# What bleach to use when accelerating slide film?



## SimonFreiman (Feb 29, 2012)

I'm planning to give accelerating a try. E6 labs have been shut down in my area, so I see no other way to get my slides done.
Is the potassium permanganate and sulphuric acid bleach used in Ilford's BW reversal process OK for this purpose?

EDIT: oh no, it seems i have completely misunderstood the process. Will accelerating film create negatives from a slide film?


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## Helen B (Feb 29, 2012)

If you use an E-6 compatible process and push in the first developer you will get positive images ("slides"). If you use a C-41 compatible process and push in the developer you will get negs.

As you realised, there is a big difference between the bleach in a B&W reversal process and the bleach in a standard colour reversal process. Different place in the order of processes (after first dev for B&W, after second dev for colour), and different properties (B&W bleach converts silver to soluble silver salt, colour bleach converts it to silver bromide for removal by fixer).

Do you plan to make up your own chemistry, or can you buy an E-6 kit?

Good luck,
Helen


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## SimonFreiman (Mar 2, 2012)

Hi,

I was researching the possibilites of using bw developer + c41 process as a temporary substitute to the E6 process. Somewhere the term "film accelerating" caught my eye and for a while I mistakenly thought that the process would result in positive images.
So in light of my recent findings I'd take back my initial question and ask another one. 

If I substitute the E6 first dev with a bw developer, then stop, wash, re-expose, respool the film and take it to a lab to c41 process, could the film contaminate the minilabs chemistry?

I'm aware that the CD4 used in c41 won't give me very stable slides, I just want to experiment.
Why use a minilab? Why not try it out with a press kit myself? Chems take a long time to arrive here, I can't get my hands on a Digibase chem set before May for sure.

Sorry for the misleading first post btw.

Simon


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## Helen B (Mar 4, 2012)

As long as it is properly washed, no it won't contaminate the C-41. It might take some experimenting to get the first dev right - particularly to avoid overall fog in the final positive. You might try a first dev intended for reversing - ie one that will dissolve some silver salt. I also wonder if there is any need to use stop bath rather than simply wash.


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