C-41 supplies

[ronald moravec]

I want to process some 4x5 sheets and all the local places use dip and dunk with clips that mangle the sheets.

Since I have used my 3010 Jobo in the past with perfect results, I am trying to find supplies without luck.

Helix in Chicago no longer carries any C41. Calumet is out of stock on bleach.

What is the solution for use who still want to develope their own? Do labs order direct from Kodak and would Kodak even ship 5 gallon quantities? Will hasmat fees make this impossible?

[Nick_3536]

There must be somebody in Chicago that supplies mini-labs etc. See if they will sell to you.

[RPNugent]

B&H lists two Tetanal kits in stock with no shipping restrictions. I have used their RA4 kits in the past with good luck but have not used the C41 so can't speak for how well they work.

[Al Seyle]

Freestyle

[Greg Lockrey]

Adorama ships...at least they did a couple of months ago.

[Donald Qualls]

On topic here -- do any of these suppliers sell actual Kodak Flexicolor liquid chemicals in "makes a gallon" sizes, and ship them (Adorama, for instance, won't ship many/most liquids)? I'm interested in starting home C-41 (the only way I'll ever be able to think about shooting color in my Speed Graphic), and I'm having trouble finding the chemicals locally. I've heard photochemistry experts mildly diss the kits, and the Kodak chemistry doesn't require starters, so can be used with one-shot dilution of the developer -- if I can find it!

[Nick_3536]

You have to be carefull. Some of the Kodak doesn't need starters. Some do.

You can also look for Fuji Hunt chemicals. I don't know if the developer needs a starter but the bleach and fixer don't need a starter chemical. Unless it's changed

[Greg Lockrey]

On topic here -- do any of these suppliers sell actual Kodak Flexicolor liquid chemicals in "makes a gallon" sizes, and ship them (Adorama, for instance, won't ship many/most liquids)? I'm interested in starting home C-41 (the only way I'll ever be able to think about shooting color in my Speed Graphic), and I'm having trouble finding the chemicals locally. I've heard photochemistry experts mildly diss the kits, and the Kodak chemistry doesn't require starters, so can be used with one-shot dilution of the developer -- if I can find it!

Are you sure? The chemistry I get is all liquid. I do buy the kits though.

[Henry Ambrose]

I've had good luck with the Tetenal C41 kits.

[Robert Ley]

I have had good success with Fuji-Hunt C-41 as well as there RA-4.
I order these chemicals as well as film from Unique Photo in NJ. They have really good service and ship very quickly. The Fuji Hunt c-41 requires starter for the bleach as well as the developer, but I find that not to be a great problem. They are all liquid and very easy to mix and seem to be very economical as well. Check them out athttp://www.uniquephoto.com/
If you PM me I can send you the ordering numbers for the individual chemicals needed, as they are not sold as a kit.

[ronald moravec]

The Tetenal Kits are C41 press kits and I used to use them with great sucess. While coresponding with Germany when I was trying to decipher the date codes, I was told the kits have not been made in years and any stock is surely past shelf life and should be discarded.

Adorama seems to not charge hasmat fees. At least they are not listed on the website like B&H has listed.

Maybe I`ll try Unique Photo.

[Tom Kershaw]

Do you mean this kit?

http://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/pp/Developing_Chemicals/Colour_Negative_Film_Developers/Tetenal_Colortec_C41_Negative_Kit,_5_litre.html

Tom.

[Juergen Sattler]

On topic here -- do any of these suppliers sell actual Kodak Flexicolor liquid chemicals in "makes a gallon" sizes, and ship them (Adorama, for instance, won't ship many/most liquids)? I'm interested in starting home C-41 (the only way I'll ever be able to think about shooting color in my Speed Graphic), and I'm having trouble finding the chemicals locally. I've heard photochemistry experts mildly diss the kits, and the Kodak chemistry doesn't require starters, so can be used with one-shot dilution of the developer -- if I can find it!
Adorama ships - I buy liquid and powdered chemicals from them all the time. B&H will not ship liquid chemicals.

[Donald Qualls]

Thanks, Juergen, I found Adorama today. I ordered my stuff, it's on the way, hopefully will arrive before Thanksgiving. :)

BTW, Adorama also has the Kodak chemicals clearly labeled for which do and which don't need starters; the "makes a gallon" Flexicolor Developer is starter-free, non-replenished, for use in small tanks and tubes (i.e. exactly the way I use developer), and being liquid, can even be diluted as it's used (which will probably help the keeping time of the developer). The others don't seem to need starters -- Bleach III, Fixer (which is so cheap it's now my B&W rapid fixer, too), and Final Rinse have replenisher, but don't call for starters.

