How do you test your bleach and clearing bath?

[slashmaster]

I already know how to test my developer and fixer and have a good idea how long they last, but I'm still new to processing films as reversal. How do I know when my Potassium Dichromate bleach and clearing bath are too old or exhausted to use? Also I was able to compare how well my 16mm processing was compared to what Cinelab can do. I took 100 feet from a 400 foot roll of tri-x, filmed animals and sent it to Cinelab to process. Then took another 100 feet from the same roll, ran it through same camera on same subject matter and processed myself. I can see a difference, the whites seems to have a slightly yellow tint. Does this indicate I didn't keep it in the clearing bath long enough?

[avortex]

Are you using sodium sulfite for clearing?

[slashmaster]

Are you using sodium sulfite for clearing?

Sure am!.. How many films would a 1.75 liter bottle be good for? Or how many months would it be good for?

[avortex]

It depends on the type of film. Discard it when it has a slight green tint.
The bleach can be used a lot, just filter it after each pair of rolls or so. Discard it when it's turning dark brown. Foma film leaves a lot of dirt in the bleach batch, so it shortens its useful life faster than other films.

Another possible cause of the yellow tint is an excessive re-exposure. How many time do you use?

In any case, try this formula for a consistent clearing bath:

Sodium sulfite 30g
Sodium metabisulfite 10g
Boric acid 1g
Citric acid 3g
Water to make 1 liter.
3 minutes. Continuous agitation during 30" every 30".

[slashmaster]

It depends on the type of film. Discard it when it has a slight green tint.
The bleach can be used a lot, just filter it after each pair of rolls or so. Discard it when it's turning dark brown. Foma film leaves a lot of dirt in the bleach batch, so it shortens its useful life faster than other films.

Another possible cause of the yellow tint is an excessive re-exposure. How many time do you use?

In any case, try this formula for a consistent clearing bath:

Sodium sulfite 30g
Sodium metabisulfite 10g
Boric acid 1g
Citric acid 3g
Water to make 1 liter.
3 minutes. Continuous agitation during 30" every 30".

OH ok. My clearing bath did have a green tint so I dumped it. I have only been using the sodium sulfite and water, have not tried the acids and metabisulfite.

For my re-exposure I've been taking the lid off the tank after bleaching and just letting the room light expose during the rinsing and clearing bath. Could that be too much?

[avortex]

Well, it depends. Sun light doesn't do any good to your images, and if you're using the artificial light on your room it's difficult to control it and to know if it's consistent through all the footage.
I recommend to use a 100W tungsten bulb. Submerge your film into water in a white can, and rotate the spiral under the light (not far away from it) for 2 minutes.It works great.
A better option is chemical fogging, and even better if you use a fogging redeveloper, but that complicates the process a lot...