Film Acceleration

[Coldow91]

I am planning on trying this technique of film acceleration as explained in this article: http://jpgmag.com/stories/1228

The only question that I have is what kind of bleach should I use and where should I get it......and what would be the best way to put the film back into a canister so that I can get/trick the local lab to processing it as C-41. (I have plenty empty C-41 canisters)



thanks for the help

 

[christopher walrath]

I gotta ask one question. I guess a first question 'cause I have never heard of this and am a little curious.

Why?

 

[Coldow91]

Why not?




but really cause I think it'll be fun and worth a shot at least once........and I get bored shooting digital and want to explore film more

 

[Helen B]

The effect sounds rather like simply push processing and cross-processing the film, but with added complexity. First the film is pushed in a B&W developer. No colour dyes are created. The undeveloped silver halide is fixed out. Gone. The silver is then rehalogenated (to silver halide) by a rehalogenating bleach. The article mentions potassium ferricyanide. Typically that would have potassium bromide added, to rehalogenate the silver to silver bromide.

A suitable formula might be

pot. ferricyanide 8 g

pot.bromide 12 g

water to 1 litre.

Bleach by inspection. You could vary the degree of bleaching. Any silver left will be bleached out fully during the C-41 process. You now have it processed in C-41. The silver bromide is developed to silver in a colour developer, where the colour dyes are formed. The silver then gets bleached out, leaving the dyes. The C-41 process will not be critical, because it can be carried to completion (ie overdevelopment will not be a worry), so why not have a go at it yourself.

Best,
Helen

 

[Helen B]

Sorry, I forgot to answer two of your questions.

You could get the film back into the cassette by dismantling the cassette and re-attaching the film to the spool. A bottle opener, used carefully, will open most cassettes.

Sources: Try The Photographers' Formulary. They have potassium ferricyanide and potassium bromide in 10 g and 100 g bottles. Avoid prepared ferricyanide reducers with hypo included - they won't leave silver halide behind, so you could end up with blank film.

Good luck,
Helen

 

[epatsellis]

Or if you have a Wing Lynch pro 6 set up for b&w as well as C41, it's just a matter of programming the appropriate steps, at least that's one (of many) rationelles I used when setting my processor up to do C41/B&W. I'll let you know in the next few weeks how it works out, as I've been intrigued by it as well.


erie

 

[Helen B]

Here is a link to what looks like the source of the current revival. Scroll down to note 22.07. The bleach formula the article gives has the same ingredients, but is more concentrated than the one I guessed would work.

Best,
Helen

 

[Coldow91]

Wow! thanks for all of the help Helen B I will take a look at the links. As for doing the C-41 myself I don't have the supplies right now so I think I will have the lab do it for me at least this first time. Also thanks for the explaining the chemistry of it to me I am beginning to understand it. I am going to try to get my hands on some of the right bleach and then give it a shot