Re: Kodachrome in B/W Chemistry

From: Myron Ort (email suppressed)
Date: Sun Jun 14 2009 - 14:28:03 PDT


Ken,

That would be great to stumble onto Phil's secret chemistry
tricks....in any case what was your process for removing the Kodak
backing from the reversal Kodachrome? The way I understand it, the
crux of the matter is getting that stuff off your film after its
processed.
btw, are you in the sf bayarea?

Myron

On Jun 14, 2009, at 1:55 PM, Ken Paul Rosenthal wrote:

> it's been many, many years since i processed Kodachrome in b/w
> chemistry. you can see a frame enlargement from my film,
> 'Blackbirds' accompanying a catalog essay at: http://
> www.kenpaulrosenthal.com/manipulations.htm
>
> the processed film will emerge with a highly unstable image that
> will slide into your palms unless you let it air dry. of the
> thousands and thousands of feet i've processed over the years,
> those 50-ft of Kodachrome that i processed in b/w chemistry back in
> '97 were probably the most satisfying. the granular structure of
> the image was almost entirely upset, though the photographed image
> was still retained. it was a perfect collaboration between
> surrendipity and control. it looked like phil solomon's 'snowman'
> without doing god-(and mary beth reed)-knows-what he does to it--
> hey, maybe he processes kodachrome in b/w!
>
> anyway, it's a process i've long wanted to indulge at length. but
> save workshop demo's, i'm on a long sabbatical from hp'ing for
> physical (and spiritually) toxic health reasons. in the meantime,
> the following steps should help you on your way. i did not write
> them. but they worked for me back in the day:
>
> 1) kodachrome, like any reversal stock, can be processed as black
> and white positive image, or as a negative. overexpose 1/2 to 1
> stop when shooting to get a lighter, higher contrast image. normal
> or light underexposure creates a dense, brown toned, if not muddy
> image. the images that lay submerged in these dark pools can be
> coaxed out through optical printing.
>
> 2) depending on the exposure, develop your film for 12 to 14
> minutes in the first AND second developers. follow standard b/w
> guidelines for the other steps depending on your tank. to bring out
> some Kodachrome color in tones between sepia and orange, briefly
> return your film to the bleach, and then re-develop it once again.
>
> 3) to process as negative, D-76 is recommended for the first
> developer, although any b/w first developer solution will work.
> after washing, simply skip to the fix step, followed by a final wash.
>
> 4) when using 16mm film in the hand crank tanks, the developing
> times need to be increased because the film is slowly moving
> through the solutions from one reel to the next. you will need to
> figure out (read ‘discover’) the conversion for yourself. It’s much
> easier to process 16mm ‘spaghetti style’ because the film is
> completely immersed. for total immersion, you can follow the
> development times listed in the reversal kit instructions.
>
> 5) processing Kodachrome in b/w chemicals will deplete your
> solutions very quickly. Depending on what you consider acceptable,
> three rolls are generally the limit before the solutions become
> exhausted. do not use the same chemicals to process other film
> stocks once the containers have been 'contaminated' with the
> Kodachrome emulsions.
>
> viel spaas! (just had breakfast with a german friend...)
>
> http://www.kenpaulrosenthal.com
> http://www.crookedbeauty.com
>
>
>
>
>
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> __________________________________________________________________
> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.

__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.