So, Ron, if you're still looking, it's about $48 plus shipping for the Kodak brand startup chemicals from Adorama, and you're ready to go. No hazmat, you don't have to replenish, and you don't even have to buy 5 gallon lots.

[ronald moravec]

The Tetenal kit I was refering to was an all powder kit and that was the pictured item on the B&H site. They worked well when I used them, but no longer manufactured.

One component of the Tetenal kit that was furnished as all liguid seemed to have a short shelf life as every one i saw in the stores was bad. i am therefore hesitent to purchase another.

It is nice to no there are non hasmat fees from Adorama. That is a real deal killer for small volumns.

[Henry Ambrose]

I never used the Tetenal powder press kits. I used the liquid kit that makes 5 liters.

Its good to see that Adorama has the small Kodak sizes and ships without hazmat fees. Why is it that B&H won't ship the same products?

[Donald Qualls]

I think B&H just doesn't want to be bothered figuring out how to ship stuff safely and legally. I've been told they won't even ship Diafine -- presumably because the boxes are marked with the liquid volume the contents will make, even though the contents are powder in cans.

Alternately, they may choose to ship with a shipper that restricts what they can carry. Most photographic chemicals are ORM-D classificiation, which means they can be shipped by ground in properly marked packaging and UPS will carry them as such without restriction. FedEx, Airborne, etc., generally, will not, or charge huge hazmat fees (possibly a legacy of their air-only origins, even though both have surface shipping divisions now).

[Donald Qualls]

You know, though formulary do sell CD-2 and CD-4, I looked and looked and didn't see any C-41 chemicals other than their mini-lab line (in quantities too big for home use, and likely requiring pallet freight shipping). And I note that though they sell CD-4 in 100 gram quantity, they can only ship in up to 30 gram container and hazmat may apply.

According to Ron Mowry, the formulae on the 'net for C-41 color dev are only "kinda sorta" -- they'll produce a color negative, but the color won't be accurate, even in a manner that can be corrected out with filtration in printing.

[Nick_3536]

I think Ron is being overly conservative. Ask and I'll bet many of us will answer that the home brewed C-41 developers work. I've taken film shot of the same image to a lab and compared it to film processed myself. The enlarger settings didn't change. That's close enough for me. Ron will say I need to compare more then that and from the view point of an engineer he's right. But the prints look the same to me.

http://www.jdphotochem.com/

I don't know if JD needs hazmat for the US or not. The stuff they send me here in Canada hasn't in the past.

[Donald Qualls]

I've taken film shot of the same image to a lab and compared it to film processed myself. The enlarger settings didn't change.

That's as close as it needs to be, IMO. The print is what matters, but if you don't even have to change the filters, the only issues might be with longevity.

Either way, with Adorama shipping the Real Deal, I'm not inclined to mess with trying to mix my own (though I said that about B&W developers a year or so ago, and now my primary developer is a homebrew).

BTW, I'm pretty sure JD will tell you if hazmat is needed, if you ask about the specific items in question. Might be interesting, too, to see if he'd put together a C-41 developer "kit" -- as he does for a few other things, IIRC, premeasured ingredients to produce a convenient quantity of this or that developer. The Tetenal, Arista, etc. kits are just too expensive, no savings over taking my film to the lab, but getting the chems from JD Photochem might well save a good bit, even over the Kodak liquids (and likely save a bunch on shipping, too).

[Nick_3536]

JD has their own C-41 and RA-4 kits. I've never used the C-41 but have used the RA-4. The impression I get is they mix the stuff up for mini-lab use.

[Donald Qualls]

I see they do, and a pretty decent price as well - and the kits are not on their list of hazmat items. They may well mix it for mini-labs, but they probably don't sell many 500 ml kits to mini-labs. That's a lot to pay to process one roll of 120, though I'd guess that, like most kits, they have instructions for reusing the color dev and adding X amount of time as the capacity is used up.

If I hadn't just ordered the Kodak kit setup, I might well give one of their gallon kits a try; under $40 shipped isn't bad...

[Nick_3536]

I haven't glanced at the C-41 info in awhile but if it's like their RA-4 setup you just make up what you need. I make up 250ml of developer and 500ml of blix. The blix keeps a lot longer so I don't worry about it going bad. With C-41 and bleach and fix versus blix you could likely get away with mixing up the bleach and fix in full volume and only mixing the amount of developer you need.

