For this issue only, would you come with
me on a journey? We will tart in North Wales and travel across country
almost to the East coast, and then south to the Metropolis. In Llandudno,
one of my favourite holiday resorts, a beautiful town and a beautiful
place for a really good holiday. In Queen’s Parade in fact, is
PHOTOWORLD run: by of course, Roy Salmons.
‘‘“No, you will have noticed that
in the last issue of the C.R.C. Newsletter, was enclosed a leaflet from
Photoworld offering a reduction on a THREE BATH KIT for processing E6. Now
I don’t propose to dwell on the fact that the leaflet arrived far beyond
the closing date Roy mentions for the offer. But I am somewhat intrigued
and puzzled by the fact that an E6 processing kit is available in only a
three-bath form. Now I know that I sin quite out of date in so far as
processing kits are concerned. I am strictly a weigher and mixer and I am
sure I haven’t used a kit in any form since the late Will Griffiths was
the owner of Lingcolour, and it was one of his kits I am sure that would
have been the last one that I used. So, as I say I am somewhat out of
date. But the leaflet from Roy does intrigue me because: I S am not sure
that any other kits are available offering a three bath processing method.
There may well be others, or is it maybe that Roy’s kit is an
innovation. I hope so, because at least it won’t show me too far out of
touch.
But “3” solutions to achieve this
surely the two solutions to go completely must be the two Stop Baths. Now
I have written about an experiment I made a few years ago doing exactly
that. Missing out the two stop baths. And the net result was a beautiful
roll of 35mm film with a vivid, very vivid magenta effect. In fact the
blank leader of this particular experiment was a very, very good Magenta
filter.
That experiment was the result of my
thinking back over 40 years of developing B&W negatives and
remembering that over that long period, never had I once used a Stop Bath.
So, think I, What’s the point of using a stop bath? Seems unnecessary.
So
for his experiment the stop bath was dropped, first of course, the No l
developer, looked all right, film looked good, so I carried on, reversed
the film to white light, Washed – Fixed - Hey Presto! My magenta film.
So how can Roy Salmons or anyone else
for that matter. How can he or they produce a kit aimed, one hopes, to’
finally produce very good transparencies. How can this be done? Cutting
out what seems to me to be, these vital stop baths. Now Roy, can you tell
us? Is it too much of a magic secret? How have you done it! The
incorporation of the FIX & BLEACH is a good and well-known practice.
But how can you produce transparencies after cutting out, at least, the
stop bath after the colour developer?
I don’t think the first stop bath
would affect the issue. Now, I must confess that I slipped up on my
experiment, I didn’t continue and find out whether one or other, or
indeed both stop baths were necessary. But I felt, and still do, that it
is the 2nd stop bath which is the VITAL one. So, Roy, How have you done
it? Can we all be let into the secret? Can we, or cant we? AH!
That is the question.
And so across country to the ancient
City of Lincoln. What a beautiful entrance to this town. Dominating the
scene on its hilly pinnacle is the beautiful Cathedral. Surely this is a
sight unrivalled by very many towns or cities, even in the world.
And it is from Lincoln that Eric
Weatherill, Leader of Area 11 sends out his local newsletters, and a very
good one. Produced on a computer, if you please. Led me up when I first
saw it. And I thought he’d sent me a roll of wallpaper, 4-5 pages it
was, all stuck together in one long length.