Kodak Flexicolor C41 still available in small sizes
 

After a long phone odessey with Kodak (and some help from Chaim in B&H's
darkroom department and one of B&H's buyers) I've discovered that Kodak
does still sell the ready-to-use Flexicolor C41 developer (no separate
starter and replenisher required). It's no longer packaged as gallon
kits, though the bleach and fix are still sold as gallons.

It is now labelled as Flexicolor SM Tank Developer and sold in a 2-liter
size. The Kodak part number is 1756337. I've confirmed with Kodak
photofinishing support that this is a standard C41 developer, with the
usual 3:15 @ 100F time if mixed per the package directions, and requires
no starter.

It's about twice the price of the old gallon kit ($10 for 2L instead of 1
gallon) but still a pretty good deal compared to commercial processing,
particularly for large format film.

--
Thor Lancelot Simon

"The inconsistency is startling, though admittedly, if consistency is to
be abandoned or transcended, there is no problem." - Noam Chomsky

Kodak Flexicolor C41 still available in small sizes
 

"Thor Lancelot Simon" wrote in message
...
After a long phone odessey with Kodak (and some help from Chaim in B&H's
darkroom department and one of B&H's buyers) I've discovered that Kodak
does still sell the ready-to-use Flexicolor C41 developer (no separate
starter and replenisher required). It's no longer packaged as gallon
kits, though the bleach and fix are still sold as gallons.

It is now labelled as Flexicolor SM Tank Developer and sold in a 2-liter
size. The Kodak part number is 1756337. I've confirmed with Kodak
photofinishing support that this is a standard C41 developer, with the
usual 3:15 @ 100F time if mixed per the package directions, and requires
no starter.

It's about twice the price of the old gallon kit ($10 for 2L instead of 1
gallon) but still a pretty good deal compared to commercial processing,
particularly for large format film.

Yeah, this is a PITA! I was using the package that makes 3.5 gallons. This
was perfect for me. With the new packaging, I will be mixing chems about
every third portrait session!

My vendor (PDI in Rochester, NY) also sells Trebla brand chemistry. I've
used the RA4 Trebla with excellant results (no more tar in the racks*). PDI
recommended that I go to the Trebla C41; it requires starter, but they do
have a small quantity package, at a better price than Kodak.

(* When I switched to the Trebla RA4 developer, it actually 'cleaned' the
tar out of the system. This was a good news/bad news thing. It loosened any
tar in the plumbing, replenishment pumps, tank, etc, and I had to clean the
racks every couple days! You really get strange looks at WalMart when you
buy a dozen bottles of Lysol Toilet Bowl cleaner, the manufacturer's
recommended cleaner.)

Kodak Flexicolor C41 still available in small sizes
 

In article , Ken Hart wrote:

Yeah, this is a PITA! I was using the package that makes 3.5 gallons. This
was perfect for me. With the new packaging, I will be mixing chems about
every third portrait session!

My vendor (PDI in Rochester, NY) also sells Trebla brand chemistry. I've
used the RA4 Trebla with excellant results (no more tar in the racks*). PDI
recommended that I go to the Trebla C41; it requires starter, but they do
have a small quantity package, at a better price than Kodak.

I'm looking at PDI's web site and I'm not sure which C41 developer is
which -- they seem to package it several ways, some listed by weight,
some by volume! Are you using the Trebla C41 yet? If so, which one
do you buy and how much does it make? It looks like I might want this:

TR C41 TL60 DEV/REP KIT 3X5L

But I don't know how much working solution this would make. I do see
the separate, inexpensive 32oz bottle of starter.

--
Thor Lancelot Simon

"The inconsistency is startling, though admittedly, if consistency is to
be abandoned or transcended, there is no problem." - Noam Chomsky

Kodak Flexicolor C41 still available in small sizes
 

In article ,
Thor Lancelot Simon wrote:

I'm looking at PDI's web site and I'm not sure which C41 developer is
which -- they seem to package it several ways, some listed by weight,
some by volume!

