Developing with Tetenal C41 Kit

[Matei Bejenaru]

I bought a Jobo CPA-2 developing machine and Jobo 3005 and 3010 expert drum planfilm tanks in the idea to develop my Kodak Portra 4x5 and 8x10 films. I use Tetenal C41 developing kit.
Is anyone can advice me which is the best speed to be set on the machine for the rotation of the tank? Should I leave it at "F" or to increase the speed?
The last stabilisation bath should be made with the tank in rotation? After this bath should I rinse again the film in distilled water or just dry it? I am asking this because after the stabilisation bath the film plates were lathered ("shampooned").
Thank you in advance for your answer,
Matei Bejenaru

[tgtaylor]

I bought a Jobo CPA-2 developing machine and Jobo 3005 and 3010 expert drum planfilm tanks in the idea to develop my Kodak Portra 4x5 and 8x10 films. I use Tetenal C41 developing kit.
Is anyone can advice me which is the best speed to be set on the machine for the rotation of the tank? Should I leave it at "F" or to increase the speed?
The last stabilisation bath should be made with the tank in rotation? After this bath should I rinse again the film in distilled water or just dry it? I am asking this because after the stabilisation bath the film plates were lathered ("shampooned").
Thank you in advance for your answer,
Matei Bejenaru

Marei,

For the expert drums, set the rotation speed to 4 (P for 1500 and 2500 series drums). [B]Do not[B] put the stablizer in the unit! Instead, imerse the reel/sheets in stablizer off the unit. I use a Crayola Sidewalk chalk container that holds a little more that 1 liter and cost me ~$2.50 at Walmart. Also, [B]do not[B] rinse the film after the stablizer step. Just squeeze it and hang to dry.

Thomas

[BradS]

If I may add a somewhat related question...how critical is process temperature? I do not have a Jobo machine anymore but was thinking about running a deep tank line. The instructions I read seemed to imply that deep tank solutions would have to be held at around 100 degrees F...but then, they also implied that rotary processing could be done at a variety of temperatures.....???

[John Brady]

I process 8x10 with a cpp2 set at 4 also. With the tetenal kit I pre soak for a couple of minutes in 100f water then develop for 3.5 min and blix at 100f for 6 min. I rinse in the drum for a few minutes at 100f. Then I remove and soak all sheets in a large tray then do the final rinse in a separate tray.

My understanding is that you can vary the temps and the times accordingly but I haven't experimented with it.

The tetenal kit has worked very well for me following the above. It is much faster and easier then developing e-6.

www.gladesgallery.com

[tgtaylor]

If I may add a somewhat related question...how critical is process temperature? I do not have a Jobo machine anymore but was thinking about running a deep tank line. The instructions I read seemed to imply that deep tank solutions would have to be held at around 100 degrees F...but then, they also implied that rotary processing could be done at a variety of temperatures.....???

Pasted below are the C-41 process times recommended by Kodak. With the exception of the stablizer, which I do off processor in a small container at room temperature, I keep the circulating water in the Jobo at a temperature of 100.4F. As noted below, the temperature is critical with the developer (100.4 +- 1/4 degree F) and can vary with the bleach, wash and fix. The Jobo will maintain the correct temperature - especially for the most important process - the developer. It will tend to drift about a degree during the wash because you're removing bottles and not replacing them with full bottles at the correct temperature until after the wash (6 changes of water in 3 minutes).

Processors, Process C-41
Table 3-5 Steps and Conditions—Rotary-Tube
Processors, Process C-41RA
Solution/Step Time*
(min:sec)
* Times include a 10-second drain time at the end of each step. Solution
volume depends on the type of processor.
Temperature
°C (°F)
Optional Warm-Up†
tempered water bath
or hot air
† Tube is loaded with film and ready for processing. Determine the best
time by calibrating the tube. See Process Control and Adjustment. Do
not immerse the film in a warm water pre-soak. Warm-up step is
done by warming the outside of the tube with hot air or in a
tempered water bath.
2:00 to 6:00 38 to 45
(100.4 to 113)
FLEXICOLOR Developer 3:15‡
‡ Determine the correct time for your processor by running a test with
your tube. See Process Control and Adjustment.
37.8 ± 0.15
(100.0 ± 0.25)
FLEXICOLOR Bleach III 6:30 24 to 38
(75 to 100)
FLEXICOLOR Fixer 6:30 24 to 38
(75 to 100)
Wash 3:00 24 to 38
(75 to 100)
FLEXICOLOR Stabilizer III§
§ If stabilizer foaming in the tube is a problem, you can stabilize the film
in a separate tank.
1:30 24 to 38
(75 to 100)
Dry As needed 20 to 60
(68 to 140

