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Photo Forum / Film Photography / Darkroom / March 2005

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RA-4 Chemistry formula

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Rob - 17 Mar 2005 20:00 GMT
Hi,
Does anyone have the formulas for room temperature RA-4 and Blix chemistry?

Thanks,
Rob
Keith Tapscott - 17 Mar 2005 20:27 GMT
Try www.raycochemicals.f9.co.uk

> Hi,
> Does anyone have the formulas for room temperature RA-4 and Blix
> chemistry?
>
> Thanks,
> Rob
Nick Zentena - 17 Mar 2005 21:17 GMT
> Hi,
> Does anyone have the formulas for room temperature RA-4 and Blix chemistry?

 I haven't tried it but:
 
 http://www.bonavolta.ch/hobby/en/photo/c41_ra4_chemicals.htm
 
 Well I've tried the C-41 formulas.
 
 Room temperture sounds like such a pain. Won't you have to calibrate every
time? Or is your room temperture always the same temp?

Nick
Rob - 17 Mar 2005 22:10 GMT
Thanks Nick.My darkroom is in my basement,the temperature is the same year
round.
>> Hi,
>> Does anyone have the formulas for room temperature RA-4 and Blix
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Nick
Herbert Kanner - 20 Mar 2005 20:52 GMT
> > Hi,
> > Does anyone have the formulas for room temperature RA-4 and Blix chemistry?
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Nick

I have news for you.  RA-4 paper is a thin emulsion paper that is
developed essentially to completion.  For that reason, the instructions
with the RA-4 kits say that 50% over-development is acceptable. This can
be translated into a certain number of degrees of higher than nominal
temperature for the development time.

I have been using the Jobo (Tetenal) room-temperature kit for years. I
put a thermometer in the tray, determine the development time from that
temperature, and make sure that the paper gets at least that much time
in the developer.  It usually is a time between 50 and 70 seconds. I
don't worry about ten seconds extra.

To demonstrate that this gives consistent results, I will say that a
number of times I wanted to make a new print of a negative that I had
printed years before, and had no difficulty getting an identical print.

If it is not obvious from the above, I should tell you that I do RA-4 in
trays, just as it it were black and white. After all, the only total
darkness step is development and the first twenty seconds in the stop
bath. After that, I can turn on the lights. Using drums for RA-4 is just
a colossal waste of time. I might have some sympathy for the relatively
expensive Jobo processors; allegedly they could speed up mass production
printing, but  not having had any direct experience with them, I can't
say.

Signature

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Nick Zentena - 20 Mar 2005 21:40 GMT
> bath. After that, I can turn on the lights. Using drums for RA-4 is just
> a colossal waste of time. I might have some sympathy for the relatively
> expensive Jobo processors; allegedly they could speed up mass production
> printing, but  not having had any direct experience with them, I can't
> say.

 Considering I can run 4 8x10s or 2 11x14s at the same time and I'll bet
each step is quicker at normal RA-4 temps I can't see how you're saving time.

    Maintaining RA-4 temps is trival. Requires very little equipment. The
drums use almost no chemistry.

     A set of trays big enough to handle 16x20 [my biggest drum] would cost
more then I spent on a tempering setup.

    Nick
David Starr - 20 Mar 2005 23:55 GMT
>> bath. After that, I can turn on the lights. Using drums for RA-4 is just
>> a colossal waste of time. I might have some sympathy for the relatively
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>  Considering I can run 4 8x10s or 2 11x14s at the same time and I'll bet
>each step is quicker at normal RA-4 temps I can't see how you're saving time.

How long does it take to dry the drum?  When I used drums, drying the
things really slowed me down.  With trays, the total wet time for a
print is 7 minutes.  Plus, the only time I'd want to process more than
one at a time is if they were from the same negative.  besides, when
I'm enjoying myself, time isn't a factor.

>     Maintaining RA-4 temps is trival. Requires very little equipment. The
>drums use almost no chemistry.

Room temperature requires no tempering.  I can get 100 8x10's from a
2.5 liter Jobo kit.

>      A set of trays big enough to handle 16x20 [my biggest drum] would cost
>more then I spent on a tempering setup.

How much did the 16x20 drum cost?

I got 4 used 16x20 trays for 30 bucks.



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Dave Starr, Senior Shop Rat Emeritus: 14,647 days in a GM plant.
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Nick Zentena - 21 Mar 2005 00:59 GMT
> How long does it take to dry the drum?  When I used drums, drying the
> things really slowed me down.  With trays, the total wet time for a
> print is 7 minutes.  Plus, the only time I'd want to process more than
> one at a time is if they were from the same negative.  besides, when
> I'm enjoying myself, time isn't a factor.

 The wet drum sits in the sink drip drying. When I run out of dry drums the
wet drum gets wiped down with a paper towel. Takes maybe 10 seconds? It's
not an issue for me.

 

> Room temperature requires no tempering.  I can get 100 8x10's from a
> 2.5 liter Jobo kit.

 What does that cost? IIRC room temp kits cost more then the higher temp
RA-4 chemicals. If they do you're trading the one time cost for tempering to
an ongoing cost. I'm also able to only mix up 250ml of developer at a time
which I think allows the whole kit to last longer.

> How much did the 16x20 drum cost?
>
> I got 4 used 16x20 trays for 30 bucks.

 If I remember right only one of my 16x20 drums started out that way. The
other one is an 8x10 bottom with the extension off a 11x14 drum. Cost? The
most I've paid was about $60 for two 11x14 and one 8x10 drum. The 16x20 drum
was maybe 1/2 that. Normally I take the extension off it and use the bottom
for 8x10. Stick the extension on a extra bottom I have so it turns into an
11x14 drum.

     Nick
David Starr - 21 Mar 2005 23:59 GMT
>> How long does it take to dry the drum?  When I used drums, drying the
>> things really slowed me down.  With trays, the total wet time for a
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>wet drum gets wiped down with a paper towel. Takes maybe 10 seconds? It's
>not an issue for me.

Ahh.  I only had one drum.

>> Room temperature requires no tempering.  I can get 100 8x10's from a
>> 2.5 liter Jobo kit.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>an ongoing cost. I'm also able to only mix up 250ml of developer at a time
>which I think allows the whole kit to last longer.

29.00 for the 2.5L kit.

>> How much did the 16x20 drum cost?
>>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>for 8x10. Stick the extension on a extra bottom I have so it turns into an
>11x14 drum.

very creative.  Thanks for the response.

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Dave Starr, Senior Shop Rat Emeritus: 14,647 days in a GM plant.
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Claudio Bonavolta - 24 Mar 2005 12:20 GMT
David Starr a écrit :
> Room temperature requires no tempering.  I can get 100 8x10's from a
> 2.5 liter Jobo kit.
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> Dave Starr, Senior Shop Rat Emeritus: 14,647 days in a GM plant.
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Is it the Tetenal kit ?
I've had really unsatisfactory results with the Tetenal one (too
contrasty, bad colors, etc ...) and Kodak Supra Endura paper.
Next kit will be high temp one ...

Regards,
Signature

Claudio Bonavolta
http://www.bonavolta.ch

 
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