I do notice they have the C41RA fixer in small quantities, another thing
I can't find anywhere from Kodak (I think it's still a Kodak product
in the small sizes but nobody stocks it). Nice. This will take some
time out of my weekly Jobo worship session. Again, though, I'm baffled
by the described quantity of the C41RA bleach -- they show it as 2 x 5L
for $104.37, three times the price of the C41 "bleach III" in 2 x 4L,
or twice the price of the "bleach III" in 4 x 5L. These must be
concentrate volumes -- I think.

I will actually be near Rochester to pick up some equipment over the
weekend or early next week. Does PDI have a retail store? I have
a vague recollection I might actually have visited it, a long time ago.

--
Thor Lancelot Simon

"The inconsistency is startling, though admittedly, if consistency is to
be abandoned or transcended, there is no problem." - Noam Chomsky

Kodak Flexicolor C41 still available in small sizes
 

"Thor Lancelot Simon" wrote in message
...
In article , Ken Hart wrote:

Yeah, this is a PITA! I was using the package that makes 3.5 gallons. This
was perfect for me. With the new packaging, I will be mixing chems about
every third portrait session!

My vendor (PDI in Rochester, NY) also sells Trebla brand chemistry. I've
used the RA4 Trebla with excellant results (no more tar in the racks*).
PDI
recommended that I go to the Trebla C41; it requires starter, but they do
have a small quantity package, at a better price than Kodak.

I'm looking at PDI's web site and I'm not sure which C41 developer is
which -- they seem to package it several ways, some listed by weight,
some by volume! Are you using the Trebla C41 yet? If so, which one
do you buy and how much does it make? It looks like I might want this:

TR C41 TL60 DEV/REP KIT 3X5L

But I don't know how much working solution this would make. I do see
the separate, inexpensive 32oz bottle of starter.


I don't blame PDI for the confusion on their website- I blame Kodak! Why
can't they publish a simple catolog with item descriptions and catolog
numbers? I say this because I hope someone will prove me wrong a post and
URL to a pdf Kodak catolog- I will gladly retract my comment!

I haven't tried the Trebla yet; the catolog number (supplied by PDI) for the
developer is 55DE550 at $71.60, the starter is 55DE519 at $3.25. If you buy
it, tell them I sent you. I've had good experiences buying from PDI- I
recommend them.

--
Ken Hart

Kodak Flexicolor C41 still available in small sizes
 

"Thor Lancelot Simon" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Thor Lancelot Simon wrote:

I'm looking at PDI's web site and I'm not sure which C41 developer is
which -- they seem to package it several ways, some listed by weight,
some by volume!

I do notice they have the C41RA fixer in small quantities, another thing
I can't find anywhere from Kodak (I think it's still a Kodak product
in the small sizes but nobody stocks it). Nice. This will take some
time out of my weekly Jobo worship session. Again, though, I'm baffled
by the described quantity of the C41RA bleach -- they show it as 2 x 5L
for $104.37, three times the price of the C41 "bleach III" in 2 x 4L,
or twice the price of the "bleach III" in 4 x 5L. These must be
concentrate volumes -- I think.

I will actually be near Rochester to pick up some equipment over the
weekend or early next week. Does PDI have a retail store? I have
a vague recollection I might actually have visited it, a long time ago.

Don't know about the retail store.

Generally Kodak's descriptions of chemical volume are for final 'working'
solutions, unless the chemical can be mixed in different ways. For example,
their C41 fixer that I use is supplied as 4x1 gallon, and can be mixed as a
one-shot or a replenishment..

Kodak sells a C41 bleach for use as is and they sell a replenisher bleach.
Perhaps that is the source of your confusion? I've switched to the Trebla
C41 bleach replenisher, which is substantially less than the Kodak. The
replenish rate for Kodak was about 20mL (IIRC) per 120 roll as opposed to
6mL for the Trebla. (The Trebla also was not a HazMat- Rochester is a bit
far for a weekend trip!)