E6 at home

I'm considering shooting some Velvia in my SQ-A, and thinking about processing at home. E6 kits from Edwal and Arista look to be readily available - does anyone have recent experience with either or both? I develop B&W at home without any issues, and I know that I can hold chemistry within +/- 1C, so I should be able to handle E6 technically, but if one kit is notably better that the other, I'd prefer not to waste time, money, and film on the worse option.

 

FWIW, the reason for processing at home is personal enjoyment, not economic, but the Arista kit is considerably less expensive than Edwal.

I tired E-6 processing a couple of times many years ago. If you can keep temperature control it's really not too difficult, as I recall.

 

the reason for processing at home is personal enjoyment

This, I think, is absolutely crucial these days.

I did my own E6 when I was in college, in the student darkroom.

 

I had a big tray full of water to keep the temperature constant, and would add

warm water as it cooled. I did 16 rolls that way, and all came out fine.

 

I believe it is supposed to be closer to 0.5 degree C, but if you get it right on

the average though the development time, it will be fine.

 

At the time, I did it for both cost and personal enjoyment.

 

When I was younger, my father had the book:

 

Anscochrome and Ektachrome Home Processing by Robert Bagby: Chilton Company-Book Division, Philadelphia, PA Paperback, 2nd edition. - booksforcomfort

 

It says 1961, which is about right. I was three at the time, though

as far as I know he never did it. It is for E2 or E3.

 

You might buy the book, and be glad you don't have to do all

that it says.

I've used the Arista kit several times.

 

I primarily do it to process sheet film since I don't have a lab nearby that can do it(my local lab does roll film only). I will usually add in enough 120/220 to use up the chemistry.

 

Generally, I'll devote 1-2 solid days to actually processing, and just dedicate myself to staying in the darkroom and doing nothing but processing until I've exhausted the chemistry. I don't trust its mixed shelf life.

 

My usual method is to put ALL of my bottles of stuff I'm going to use-not just the chemistry itself but also things like washes-in the bathtub and fill it up. The temperature will generally drop a few degrees over the course of processing, but the first developer is the most time/temperature critical step so I don't worry too much about doing blix-for example-at 37ºC vs. 40.5ºC.

 

I'm hoping to pick up a Jobo sometime soon, which among other things has a thermostated bath that should make temperature control a bit easier.

I did it years ago and temp control was no problem. Just put everything in a big tub of water and add a bit of hot as you go to keep the temp constant. There really wasn't any savings, so if you have a lab that can do it things will probably work out similar or cheaper to have them do it. The trick, as said above, is to arrange things to fully use up the kit.

When I used the Unicolor kits years ago, the kit was for one quart.

 

I could mix up 8 oz of each bath, do the recommended two rolls (135-36)

in one session. Squeeze the air out of the concentrate bottles, so they

would stay good.

 

It might have been six or eight months to use the whole kit, but I never

saved mixed chemistry.

I did some E4 processing at home during my college days and found it easier to maintain temperature control with stainless steel tanks rather than plastic.

My first Unicolor E-6 attempts for 8x10 inch Ektachrome sheets gave me magenta results. I discovered that putting 6 sheets of 8x10 inch film at room temperature into 101 deg developer dropped the developer temperature down to 98 degrees. I later started with the developer at 103 deg and got good results. I suppose a pre-wash of the film with 101 deg water would be good.

I also did Ektachrome 1993 paper, what Unicolor calls PFS (prints from slides)

in a Unidrum in college years. Unlike E6, it needs a reversal re-exposure

at the appropriate time. The Unidrum uses a pre-soak to warm up the high

heat capacity plastic that the drum is made from. That is supposed to keep it

warm enough.

 

As for E6, I had my Nikor tank in warm water, but the film itself would not

have been warm yet. I don't remember that E6 has a pre-wash, but

I followed whatever instructions Unicolor supplied.

I would pre wash your film in a warming bath. Both kits will serve you well. Keeping the temp up is something that can be done in a tub in your sink, and using the chemicals one shot only. I've had good results at home.

 

I used to run an E-6 lab years ago. We used Kodak, and then later, Hunt chemicals. I still do my own E-6 at home, shooting 120 and 4x5 fujichrome.

I think processing E-6 at home will be a wonderful experience. I also think home processing E-6 has pitfalls, so I recommend your first roll or rolls should be considered sacrificial stuff. After one or two rolls under your belt, I advise, the cost of materials and time is not worth the effect. In the future, best you send your film to a reliable lab for processing.

I think processing E-6 at home will be a wonderful experience. I also think home processing E-6 has pitfalls, so I recommend your first roll or rolls should be considered sacrificial stuff. After one or two rolls under your belt, I advise, the cost of materials and time is not worth the effect. In the future, best you send your film to a reliable lab for processing.

 

Like the OP, I did E6 in my college years mostly for the fun of doing it, but also because it cost less.

 

The quart kit does 8 rolls of 135-36, and at the time, I could do that in one year.

 

I was always careful to squeeze the air out of the bottles, and didn't have any problem keeping it for that long,

mixing up 8oz for two rolls for a session. That works with liquid concentrates.

 

With the powder, I think you have to mix the whole quart at once, so you should

finish it up much faster.

 

My current E6 usage rate is less than one roll/year.

There is a nearby lab that does it for about $12/roll including mounting.

 

Also, it used to be that you could mail a roll in a prepaid mailer for

the 2 ounce postage rate. Now there are non-machinable surcharges,

so it costs somewhat more to mail each way.

 

Yes, do one kit for the fun of it, then find a good lab to do it, unless you do

way more than 8 rolls/year.

Thanks all; I'll go with the 'one kit for fun' advice, most likely. I did decide to defer this until spring when there's a bit more color to capture. I'm not wasting any more film on dreary gray days.