Over-diluted C-41 dev

[polyglot]

Hi all,

Processed my first C-41 tonight. It worked, but not without me making two expensive errors; of course my only two errors in 200+ rolls of home developing came with my first use of expensive chemistry!

Anyway, I accidentally got 200mL of stop-water in my 500mL of colour developer (the bottle was catching dev drips, I forgot to move it before dumping the stop), so it's more-diluted than it should be by a factor of 1.4. Presumably I can still use it but with a longer 1st-dev time? What time should I run it for?

I made up 1L from the 5L Fuji kit, used 500mL in the Jobo (this got accidentally diluted) and will continue using the other 500mL for now. I also managed to tip over and spill about 25% of my Dev Part B: the blast of butane I was putting in there to preserve it knocked the tiny bottle over

So I'm seriously pissed off at myself. However, I'm hoping you guys can let me know how to recover from the dilution issue...

[markbarendt]

I have made similar mistakes. What really sucks (costs), once you get to the point where you buy the chemical separately, is dumping fix into bleach.

If you have a truly unimportant roll to test with go for it with extra time, otherwise I'd toss it.

[mkillmer]

Uhgg - I feel for you!
I have been using the Tetenal colrtec c41 and can only talk about my experiences with that chemistry, but I suspect they are similar.
I have always been loosing developer - I think because I dont pre-wash - anyway - my developer level keeps going down.
I have the 1 litre kit.
After about 20 rolls I had to top up the dev with water as I no longer had sufficient to safely cover the 120 film spool. I added 250 ml to about 600 ml. not too far off your ratios. I had adjusted my times already because of the number of rolls I had developed. My change was to add 15 seconds to the dev time - I did that at roll 16.
After adding the water I did not increase the length of time, but I increased the temp from 38C to 40C - I have had no problems with my development, however my developer is getting old and thick now so I will probably get a new batch of chems any day now.

[mkillmer]

I have made similar mistakes. What really sucks (costs), once you get to the point where you buy the chemical separately, is dumping fix into bleach.

If you have a truly unimportant roll to test with go for it with extra time, otherwise I'd toss it.

I recommend you dont dump your chemicals! even if you dont trust the developer, you can always use it for cross processing

[David Lyga]

Polyglot, you are speaking indecipherable languages when you tend to panic over such trivialities.

First, I am unorthodox in the extreme when I dare develop 'C-41' film: I do so in RA4 chemicals DILUTED 1 + 4 water (16 minutes at 100 F) and get enviable negatives. YOU, on the other hand, do not deviate from the C-41 chemistry so you cannot be as bad as I.

For the 'solution' I would heartily recommend this: with an unoffensive dilution of only 40% excess water I would give about 20% to 33% excess development time (do a 'clip test'). I like my negatives a bit more contrasty than is deemed 'normal' for color work, so you be the judge.

Finally, master of languages, I, personally, do not use 'blasts of anything' to preserve my color chemicals (or BW, also). I store in clear, plastic bottles (soda, water, juice, they are everywhere even 'down under') and fill them to the very brim (essential). THEY DO NOT 'BREATHE' AND ARE AS GOOD AS GLASS. I use glass marbles to take up any slack. Tiny 50ml liquor bottles are also excellent (the ones with the metal caps). I have set aside color RA4 dev in 2003 this way as a test and STILL good as new. - David Lyga

[polyglot]

Yep, I have at least one unimportant roll, maybe two. What are your suggestions for time increase, assuming fresh dev (it's had one roll through it) ?

(E6 film is too expensive to waste on cross processing! I just don't understand that particular aesthetic)

[markbarendt]

The loss you are see mkillmer, is normal.

Every roll uses up/soaks up/carries over some. You'll see the same thing for paper

C-41, like most commercial processes, is designed to be replenished at a set rate per roll which keeps the chemicals at the right strength/activity.

[David Lyga]

Do, as I say, a 'clip test'. Take an inch or so of unexposed film and put it into the back of your manual 35mm camera and expose normally. Then process using, say, 25% more time. Then look at the neg (best with a magnifying glass) and carefully scrutinize the highlight and shadow detail. - David Lyga.

[markbarendt]

I recommend you dont dump your chemicals! even if you dont trust the developer, you can always use it for cross processing

I'm all for experimental, non-standard uses.

[polyglot]

David: good to know that you're confident of the looseness of the process! I'll go with +25% for a first try (4:00) and see what the contrast looks like.

Given that currently these will be hybrid-processed, I'm sure that nearly any developing error (including crossover) is correctable. However, I don't want to soup a bunch of rolls only to discover in future that those ones can't be optically printed.

Edit: I just had a thought that should have been obvious an hour ago... it's all moot since I can just add a little more concentrate to bring it up to 1L of dev in that bottle. I can still run this one by the book! Of course that means I'll have about 1.5L of dev mixed up when I really wanted 0.5, but the 1L bottle I can squeeze to have zero air and there are reports of it keeping OK like that.