K-Lab Kodachrome Processing after Dec. 30, 2010

[RichardE]

Originally Posted by wgiers

My take on Klittlegraphy efforts is: After last minute rescue of K-lab from scrap yard he made few phone calls and found out this thing is over his head and simply gave up on it. He is short distance sprinter who never finish the race. Filling ashamed he’s not answering any questions and staying low. At least he should admit that to us.
I’m sure someone can make it work but most likely it’s not him. Too bad.

I fear that you may be right, but I'm sure we have all, in our time, embarked on projects which have not worked out for a variety of reasons, sometimes beyond our control....nothing to be ashamed of in that. However, I am very disappointed (and, TBH, cannot help but feel it somewhat discourteous) that, given the great interest shown in his project here, we have heard absolutely nothing. Just an update, even if only to say that the machine was beyond repair and has been scrapped, would take a few seconds, and allow ideas to move on.

Does anyone have any definitive information as to what K-labs still exist, or what happened to Dwaynes processing line?

[KR4myF2AS]

Dwayne's K-14 equipment was (apparently) sent to the scrappers this January past. A (partial?) listing of former K-labs can be found at:

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consu.../dealers.shtml

Whether any of this equipment still exists is the question...

[nzoomed]

Originally Posted by KR4myF2AS

Given his obvious organizational and personal skills, I wonder if our man Dan B., could be convinced to help organize a fund-raising effort or be talked into helping to create a "Committee of the Interested" to give this undertaking some structure...

Sounds like a good idea, a new website like kodachromeprocessing.org, k14project.org or something along those lines would be a good start, incorporating the wiki into it, and then spread the word on APUG etc.
If people are going to donate to a fund, it has to convince people that its genuine and that the funds are not getting blown.
If enough funds were collected it would be possible to get a chemical manufacturer on alibaba.com to produce the chemicals, there are plenty in china that could reproduce the dye couplers im sure.

Originally Posted by RichardE

I fear that you may be right, but I'm sure we have all, in our time, embarked on projects which have not worked out for a variety of reasons, sometimes beyond our control....nothing to be ashamed of in that. However, I am very disappointed (and, TBH, cannot help but feel it somewhat discourteous) that, given the great interest shown in his project here, we have heard absolutely nothing. Just an update, even if only to say that the machine was beyond repair and has been scrapped, would take a few seconds, and allow ideas to move on.

Does anyone have any definitive information as to what K-labs still exist, or what happened to Dwaynes processing line?

I was sure that i read somewhere about another known K-Lab in existence in the UK somewhere, there may be others in the states too, i think its crucial to track any that are still in existence and pin them down.

On another note, i was on the website below:
http://www.processc22.co.uk
And it has an ad banner saying Kodachrome is not, dead.... Only Sleeping...

As for Klittlegraphy, given all the support he has had here, im surprised he did not offer to offload the K-lab to someone here, given the amount of interest it has sparked, If he has given up on the project, others would have been more than happy to take it off his hands i would expect.

We have got to remember that Steve Mccurry has some rolls left in his freezer ready for when its "revived"
Im wondering if i should shoot some and keep it frozen in the meantime.

[RichardE]

That link doesn't seem to work at this minute, but there is a similar ad banner on

http://www.processc22.co.uk/

(Not sure if that's the same people as the "agfachromelab.co.uk", but I believe they are a small established lab for obsolete films?)

[nzoomed]

Originally Posted by RichardE

That link doesn't seem to work at this minute, but there is a similar ad banner on

http://www.processc22.co.uk/

(Not sure if that's the same people as the "agfachromelab.co.uk", but I believe they are a small established lab for obsolete films?)

Sorry
That was my mistake!!!!
How did that get posted i dont know!
Yes the URL you have is correct, i was researching processing on agfachrome at the same time i was writing my post had copied that URL into the clipboard from another website, overwriting the one i was meanint to post here, i have since corrected it :P

But, yes, they seem to process obsolete films, and i wonder if its the same people i was reading about in another thread about someone in the UK with a K-lab, either way, im guessing they are in possession on a K-lab, or an actual kodachrome processing machine, perhaps they know something that we dont?
Maybe they are getting a source of chemicals?
Would be a good idea to contact them, perhaps we can put all our resources together and help them out?

