Removing the rem jet

[hansvons]

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@bags27 raised the question of how I remove the rem jet of Kodak Vision cine film stock. It's not easy as pie but close if you are familiar with C41 home processing.

More important than the exact developing time is the correct temperature. I use a bowl for that, filled with water, the developer, Blix, the rem jet remover, all heated with a sou vide. 

For making my own rem jet remover I downloaded Kodak’s white paper on the ENC2 process and asked my brother, who’s a chemical scientist, how to home-brew that. This is what he came up with:

For one litre of solution, you need 8 grams of natron (bicarb) and 1 gram of soda. Don't use baking soda as this includes stuff you don't want like starch. The solution is now in the ballpark of PH 9.

Instead of the obligatory presoaking to bring the film to the right temperature, I use the correctly warmed-up rem jet removing solution. This is how I agitate:

1 min soaking with 500ml solution (two-roll canister), 30 seconds strong agitation, like really strong, pouring out 80% of the rem jet. Same procedure again, the 1-litre bottle is now empty, and 95% of the rem jet is down the drain. 

Now comes the washing phase to ensure that the film is as clean as possible and PH back to 7. It's essential to use water with developing temperature. I use the water from the water bath. The classic Ilford washing process makes sense here too.

Now develop, bleach, fix, and wash the film rolls.

There still will be rem jet residues on the film’s backside. I remove them with wet high-quality paper towels, as I would wipe the film dry in the last step. 

When there are no rem jet residues visible on the tissues, I put the film back in a bowl with warm water and some drying agent and wipe it dry with a paper towel and let it hang for 90 min before I cut it to the correct length for storage. 

Caveats: none really other than that the white reels get a bit darker over time. I have no evidence that this has a negative impact whatsoever. 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by hansvons

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[quietglow]

If you use the actual Kodak remjet removal bath recipe, the remjet comes off with 4 20 second agitated rinses in the tank. At the end of the process, I just wipe the roll down with a paper towel soaked in the rinse solution. 

Downside: the bath is caustic, so you def need gloves. Simple ingredients though.