[Donald Qualls]

Nick, that's exactly what I plan -- mix a liter of fixer at a time, probably, since that's the most I'll need in a single tank, same for bleach, and one-shot the developer. Given the prices, only the bleach will be painful to rebuy, so I'll just buy the other bits as needed.

And I got confirmation in today's e-mail, order placed on Friday shipped today and should be here (in North Carolina) on Wednesday, in time to play over the long weekend.

I've even got a box of NPH 4x5 that was given to me, albeit expired and tungsten balanced. Have to look, I might have an 85 series filter of one sort or another around here somewhere (though at least with negative film, I can correct at printing/scanning, if needed).

[chassis]

Old thread... Does anyone know a Chicago-, Indianapolis- or Detroit-based supplier of Flexicolor C-41 chemistry? Cincinnati or Columbus would also work.

Looking for an outfit similar to Unique Photo in New Jersey. Thanks for any suggestions. Google's and Alaris' sites didn't provide an answer.

[Tin Can]

Searching results Flexicolor is long gone.

2 years ago I bought a C41 kit at Central Camera Chicago. Never used it.

[Bob Salomon]

Old thread... Does anyone know a Chicago-, Indianapolis- or Detroit-based supplier of Flexicolor C-41 chemistry? Cincinnati or Columbus would also work.

Looking for an outfit similar to Unique Photo in New Jersey. Thanks for any suggestions. Google's and Alaris' sites didn't provide an answer.
Roberts?

[Steven Ruttenberg]

I used the unicolor kit for c-41 and it worked perfect. Got it here http://www.ultrafineonline.com/cophch.html

Shipped to my house in AZ. I think restrictions are for shipping overseas.

[chassis]

Thanks Bob. I checked Roberts Camera website and found no chemicals. I’ll call next week.

Flexicolor is alive and well at Unique Photo.

Where does Richard Photo Lab in California source their C-41 chemicals?

[Bob Salomon]

Thanks Bob. I checked Roberts Camera website and found no chemicals. I’ll call next week.

Flexicolor is alive and well at Unique Photo.

Where does Richard Photo Lab in California source their C-41 chemicals?

I don’t know but go to the Omega-Brandess web site and you will find Flexicolor.

[Tin Can]

Is bleach the key to Flexicoior?

IDK as I I have not used it, but I don't see all chems.

https://www.uniquephoto.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.results&searchString=flexicolor



Thanks Bob. I checked Roberts Camera website and found no chemicals. I’ll call next week.

Flexicolor is alive and well at Unique Photo.

Where does Richard Photo Lab in California source their C-41 chemicals?

[chassis]

Thanks again Bob. Randy, Flexicolor is the brand name Kodak uses for their suite of C-41 chemicals: developer, bleach, fixer and final rinse. Similar to the brand name Ektacolor for RA-4 chemistry.

Again, this is a question about where a brick-and-mortar business (physical store) can be found, where C-41 chemicals can be purchased over the counter, in the upper Ohio River valley of the United States. This phenomenon, that of a brick-and-mortar business selling C-41 chemicals, exists in central-northern New Jersey. To wit, Unique Photo.

Ordering C-41 chemistry online is easy and available. And expensive because of special handling charges. I want to avoid the special handling charges.

Is anyone able to give a specific recommendation of a walk-in business that sells C-41 chemistry in the upper midwest? Thanks.

[Tin Can]

Well, Amazon sells a C-41 powder kit for $30 and $8 shipping.

It popped up when looking for the LED Pere suggested!

https://www.amazon.com/Ultrafine-Unicolor-Powder-Developer-Liter/dp/B00OU6LXUG/ref=pd_rhf_schuc_s_cp_0_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00OU6LXUG&pd_rd_r=2D8QZHV7XFJ7Q18PYHJT&pd_rd_w=O1Xuv&pd_rd_wg=NsSBs&psc=1&refRID=2D8QZHV7XFJ7Q18PYHJT

[Tin Can]

Have you called Central Camera?


Searching results Flexicolor is long gone.

2 years ago I bought a C41 kit at Central Camera Chicago. Never used it.

[chassis]

Thanks again Randy. I want to stick with liquid Kodak-branded chemicals. I will call Central Camera and Robert's.

[Bob Salomon]

Thanks again Randy. I want to stick with liquid Kodak-branded chemicals. I will call Central Camera and Robert's.

You do know that Omega-Brandess is the U.S. distributor for Kodak don’t you? The camera stores that sell this stuff get it from them. So they can tell you who sells it.

[chassis]

I didn't know that Bob, thanks. I'll also call O-B.