[Jlnk]

From what I've read the c41 chemistry isn't really that much more complicated than b&w, just a few more steps really. What worries me is the temperature requirements and its (the temperatures) impact on the shelf-life of the mixed solutions. I've only done b&w with Pyro, and it's got a nice long shelf-life that really seems a value considering how slowly I go through film.

A bit of math gives me a price per roll of around a dollar if I buy the powders in 2L kits, quite a savings over even the cheapest mail order. I don't need to make prints.

What on Earth am I missing? If the process can really be as economical as I figure, why don't I read about more people getting into it? There's plenty out there on people giving b&w a go, but surprisingly little on folks having a try with c41, what gives?

[Wheatfield]

C-41 in the home darkroom is incredibly easy. It helps to have a tempered water bath.

Most people find the stock time/temp of 3:15 at 100ºF to be a bit daunting, but it isn't difficult. Get a tupperware style container that will hold a couple of gallons of water, and use that as your water bath. The thermal mass of the water will keep the temperature stable enough, and you can always add a bit of hot water to keep the temperature up. Put everything in your water bath for half an hour or so to let it warm up and off you go.

If you start the bath off warmer than needed, it will heat everything up, and you can start processing when the bath is at the required temperature.

I made a water bath one time using an aquarium heater to temper the water. That worked very well.

You only really need accurate temperature for the developing time, After that, it isn't so critical, though you do want everything close to the same temp so the film doesn't reticulate.

The real key isn't to be bang on the money, the C-41 process is somewhat forgiving, the real requirement is consistency from batch to batch.

[Sluggo]

... If the process can really be as economical as I figure, why don't I read about more people getting into it? There's plenty out there on people giving b&w a go, but surprisingly little on folks having a try with c41, what gives?

I think quite a few of the people attracted to the film process are also the same people attracted to B&W, because nostalgia and asceticism tend to go together. So the reason isn't practical, it's mostly just about personality and psychology. But yeah, color developing at home isn't very hard. It's also a cheap way to pursue full frame photography, as long as the film and chemicals are available. I've been happy with results from the Unicolor kit from Freestyle. As Wheatfield says, the process is forgiving. If a temperature or something in your process is off, contrast and color balance might need some adjusting after you scan - which is maybe no big deal, since there's usually some latitude so information isn't lost.

[lithedreamer]

It is SO easy. I had exactly the same question and almost psyched myself out of doing it. Just run a hot water bath to keep your (glass bottles of) chemicals warm, use a precise thermometer, find a timer app like LabTimer that lets you set your times ahead of time, and have fun!

[wombat2go]

I found the main difficulty was getting the film onto the spiral.
There is a risk of crimping the film or having a complete jam up in the dark.

So I recommend the Samigon spirals in this photo shown in the front which are much easier to load than the old gray ones at the rear.
https://app.box.com/s/28pp1anl5lj87qdzzhw4gfus51vty31q

After the film is in the tank, it is easy job to run the chemicals, although a bit boring as
it takes about 16 minutes per cycle, pouring and inversions every 30 sec etc
Then another 20 minutes or so to hang the film up and rinse the tank parts etc.

I usually run 8 films per batch of mixtures, although up to 12 may be possible.

[BigMackCam]

I have nothing to add here other than to say this is fascinating to me. I had no idea it was practical to develop C41 at home... I wonder why so few people seem to do it? Or maybe they do, and I just didn't realise!

[Jlnk]

So it really is as simple as it looks. I'll confess to getting a bit "psyced out" myself, just this sneaking suspicion that there's got to be more to it. I figure I'll use my co2 incubator to bring the solutions to temp and then process in a water bath on my slide warmer.

At this point I'm honestly more worried about holding out till I have enough fun money (already spent what I'd budgeted for November) to buy a kit. Here's hoping I don't break down and try an old roll of color in PMK!

[lithedreamer]

So it really is as simple as it looks. I'll confess to getting a bit "psyced out" myself, just this sneaking suspicion that there's got to be more to it. I figure I'll use my co2 incubator to bring the solutions to temp and then process in a water bath on my slide warmer.

