C-41 powders and E-6 liquid

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Okay, I have 6 1 liter kits of C-41 on the way. I want to mix only what I need. Is it possible to mix say half the powder by weighing out each and mixing together 500ml?

One 2 gallon kit of E-6 liquid on the way. Is it possible to measure out E-6 chemicals and mix only what I need for a session?

My thought is that this amount is good for I think 16 4x5 before you have to start adding time so I could run in batches of 16 which is a lot of shooting on film and time to develop and scan in. I would hate to have a partial used batch hanging around and an unused portion hanging around waiting for a batch to finish off the used stuff or a new 16 neg batch. I think I had a worn out batch of C-41. I know for sure I did with E-6.

[koraks]

No guarantees on consistency when you divide the powder. Powder tends to not be perfectly homogeneous.

With the liquid E6, as soon as you open up the developer concentrate bottle (ie the one that contains the actual developing substance CD3), oxidation will set in and it will generally keep well for a few weeks. The other concentrates will last much longer. I've tried making water-based CD3 and CD4 concentrates and they went bad within a few days. Factory-made concentrates will last a little longer, but they're made by dissolving insane amounts of SO2 and packaged under inert gas; the gas disappears as soon as you open the bottle and the SO2 gases out of the solution. The fuller the bottles, the longer they keep. But once opened, the clock starts ticking rapidly no matter what.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Doesn't sound promising. What uf filled bottle back up with say nitrogen?

[Duolab123]

Doesn't sound promising. What uf filled bottle back up with say nitrogen?

Not sure what you have coming E6 wise. Is it a 2 liter or 2 gallon kit? I divide liquids, the Tetenal 3 bath with the 4th being a little pouch of crystals divide fine. I top off the bottle with butane.
I split up the Fuji Pro 6 chemistry as well.
Those C41 powder kits work, but I use Kodak Flexicolor C41 RA chemistry. Each component is available separately, all liquids. Bleach and Fixer are separate.
Also I would be very careful not to breathe the dust from the powder kits. Mix a liter then separate it into 2 500mL bottles, top off with nitrogen or propane/butane
Oxygen is so destructive to developers, I fill bottles to the very top. Makes a big difference.
Have fun

[Steven Ruttenberg]

It is the 2 gallon one. I am looking for a dry nitrigen source that is small. What do you use for propane or butane source?

[Pere Casals]

What uf filled bottle back up with say nitrogen?

I would use vacuum and a food sealer, using a little foam to not take powder. There are bags that can be reused.

There are vacuum pumps for air conditioning repair service, for some $50 (the very cheap), delivering 5 Pascal vacuum, and this is more than enough in this case.

[Audii-Dudii]

It is the 2 gallon one. I am looking for a dry nitrigen source that is small. What do you use for propane or butane source?

FYI, when I was still autocrossing cars, my car had a fancy set of Penske 8700-series triple-adjustable shocks and they used external oil reservoirs to increase the volume of hydraulic fluid they held so they wouldn't overheat.

The remaining space in the external reservoirs was filled with nitrogen to keep the hydraulic fluid pressurized so as to minimize any aeration that might occur as the pistons stroked up and down in use.

To service them in the field, I carried a small nitrogen cylinder setup that I purchased from (and had refilled at) a local store that sold paintball equipment.

That was a while ago, but I do recall a complete setup and initial fill cost me less than $100 and if you look on eBay or Amazon, I'll bet you can find a new cylinder for even less and have it filled locally.

Also, if you add a second valve to the caps on your bottles, you won't need to pull a vacuum to remove the air. Instead, you can purge the air inside the bottle by allowing it to escape through the second valve while you're filling it through the first valve.

This is why most wheels on racing cars have two valve stems instead of one and if this method works well enough for that application, then surely it will work well enough for this one?

There are also nitrogen-fill setups sold for preserving wine in open bottles, so adapting one of these might work as well?

[Duolab123]

It is the 2 gallon one. I am looking for a dry nitrigen source that is small. What do you use for propane or butane source?

Tetenal makes a Protection spray, it's propane and butane blend. I have a little butane torch that can be refilled with a small butane canister I just open the torch and flood the top of the bottle and quick close the lid. Propane can be used from a torch as well. Obviously you need to be careful you don't get yourself blown up. Nitrogen is great but you need a regulator, hose and rental or purchase of a tank. Not economically feasible.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

I have a butane torch. I'll check out the one from Tetenal if they still make it.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

This looks like it will work and not very expensive. And will last for forever.

https://www.prestacycle.com/product/...gen-cylinders/