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develop Kodachrome 40 with cafenol home process


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hey guys,

 

I know Kodachrome and its developing process have been retired, which means its pretty near impossible to get it developed now (except for some Canadian company which I hear can develop it to black and white)

 

however, I was wondering would it be possible to develop some 40 with the cafenol home developing process - from my initial research it seems near every film stock can be developed in some form with cafenol.

 

I have 4 super-8 carts of the K40, so it would be nice to experiment with them.

 

anyone have any ideas?

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Thanks, John. Very helpful and encouraging :)

 

Hey guys, just in case anyone ever stumbles across this post looking for info on the topic - I emailed Dagie from his website: http://www.dagiebrundert.de/EK40.html

 

He said it is possible and he has done it many times - basically it should develop the K40 just as good as any other black and white developer into a negative form, which usually produces great results. So good news!

 

If i ever get around to testing this later in the summer i'll be sure to post my results.

 

Also, i misspelled "caffenol" in the topic title, maybe an admin could amend that?

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basically it should develop the K40 just as good as any other black and white developer into a negative form,

 

Don't forget that Kodachrome has REMJET backing, which is not normaly found on other Black and White Films.

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my apologies to Dagie!

 

Yes, the remjet - i've read conflicting things about its toughness - some claim it rubs right off with your fingers - others say its stubborn enough and needs to be soaked in special chemicals

 

i'm guessing the negatives are useless without the remjet fully removed?

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Remjet does tend to get harder to remove with age, at least that is my experience of working with old rolls. Any remjet left on the film will apear as white spots or streaks in your image when you make it positive. Generally, diy remjet removal will always leave a moderate amount of this 'sparkle'. After processing, you can help soften the remaining remjet (a good percentage will come off in your developer) by soaking the film in a tray with water with a spoonful of borax disolved in it. You will then need to wipe the film with a cloth or sponge to rub off more of the remjet.

don't expect perfect results. that said, you should do it.

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After processing, you can help soften the remaining remjet (a good percentage will come off in your developer) by soaking the film in a tray with water with a spoonful of borax disolved in it. You will then need to wipe the film with a cloth or sponge to rub off more of the remjet.

 

From my experience many years ago trying to do ECN still rolls at home, the stuff will be fairly soft after processing, BUT it is very easy to transfer to the emulsion where it will reside for ever.

 

On my still rolls U used two sponges, one on each side with the firm suspended on a clip. I found I had to rinse the sponge about every 9 inches of film. and my Jobo reels, which normally don't pick up any chemicals were a bit dark for about 6 months afterward. the sponge on the emulsion side was to try and keep the black stuff from passing thorough the Perforations. YMMV.

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Remjet does tend to get harder to remove with age, at least that is my experience of working with old rolls. Any remjet left on the film will apear as white spots or streaks in your image when you make it positive. Generally, diy remjet removal will always leave a moderate amount of this 'sparkle'. After processing, you can help soften the remaining remjet (a good percentage will come off in your developer) by soaking the film in a tray with water with a spoonful of borax disolved in it. You will then need to wipe the film with a cloth or sponge to rub off more of the remjet.

don't expect perfect results. that said, you should do it.

 

so i'm guessing this soaking process with the borax would be after the fixer - so I wouldn't have to do it inside a darkroom?

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so i'm guessing this soaking process with the borax would be after the fixer - so I wouldn't have to do it inside a darkroom?

yes, that's right

of course, this isn't the kodak preferred way of removing remjet, but its what diy people do. Kodak would have the remjet removed before development - but that means in the dark.

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