[quid246]

I don't see why Kodak didn't "open source" everything on Kodakchrome....

What do they think, there will be a worldwide resurgence in film processing sometime and therefore they have to sit on their "trade secrets"?

Or perhaps they feel this information has some financial value or perceived financial value and therefore want to keep it secret for the benefit of their (plummeting) stock price?

Out of curiousity... EK is currently trading at 0.37 cents, was $30 in summer of '07!

[nzoomed]

Originally Posted by quid246

I don't see why Kodak didn't "open source" everything on Kodakchrome....

What do they think, there will be a worldwide resurgence in film processing sometime and therefore they have to sit on their "trade secrets"?

Or perhaps they feel this information has some financial value or perceived financial value and therefore want to keep it secret for the benefit of their (plummeting) stock price?

Out of curiousity... EK is currently trading at 0.37 cents, was $30 in summer of '07!

I honestly dont know what decent products Kodak even offer today other than film?
Their digital cameras are crap and they dont have many consumer digital products that i would go out and buy.
Would like them to make kodachrome open source and leave the chemistry to hobbyists.
Surley in this day and age there must be an easier way to process the film and think outside the square?
There may be an easier way to add the dye couplers than we think?
Its quite hard to imagine how complex it is to process the film.

[mrb7]

Originally Posted by quid246

I don't see why Kodak didn't "open source" everything on Kodakchrome....

They did, decades ago. Everything about Kodachrome is transferred to the public domain as specified on the patent documents. All you have to do is fund the effort to get it going, which no one wanted. I think Agfa and Fuji both gave it a run with the older K-12 medium, and both of them bowed out of the game on K-14.

Truth be told, it really is that much more complicated than E6, and even E6 is beginning to look like it's hanging by a thread these days.

MB

[nzoomed]

I see ive got a new member on my Wiki who has been contributing greatly by the name of Ltaylor.
Im not sure if hes a member from here, but would be good if more from APUG get on board.
Back to the subject of the K-labs, its interesting reading kodak's article regarding the practicability of the K-lab processors, saying that a network of dozens around the world would serve a higher demand for kodachrome processing, its surprising to me that there never were a great number of these machines in use.
On rocky mountain's website it says about the k-lab being sold and they dont know what the new owner (klittlegraphy) intends to do with the k-lab machine, im wondering if its worth asking them if they know the whereabouts of klittlegraphy, and if they are able to make contact with him, im keen to know the fate of the machine, but its probably worth looking around for anothe redundant k-lab, i wonder how many k-labs remain?

[KR4myF2AS]

Originally Posted by nzoomed

I see ive got a new member on my Wiki who has been contributing greatly by the name of Ltaylor.
Im not sure if hes a member from here, but would be good if more from APUG get on board.
Back to the subject of the K-labs, its interesting reading kodak's article regarding the practicability of the K-lab processors, saying that a network of dozens around the world would serve a higher demand for kodachrome processing, its surprising to me that there never were a great number of these machines in use.
On rocky mountain's website it says about the k-lab being sold and they dont know what the new owner (klittlegraphy) intends to do with the k-lab machine, im wondering if its worth asking them if they know the whereabouts of klittlegraphy, and if they are able to make contact with him, im keen to know the fate of the machine, but its probably worth looking around for anothe redundant k-lab, i wonder how many k-labs remain?

I, too, am curious about what Kittlegraphy has done (or is doing) about the K-lab. I certainly would have appreciated some response to my earlier enquiry. Given the number of hits on this thread I would venture to say there are a great many folks interested in getting a K-lab up and running. Similarly, the continued activity on eBay is encouraging. Perhaps, nzoomed, you have hit on a more viable alternative course: perhaps tracking down a redundant K-lab and engaging PE and a few of his colleagues will be the direction to take. I hold fast to the view that selling subscriptions to the endeavor will be the way to fund the undertaking. The first step: where do we start looking for a machine if Kittlegraphy does not want to part with his (assuming, of course, that he still has the thing)?!