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  #1  
Old 12th March 2017, 12:52 PM
stu wales stu wales is offline
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Default Fuji hunt film x-press c41 kit help please.

I like to thank everyone for a warm welcome to the site. This morning I developed 2 35mm film's using digibase c41 kit. What a complete disaster. 2 film's are drying and nothing on the film. So I bought the Fuji hunt kit some time ago and started reading the instructions. After some research got to grips with makeing a 1lt kit and going to sacrifice a roll of film to try. On some of the instructions on other sites thay say to use protects spray to top off the remaining solutions and stick some in the freezer 🤔
Can I make a 1lt kit up and with the other solution just leave in the bottle and store in the back of a cupboard And not bother with the spray? As I got about 16 rolls to develop.
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Old 12th March 2017, 02:17 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is online now
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My sympathies. I find it strange that there is nothing on the film at all. Key to the word "nothing" is: Do you mean no sign or trace of any negative but there are still edge markings or no sign of anything whatsoever.

If its the latter i.e. completely nothing then I'd suspect that you may have done the equivalent of fix before developer in B&W.

If there are edge markings and they are well defined then the chemicals seem to have worked correctly and I'd look for problems elsewhere such as problems with camera shutter/ film not being moved etc

Mike
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Old 12th March 2017, 06:22 PM
JulioF JulioF is offline
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Please give detalis. What film did you use?
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  #4  
Old 12th March 2017, 06:26 PM
John King John King is offline
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Default C41 developer

I currently use Digibase C41 2.5L kit and have no problem with it what so ever.

I mix the full kit at one go and decant it into 4 x 500cc glass bottles and the remainder into 100cc glass bottles. I am down to my last half litre and about to split this up into the 100cc bottles and when I checked yesterday morning the colour of the pre-mixed developer is exactly the same as when I made it up - perhaps 4 months ago.

I spoke to Rodney Bates, the owner of First Call Photgraphy last week on another matter and the use of Digibase C41 came up and he agrees that is the way that it should be done. They sell 500cc packs of C41 developer and they last for months if unopened.

Don't mess about with the protective spray, they only work for a limited time. Store the mixed developer in full glass screw top bottles not plastic - plastic is permeable to oxygen.

I only use enough to develop one film at a time then discard. Compared to the price of film, developer is comparatively cheap. So with the way I work I can get 16.5 films developed out of a 2.5L kit. (more if I develop 2 at a time in a 120 tank when I can get 20)

An additional tweek I have just tried out is to heat the bottles when they are full of developer. I use a microwave and get them up to a temp where they are quite warm. I then fit on the screw tops. This in theory should extend the life of unused developer because as the bottle and contents cool down it forma a partial vacuum in the bottle which will have less air to oxidise the developer. I cannot definitely say if it works but in theory it should.

Last edited by John King; 12th March 2017 at 06:31 PM.
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Old 12th March 2017, 07:44 PM
stu wales stu wales is offline
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The one film was a old film i used it to test a new camera. I use fuji colour supervisor 200 36. I'm new to the developing side only started last year. So i went for the digibase ready to use kit no mixing just heat up in some glass bottles and away to go. Had some poor results to start with temp,time and a faulty themomitor. After emailing nik and trick photographys services and tweaking temp and time's had very good results with the negatives. And got a new themomitor.
I had some time on my hands this morning and noticed that i had a lot of films to develop. So out with all the developing gear and done 2 films and after the very poor results i left it at that. I think the chemicals had exhausted. left to dry and No marks or colour on the negatives. im going to start using the fuji hunt x-press kit. done some research and seams a very good product. Just hope it's as easy to use and not over complicated as the instructions are not the best.
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Old 12th March 2017, 08:50 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is online now
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So, Stu, you are confirming that there were no edge markings on the film either? The developer might be fully exhausted of course but it would have to be fully exhausted for the developer to make no impression at all on the film.

How old was the Digibase kit, how often had you used it prior to this morning? I get the impression that the kit was unopened until today but I may be wrong. I am also not clear how you did mix it when you say "no mixing, just heat up"

Changing to Fuji-Hunt may be fine but it may be that whatever went wrong with the Digibase and it is not clear how we can out our fingers on what happened, the same thing might happen with Fuji-Hunt.

It might help if you tell us in more detail exactly how you went about mixing, checking temp etc. That's the only way, I feel, we and you are going to get to the bottom of what went wrong today.

Mike
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Old 12th March 2017, 10:03 PM
stu wales stu wales is offline
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Hi mike
I use a hot bath system has i read about it in books and internet. I use 3 themomitor s all new. Paterson single bath. I looked around and done some research and
As I'm new at this i went for digibase c41 soft pack developing kit with Kodak final rinse and replenisher witch is the only part i had to mix and that is 10ml to 990ml of water. I just looked at the film and there is no edge markings. I used the developing kit for 14 films and i have had the kit for about 2 year's stored in a cool place and away from sunlight. I last used the kit about 3 months ago and had very good results with good colour on the negatives. The soft packs last for 15 films and after use just poor back in to the soft pack and reuse again. It is a beginner's kit. Now that i understand temps,time's, and how to develop film. There is no use by date on the box and not on the soft pack. Maybe time to move on and try a new product.
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Old 12th March 2017, 10:30 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is online now
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Thanks, Stu. I have found the Digibase kit I think you have. OK you were on the limit at 15 films but on the 14th film 3 months ago you got perfect negs and this time nothing at all. Clearly pouring back the developer and squeezing the air out should have eliminated air as a problem and clearly worked for 14 films and as you have managed 14 previous films OK it would seem unlikely that you failed to process in the correct order on the 15th occasion.

However to get nothing at all either means sudden death with no residual strength in the developer at all or you got distracted and used the bleach first.

You will be convinced that you didn't do this as I was once in B&W. I had developed dozens of B&W films myself when one day I got nothing, not even edge markings. I was convinced that I had not got the order wrong but I had

It is a puzzle and one we may never get to the bottom of but if it were me I'd try a Poundland £1 film through the same developer, assuming you have poured it back and still have it just to satisfy myself that it can't be a wrong order problem.

I admit I live badly with nagging doubts and "case unsolved" phenomenon and you may not suffer from this like me.

Mike
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Old 19th March 2017, 07:33 PM
stu wales stu wales is offline
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I found a page on how to break down the Fuji hunt c41 kit down to 1ltr instead of mixing up the full 5ltr. As anyone done this? It also said with the remaining stick it in the freezer?( I value my sausage and bacon to much to share with chemicals​)
Any help on this will be very grateful.
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Old 30th March 2017, 08:48 AM
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Red Ostravak Red Ostravak is offline
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It's ok to mix only 1L from concentrate.

But It's better to keep them in the fridge not freezer. Freezer isn't good for chemistry solutions. It can precipitate
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