BRIAN`S IN TROUBLE... BUT THERE`S HELP AT HAND.

Ron Knowles & Tony Chuter join forces to rescue a member in distress!.

A somewhat Long-running saga, which first surfaced way back in May of last year, has failed, as yet, to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
The principle character, Brian Asquith of Batley, West Yorkshire, contacted me as he was having trouble with the Club E.6 formulae. As
a result, I wrote to him giving as much technical information as I hoped would put him on the right lines.

At the same time I mentioned Brian`s problem to Tony Chuter of Southampton and he too contacted the Bately resident, by tape, extolling
the virtues of the formulae. So the matter rested until Brian took the bull by the horns and got in touch with Tony, also by tape. Somewhat
tentatively, I gather as he hasn`t ventured into the mysteries of talking into a tape recorder on any previous occasion. Tony in turn sent me
a copy of this tape.

Brian had processed his first films in the club brew with only mixed success and, as a result, is now doubtful of the formulae in view of the
small amounts of some chemicals involved - despite agreeing on the excellent quality of samples Tony sent him! He further wonders
whether this formulae, obviously evolved for the commercial endless belt system, can be successfully adapted to the amateur`s small
tanks.

Well, of course, so too was the E.4 system and this was adapted for the needs of the amateur, and so has the E.6 mix - members of this
club have had excellent results... better, maybe, than commercial ones. And consistently, too.

Of course the amateur, nowadays, gets little or no help from the big boys in the manufacturing field - indeed help from that quarter dried
up with the demise of the Number 2 Box Brownie! But we have battled on and have come out on a high note so transparencies from the
club formulae can now hold up to the best from any source.

But Brian, having taken over as Club Librarian, has been investigating the chemistry and the procedure of earlier formulae, retained one
suspects, in the library for nostalgic or historic reasons. On this point I can but repeat with emphasis, to him and the world - that old,
out-moded brew, together with hybrid mixes, will not work to anything like the standard of the CRC formulae.

Brian is mislead, I feel, by the chemistry in these earlier examples for he maintains that the ingredients are more familiar and more simple.
In a way I suppose this is true - for didn`t we use some of these in the old black and white days? But we have moved on. So I say forget
all that`s gone before. Stick to the CRC brew. You will get it right I`m sure.

Two points though which puzzles him I will explain. The short rinse following the first developer. The point about this is that the reversing
agent, Stannous Chloride, does not work to its full capacity in the acid conditions of its own bath. So a minimum quantity is retained in the
film`s emulsion in order for it to complete its job in the more alkaline colour developer.

The other point is the absence of a stop bath after the first developer. This is designed to allow the developer to penetrate each of the
layers of the emulsion to ensure even development in each. In the E.4 process the first developer included benzyl alcohol which helped the
developer to penetrate the various layers more quickly and evenly. So a stop bath could be used. But the E.6 needs a more gradual end to
development.

So I say, and I understand Tony has reiterated the same points, stick to the CRC formulae to the latter. Move right away from the other
mixes and don`t be tempted to hybridise with parts of other brews. Work carefully. Keep to the rules. And you will be there.