Not to perpetuate the color thread here, but where do you get your Ciba materials? I've actually got an Ilford CAP40 processor that I could do it with, but the paper and chemistry seem impossible to find, at least here in San Diego. Do you mail-order it? I used to print Cibachrome and I'd love to do it again. -Charlie --- Jim Brick <jim@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > I print Cibachrome routinely. I have a big JOBO > ATL-2400. The Ciba P3 > chemistry is only three steps. Develop, bleach, and > fix. The > chemistry is so stable that I mix 20 liters at a > time and it sits in > the tanks within my JOBO, with floating lids, for up > to a year > without degradation. I can walk in to my darkroom at > any time, turn > on the JOBO, put a transparency in my enlarger, and > start printing. > When the 20 liters runs out, it's easy to mix new P3 > chemistry as it > comes in liquid concentrates that mix 20 liters. > Pour it in, add > water, stir, done. The fix actually makes 25 liters > so every fifth > purchase of P3 chemistry, I don't have to buy the > fix. > > Even if the P3 chemistry stays in my processor long > after is has gone > bad, it doesn't gum-up anything. The way you know > it's bad is that it > won't process your paper. The chemistry doesn't go > crazy, turn black, > and gum-up stuff. > > I hate RA4 chemistry!!!!! Where Ciba P3 chemistry > will last, mixed, > up to a year, RA4 chemistry under the exact same > conditions (in my > JOBO with floating lids) lasts only two weeks. Leave > it in the > machine for more than two weeks and you have a mess > on your hands. > The developer gums up the works. So when I want to > print RA4, I have > to mix chemistry for that session. So I try to mix > only the amount > I'll use. But because of test strips, I usually have > to stop and mix > chemistry mid printing session. So now I mix more > than I really need. > And when I'm finished printing color neg, I have to > dump the > remaining RA4 chemistry and meticulously clean that > part of my > processor. This is why I only very rarely print RA4. > So for color, I > shoot Velvia 50 and print Cibachrome. > > For me, it's actually easier to print Ciba than B&W. > For the most > part, the chemistry is already mixed, all I do is > print. I buy 20x24 > and 11x14 Ciba paper. 20x24 paper cuts easily into > 8x10 and 16x20 > sizes. 11x14 is a bastard size and leaves scraps > when cut out of > 20x24. I use Ciba (Ilfochrome) CF.1k Low Contrast > paper. It is > fantastic stuff and precludes having to make > contrast masks. I very > rarely have to make a mask - maybe once a year. > > Jim > > ____________________________________________________________________________________Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally, mobile search that gives answers, not web links. http://mobile.yahoo.com/mobileweb/onesearch?refer=1ONXIC ============================================================================================================= To unsubscribe from this list, go to www.freelists.org and logon to your account (the same e-mail address and password you set-up when you subscribed,) and unsubscribe from there.