same thing applies if you
are using a motor-drive for six minutes; something like 5 minutes
will be enough.
CONDITIONER 2 mins.
The purpose of this bath is to reduce the alkaline carry-over from the
colour developer and to assist the bleach by retaining the acidity of the
bleach. No bad thing because the bleach bath is the most expensive bath of
the whole process. Do not rinse afterwards; carry-over is part of
the action.
BLEACH
6 mins.
The bleach converts all the metallic silver from the first and colour
development into silver halides ready for fixing. A poor or incomplete
bleach will result in dull colours.
FIXER 4 mins.
This bath removes all the silver halides (silver salts, if you like) from
the film, so all that now remains in the film is the dye images and
residual chemicals.
WASH 5 mins.
Washes away the. remaining fixer and ,residual chemicals left in the
emulsions, leaving only the dyes. Make a good job of it if you want to
leave your slides for posterity! .
STABILIZER 30 secs.
This bath contains a wetting agent to prevent drying marks and
formaldehyde is included to retard. the dyes from fading and to reduce
bacterial attack in the gelatine emulsion. Do not wash again afterwards.
The use of distilled water in mixing this bath is recommended.
DRYING.
E6 films are tough and can stand up to 60deg C in drying.
TAILPIECE.
The methods in these notes are based on the original Kodak E6 procedures,
using seven baths, not including washes. These are several kits available,
which are working on these lines.
Is it a good idie to limit the number of baths in this process? I know
there are four bath and even three bath kits and from what I have tried
and heard they do work. But to me it is open to doubt will it improve the
quality, the reliability and the permanence of the results.
There is one.. alteration I can accept and prefer and that is to use
light reversal instead of chemical reversal, but in that case, would it
not be better to use a process designed for white-light, reversal only,
such as the Moorhouse formulae or the Barry Priscott kit?