sometimes said on this forum.

But if I can keep the stabiliser in a separate container it will save time cleaning and washing up. Which I don't like. As I do have more tanks than I really need that is an option.

Thanks guys.

[Jim Noel]

Cleaning and washing up is a necessary task in the darkroom if you want to maintain consistent results.