At this point I'm honestly more worried about holding out till I have enough fun money (already spent what I'd budgeted for November) to buy a kit. Here's hoping I don't break down and try an old roll of color in PMK!

Sounds like a plan. The cheapest place I've found to buy a kit is at filmphotographyproject.com. I haven't developed with it yet, but it looks to be a rebranded Unicolor kit, which I've had very good results with in the past.

[Jlnk]

Wow, thanks for the tip with that site, quite a bit cheaper than where I had been looking. Why did they feel the need to bury processing chemicals under "accessories" I wonder?

Can anyone speak to the longevity of the solutions once prepared? I wonder if I need to hold on to my exposed film until I get enough to run out the developer.

[lithedreamer]

Wow, thanks for the tip with that site, quite a bit cheaper than where I had been looking. Why did they feel the need to bury processing chemicals under "accessories" I wonder?

Can anyone speak to the longevity of the solutions once prepared? I wonder if I need to hold on to my exposed film until I get enough to run out the developer.

No problem, they ship quite fast too. Personally, the longest I've kept C-41 chemicals around is three weeks without any problem at all. I've heard people say they keep them around for months, but YMMV. Factors include the storage bottle material (glass > plastic), room temperature, whether it's been kept in a dark place, etc.

[Wheatfield]

No problem, they ship quite fast too. Personally, the longest I've kept C-41 chemicals around is three weeks without any problem at all. I've heard people say they keep them around for months, but YMMV. Factors include the storage bottle material (glass > plastic), room temperature, whether it's been kept in a dark place, etc.

This is one of the good uses for canned gas. What ages developer is oxidization. Keep the mixed developer (this works for B&W as well, BTW) in a glass bottle, as plastic bottles are air permeable and will pass gas through their walls, and put a squirt of canned gas into the bottle before capping it. The gas is inert as far as the chemistry is concerned, is heavier than air, and has no free oxygen in it. Doing this will extend the life of the developer a lot.

[lithedreamer]

This is one of the good uses for canned gas. What ages developer is oxidization. Keep the mixed developer (this works for B&W as well, BTW) in a glass bottle, as plastic bottles are air permeable and will pass gas through their walls, and put a squirt of canned gas into the bottle before capping it. The gas is inert as far as the chemistry is concerned, is heavier than air, and has no free oxygen in it. Doing this will extend the life of the developer a lot.

So many questions! What is 'canned gas'? Where can I get it? Can I buy it online? Does this only extend the life of developers, or does it work for other chemicals, too?

[jcdoss]

I just let hot water run till it's as hot as I can stand it, then fill up the bathroom sink, then throw in the (tightly capped) developer and blix, then wait a while. I developed a roll yesterday, and it took maybe 20-30 mins to get up to temp (102, my instructions said). If it's going too slow, just drain some water off and re-fill the sink with hot-as-you-can-stand water. Measure the chemical temp, not the water bath temp. Too hot? Just take it out and let it cool on the counter top a while. There really isn't any need to be scientifically precise about all this. And developing film is fun! A little messy, but fun!

[Wheatfield]

So many questions! What is 'canned gas'? Where can I get it? Can I buy it online? Does this only extend the life of developers, or does it work for other chemicals, too?

Otherwise known as air dusters, Dust-Off (brand name), etc.

Falcon Dust-Off Extra Large Duster - 10 oz Disposable DPSXL B&H

Developer is the only chemical you will use that is especially prone to oxidizing.

[Jlnk]

Wow. Don't blast that into a bottle of developer. Don't, just don't. Most canned "air" is something like difluroethane, sure its more dense than air at STP, and generally non-reactive, but considering the trouble one would have to go to top of a bottle with it in a way where you could be sure you were actually excluding the oxygen in the room, it seems unnecessary. Not to mention the potential of blasting developer out of the bottle and all over the room if you squeeze the trigger a touch to hard.

But then I never understood the appeal of accordion bottles either, at least not when $5.00 will buy a few hundred glass marbles.