[Matei Bejenaru]

Dear Thomas and John,
Thank you for your mesages. I've made some tests today taking into consideration Thomas advices:
- I made the stabilisation bath in a tray and, after 2 min, I hang the 4x5 negatives.
- when they became dry, I noticed that there is a non-uniform layer semitransparent on the negative (from the stabilisation bath layer which get dry?).
Do you have any idea why?
Also, as I wrote before, I use a Jobo expert drum. Another problem occured:
-on an edge of the negative there is a stripe of undeveloping. Because of the incorrect positioning of the film in the tank? I think that this is my mistake and not a design of the tank problem.

Thank you in advance for your comments,
Matei Bejenaru

[John Brady]

Consider trying the presoak that I described, also you can feel along the seams of the film and make sure the film isn't overlapped. Also try the tray bath after rinsing the film on the processor. You will be amazed how much red pigment comes off the film even after thorough rinsing in the drum. It doesn't take too much stabilizer, make sure you're not adding too much.

Hope this helps.

[Henry Ambrose]

Tetenal C41 chemistry has not been made for several years, I think.
How old dis your kit?

[John Brady]

Hi Henry, I just bought some last week from B&H
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/474986-REG/Tetenal_T102238_C_41_Developer_for_Color.html
I think it's still being produced, they have an e-6 kit also but I haven't tried it.
www.timeandlight.com

[BradS]

I think Freestyle has it too.

[Jan Pedersen]

John, Do BH drop ship the Tetenal C41 kit? i know they don't ship most chemicals but there is no mention of this for the Tetenal 15L kit.

[tgtaylor]

Dear Thomas and John,
Thank you for your mesages. I've made some tests today taking into consideration Thomas advices:
- I made the stabilisation bath in a tray and, after 2 min, I hang the 4x5 negatives.
- when they became dry, I noticed that there is a non-uniform layer semitransparent on the negative (from the stabilisation bath layer which get dry?).
Do you have any idea why?
Also, as I wrote before, I use a Jobo expert drum. Another problem occured:
-on an edge of the negative there is a stripe of undeveloping. Because of the incorrect positioning of the film in the tank? I think that this is my mistake and not a design of the tank problem.

Thank you in advance for your comments,
Matei Bejenaru

I never had a problem with residue left on the film and as far as uneven development, I suggest that you check that the drum is level on the processor. Place a torpedo or bubble level on the tank when its on the processor and use the wedges supplied with the processor to make any corrections. However, if you're using the correct amouont of chemistry (330 ml per 8x10 sheet or 4 4x5 sheets) I doubt that leveling is your problem.

Using hand inversion on the 1500 and 2500 series drums, make sure that the chemistry comes all the way up to the top of the spout. Too far down in the spot will result in a portion of the roll being out of the chemistry when not being agitated.

[John Brady]

John, Do BH drop ship the Tetenal C41 kit? i know they don't ship most chemicals but there is no mention of this for the Tetenal 15L kit.

Try ordering it on line instead of calling. Sometimes when I call and talk to a real person at B&H they tell me they won't ship. But order from the web site and no problem.

Strange but true.

[Sevo]

Tetenal C41 chemistry has not been made for several years, I think.


Not quite. The packaging, name and some process details have changed, but there still are C41 and E6 colour kits by Tetenal. Not as many variations as they had ten or twenty years ago - they replaced all of them with the Colortec series (of one process each).

Sevo