Kodachrome home processing

[pureanalog]

I have been thinking about trying to DIY develop Kodachrome at home. I am capable with the chemicals and processes but I am not sure if it will be worth my time. With a lot of effort I am pretty sure we can get a decent result. But I am not sure if it will be worth my time and money to do it with so little films available for processing and expired films might also not look very good after all.

Could a kickstarter or something similar be a financing tool for such a task?

Maybe a way to raise awareness about people loving kodachrome and the need to bring it back?

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

My friend Kelly-Shane Fuller from Oregon has spent quite a lot of time on this. He's become reasonably well-known as a result. I'm sure he mentioned recently he was doing a workshop for people interested. None other than Kodak have sought him out in the past when they were contemplating bringing Kodachrome back themselves. I'd google up some details about his efforts in the first instance.
Cheers
Brett

 

[Mooshoepork]

The dyes don’t exist anymore.

It ain’t comin’ back

 

[pureanalog]

I think it's the couples that don't exist rather than the dyes?

But they can be replaced with something that does the same job.

 

[Steve M.]

Seems highly doubtful. Where does anyone get unexpired Kodachrome film anyway??? In Mississippi, we called such a project a snipe hunt.

 

[GarageBoy]

You would not be the first to try
Good luck

 

[lynnb]

I have a roll of exposed KR25 which I overlooked when last calls were made at Sammy's. I live in hope I can develop it one day.

 

[wes loder]

Got an unexposed roll of Kodachrome in my freezer that my brother "gifted" me with. Haven't had the heart to throw it away yet.

 

[gnuyork]

Seems highly doubtful. Where does anyone get unexpired Kodachrome film anyway??? In Mississippi, we called such a project a snipe hunt.

I have a bunch in my freezer... waiting for the day when processing becomes a thing again, if ever.

 

[olifaunt]

I understand Kodachrome can be developed as B&W. I wonder if there is some kind of 3D scanning technology accurate enough to distinguish the layers. If that can be done, the color can be added by computer.

 

[Ambro51]

Like a high school sweetheart, Kodachrome is only a sweet memory now. Rather than wanting to shoot it, I enjoy my old slides, they have endured very well.

 

[santino]

I did not get my last exposed roll back from Switzerland and back then they were still in business. Still got a couple of unexposed rolls. It was my fav film.. sigh

 

[santino]

Btw what is so special about the kodachrome process? Is it that different from E6?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Bill Clark]

I used to process E6. It’s for Ektachrome film and others construced basically the same way. Used it in my business. After a wedding I’d have a fondue party, a slide show. The B & G Photos they liked, I’d pull out each one out of my Kodak Carousel Tray to make prints. A company here called Pako, they invented a plastic slide mount, I belive it was called Pakon, that I would use to mount my slides.

This is in the 1970’s.

Kodachrome is an entirely different animal, especially developing. Here is some info from Wiki, maybe it’ll help:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-14_process

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Btw what is so special about the kodachrome process? Is it that different from E6?
Thanks in advance.

The silver stays on the film in K14 whereas in E6 only the dyes remain.
Kodachrome is dead. Just deal with that.

If you want to do it at home, there are two ways:
Both start with removal of remjet which involves a presoak and scrub of a basic solution. Borax works really well. Of course, you have to do this in the dark. If you don't remove all the remjet, then it will stick to your emulsion and cause uneven development as well as become more or less permanent after using a hardening fixer. Once you do that, you have a choice.

Process it as negative but add a stop of development time.

Process it as reversal at box speed using black and white reversal chemistry. You will get a VERY contrasty but fine grained gorgeous black and white positive on a slightly toned base layer depending upon how good your development, flashing and bleaching is.

But really, Kodachrome is gone. Enjoy the memories, the gorgeous colors that it did manage to record, and if you still have some left, process it and move on.
She doesn't love you anymore.

Phil Forrest

 

[Rob-F]

Kodak tried to get rid of Kodachrome for years before it finally happened. They killed it because the process was environmentally polluting--and, I'm sure, for other reasons as well. I can't imagine the decision to eliminate it being reversed.