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Reuben
10th January 2012, 04:33 PM
If you have tried colour processing you know what a pain temperature can be - now even with a water bath style processor - unless you are very patient the chemicals take ages to get to the point you want when you mix them even playing with a kettle of hot water.

So I tried the microwave (an old one in the garage) and bingo - a min or so and the temperature was reached - make sure you don't place a sealed, or unsuitable container in there and shake / mix well to ensure an even temperature (+ don't overdo it ! )

Mike O'Pray
10th January 2012, 05:59 PM
Congrats on your inventiveness. I have to admit that if it wasn't for the Jobo processor I might never do another C41 again.

I just think that without the temp controlled Jobo I'd find C41 too much of a pain to do

Mike

DavidH
10th January 2012, 06:51 PM
I agree, a very good idea. I'll try it soon.

MartinH
10th January 2012, 11:03 PM
Try using the new "Rollei Digibase C-41 kit" They make deving C-41 colour film very very easy. Just 3:15 mins at around 38 degrees C. Makes colour deving easier than B&W...

DaveP
11th January 2012, 09:35 AM
I've never had a problem with temperature doing E6 with a jobo setup. Just make sure you fill the waterbath up with warm water of about the right temp, same with the chemicals. Not difficult to do with a hot tap and a cold tap. My bathroom came fitted with these as standard.

David Brown
12th January 2012, 12:48 PM
I have a small microwave in my darkroom, sitting on top of the small fridge. That corner looks like the corner of a university dorm room ... :p

Ed Moss
12th January 2012, 10:48 PM
Also makes a great quick way of drying FB paper test strips.

DaveP
12th January 2012, 11:11 PM
I have a small microwave in my darkroom, sitting on top of the small fridge. That corner looks like the corner of a university dorm room ... :p

Complete with toaster and kettle?

JohnM
14th January 2012, 07:19 AM
Also makes a great quick way of drying FB paper test strips.

What a great idea. I don't use FB paper these days but when all paper was FB in the early 70s a photographer I was associated with reckoned that a microwave would be a great way to speed up paper drying. Trouble was that they were only new technology then and extremely expensive so needless to say the experiment was never carried out.

I've not given the idea another thought until I read your post and I'm pleased to hear that it works.

JOReynolds
23rd March 2016, 09:49 PM
Some veteran paper processors for 5-bath chemistry had radio-frequency drying. It maintained the semi-gloss finish of FB paper and was easily controllable and energy-efficient, since the drying section was hardly warm.

EdmundH
23rd March 2016, 10:16 PM
The freezer comes in handy when you've overdone heating your chemicals!

John King
24th March 2016, 08:55 AM
Agreed it does take a while to get chemicals up to temperature and I have often thought that the beakers that hold the developer being plastic are partially responsible because heat transfer is quite poor through plastic. If I can find just one beaker to hold the developer which is made from metal (preferably stainless but aluminium would do) this would speed things up - any bright ideas where I may find one? I considered glass and tried one, but even glass is a poor heat conductor

TommySeagrave
15th June 2016, 09:43 PM
I've been using a fish tank heater to get the water in a basin up to 30C (considerably longer dev times) with the Tetanal c41 kit.Takes 20 to 30 minutes or so for that water to reach 30, takes my brown glass chem bottles a bit longer, well, a lot longer, perhaps another 30. Gives me time to reel the negs and get my area sorted, and have a cup of tea,catch an episode of my favourite tv program etc. I've had better results developing at 30c rather than the 38C which I found very difficult to maintain.

John King
16th June 2016, 05:08 AM
Complete with toaster and kettle?

Plus unwashed cups and a left over garment when a female companion left in a hurry!:wag:

Seriously though. The Rollie Digibase ready mixed C41 chemicals are a great time saver. I have started - successfully - using the same kit of concentrates of the Digibase chemicals all mixed at once and then stored in my cupboard in glass bottles. The 2.5ltr kit is more convenient than a 5 ltr kit and the diluted kit takes only a small space on the shelves.

4 x 500cc bottles, 2 x 150cc bottles and 2 x 100cc bottles. Once the smaller bottles are used up I just decant more from the larger ones. Even with the 'use once and discard' method, I can develop 20 x 35mm films from a full kit (2 per 250cc in the larger 120size tanks).