Doing Slide Film Part 1
I've been away a while, what with travels, horrible jobs, and just being lazy. I have a lot of shots that I will be uploading soon, but, as I have a lot of film to develop, I figured I would show you guys how to do E6 film, from mixing the chemicals, all the way to scanning it right on up.
Personally, mixing chemicals is the most bothersome part of the whole process to me, getting your water to higher than normal temperatures, and of course, different for all 3 chemicals you need, then waiting for them all to cool back to 105 degrees to actually start developing. It is just time consuming.
I use the Arista E6 kit, 1 quart (which, is frustratingly just shy of the 1000ml needed for 2 120 rolls) and find it to be pretty good.
Step one, order it right on up. It'll arrive in a box.
Then, gather all the stuff you will need to mix your chemicals. The Arista E6 kit is a three step kit (I believe most are); First Developer, Color Developer, and Blix; you will need a bottle for each.
- Thermometer
- Measuring cup of some sort
- Three Bottles a quart or larger, and opaque
- Stirrer
- Funnel
- The E6 kit, obviously
- Filtered or purified water
- Microwave
Step two is to follow directions in the package, which are straight forward. I do them in order, which is 24oz for the first developer at 111 degrees. I use my microwave to heat up the water, as it is the fastest and heats just the same. Once at 111 degrees, you just mix in the chemical. Then pour it into your corresponding bottle. I then clean out the measuring cup.
Next, is the Color developer, which is 22oz at 115 degrees, this time you have two chemicals, which are labeled 2 and 3, so you do not mix up which order to mix in the chemicals. Again, pour it into your corresponding bottle. I then clean out the measuring cup.
Lastly, is the blix, which is 14oz at 140 degrees. This time, you have 3 chemicals to mix in, all labeled accordingly. And, for the last time pour it into your corresponding bottle. I then clean out the measuring cup.
All the bottles are labeled before mixing in the chemicals as to what goes into them. I also like to label my bottles for the date they are mixed.
I then place them in my water bath to get them to 105 degrees, then start developing. I will be doing a post about how exactly to do the actual developing.
A quick bit about the Arista E6 kit. I find it very well labeled, easy to mix, and a good price for film. I have heard that the E6 kits do not last as long as C41 or Black and White, and while this is true, I have been able to push my kits to well over 20 rolls, upwards of 30 with one kit, though things started to get grainy. I have a few extra sitting in my fridge, though, cost wise, I like to make them last as long as possible.
