The photo above was a normal B&W photo, a little too dark. So, I wondered what could it turn in sepia. To do so, I used a bleach bath made of copper sulfate and sodium chloride for a few minutes, enough to vanish the image. I washed tho photo to remove vestiges of the bleach and soak it in a solution of Sodium Sulfide. The image reappeared but now in sepia.
Bleach:
100 g Copper Sulfate
100 g Sodium Chloride
1 liter water
Sepia bath:
10 g Sodium Sulfide
1 liter water
18 comments:
I've read about betadine as a C-41 bleach alternative; Have you found it to be better that copper sulfate/sodium chloride bleach?
What should be a standard dilution using Betadine for a 500 ml bleach?
Very nice!!
Thank you for your question. Yes, Betadine is a 10% solution of Povidone Iodine but has some traces of other substances, like Potasium Iodide and others. I use it pure, no further dilution. It takes more time than Copper Sulfate/Salt to bleach, about 90 minutes vs. 10 minutes or less with Sulfate/Salt.
I can not say which produces better negatives. I am using now only Copper Sulfate/Salt - 50g Copper Sulfate and 50 g Salt for 500 ml solution.
Thank you for your nice response, Henrique. In Mexico, where I live there's only povidone-iodine in 8% so I guess it should take even more time. Besides, the content is only 120 ml in each bottle so I might need at least 2 bottles since it's not supposed to be diluted.
Thank you again
Tonight I did a reversal process out of a Kodak Proimage 100 using a makeshift Ferricyanide + Kbr bleach. Positive images are ok even though my ferry bleach has been used for at least 4 times. Do you think it might be possible to mix 50/50 my ferri bleach with povidone-iodine to make it stronger? Or it's a bad idea?
No idea, friend. Following my experience, bleach baths may be used for a long time if aerated. I leave the bottle with sulfate/salt open and use it almost for ever...
Greetings!
Well, I suppose that statement applies to all bleaches (Ferricyanide + Kbr, Cooper Sulfate + Salt and 10% Betadine) I was about to ask you that mere question.
I 've had my ferri bleach filled to the top with almost no air, but now I reckon it doen't matter that much. On the other hand, I read somewhere that Copper Sulfate bleach turns from blue to green after a few months, being considered useless when green. Perhaps this guy didn't allow fresh air sometimes in the bleach.
I found the 10% betadine mexican copy to be very cheap, 3 bottles with 120ml for only 4 dollars so I guess when my Ferri bleach eventually dies, I shall use it before trying to mix copper sulfate + salt.
I have some samples, but haven't scanned; when I do, I´ll show you...
I´ll Keep you posted!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127134155@N06/
romeo
Again needing from your experience.
Are Ferricyanide + Kbr, Copper sulfate + Salt and Betadines considered to be rehal bleaches?
Cheers!
romeo
They do the job but almost all C-41 kits use Ferric(III)-Ammonium EDTA. It also needs aeration.
Greetings!
That means I should let my Ferricyanide bleach open to get fresh air just as you mentionesd about copper sulfate + Salt? Is one hour daily ok?
Can I use kitchen Salt to make my bleach?
Cheers!
romeo
I found in the Supermaket a Salt which states to NOT contain Iodide or fluoride, it's said to be Sea Salt with nothing added. Should that be ok or Kitchen Salt? :)
"That means I should let my Ferricyanide bleach open to get fresh air just as you mentionesd about copper sulfate + Salt? Is one hour daily ok? "
I think so but I don't know about one hour. Some people keep it closed and shake for some minutes before use.
"I found in the Supermaket a Salt which states to NOT contain Iodide or fluoride, it's said to be Sea Salt with nothing added. Should that be ok or Kitchen Salt? "
What you need is copper sulfate and sodium chloride. Kitchen salt is OK, I never used iodized or fuorized salt.
Sea salt is what we use as kitchen salt in Portugal.
Ok, last night I made the copper sulfate + kitchen Salt bleach 50 grams for 500ml but it looks green and not blue, I boiled some water to let the grains disolve. Is it wrong? Kitchen Salt over here contains fluoride and Iodide, that's why I aked about it, may I will get the Sea Salt thats doesn' t contain anything. Should I use it with that light green color?
What's the exact way to arereate this bleach? Leve the bleach with the lid open or take it into an open container for some minutes?
I hope I don't bother you with so many questions
Thank you
romeo
Hi, Romeu! Why don't you just try if it works. Use, for instance a piece of B&W film already developed with blacks and put in this solution you prepared. The film shall turn white/milkish. If this happens, you are done. Otherwise, get Sodium Chloride pure, i.e., Sea Salt without other additives.
Cheers!
To aerate, just leave the bottle opened. Or shake it for one minute before use.
Yeasterday and today I did two succesfull reversal proceses, last night in B&W and today in color and I can honestly say the Copper sulfate bleach worked like a charm!! In color reversal I only bleached 8 minutes and it was truly effective, despite having used iodized and fluorided salt which is pretty common over here. I bought a Kosher Salt which claims not have anything but Sea Salt. It wasn't needed so far. I take the time to aerate the bleach every onece in a while and before I do a process I take leave it open and poured in a container one hour before its use.
I work non stop from tomorrow till Sunday late night so I will post some samples on Monday.
Glad to see you are mastering it! Please send me the links to the photos when you post them.
Cheers!
Dear Henrique,
I haven't had time to scan images since I found that thanks to copper sulfate bleach I was able to recover some rolls that I would have had wrongly bleached and thought them to be lost.
I re-bleached with copper sulfate and would get a positive image out of the film (Since the film was completly black due to a wrongly applied ferricyanide bleach, allegedly not aereated, since I can't find another reason) and I am very happy to realize my process was ok.
I haven't used the povidone iodine bleach but perhaps very soon since I have a few rolls to develop.
As soon as I am able to scan them I will send links in Flickr.
Cheers, friend.
Romeo
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