K-14 Process



 K-14  was the last developing process for Kodak 's Kodachrome transparency film; the last version having been designated Process K-14M. The process differed significantly from its contemporary, the E-6 process, in both complexity and length. Kodachrome film has no integral color couplers ; dyes are produced during processing (each color in a separate step) by the reaction of the color couplers. Due to declining sales, Kodak discontinued production of all K-14 chemistry in 2009, concurrently with Kodachrome 64 film. Dwayne's Photo, which operated the last K-14 line in the world, discontinued sales on December 30, 2010; the last roll was processed on January 18, 2011. At least one group of photographers has been assessing the possibility of recreating a K-14 line using orphaned hardware and new chemicals.

 Process Steps  Here is the cycle for the complex K-14 Process:

 Backing Removal 

 An alkaline bath softens the cellulose acetate phthalate binder. A spray wash and buffer removes the rem-jet antihalation backing

 First Developer

 All exposed silver halide crystals are developed to metallic silver via a PQ developer. The yellow filter layer becomes opaque because it has a combination of Lippmann emulsion (very tiny grains) and Carey Lea silver (metallic silver particles that are small enough that they are yellow rather than gray.

 Wash

 Red Re-Exposure

 This makes the remaining undeveloped silver halide in the cyan layers developable.

 Cyan Developer

 The solution contains a color developer and a cyan coupler. These are colorless in solution. After the color developer develops the silver, the oxidized developer reacts with the cyan coupler to form cyan dye. The dye is much less soluble than either the developer or the coupler so it stays in the red layer of the film.

 Wash

 Blue Re-Exposure

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> This makes the remaining undeveloped grains in the blue sensitive layer (the yellow layer) developable. The now opaque yellow filter layers prevents the blue light from exposing the magenta layer (the green sensitive layer, which is also sensitive to blue light). It is important to avoid stray printing light exposing the film base of film.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Yellow Developer

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Analogous to the cyan developer

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Wash

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Magenta Developer

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> This contains a chemical fogging agent that makes all of the remaining undeveloped silver developable. If everything has worked right, nearly all of this silver is in the magenta layers. The developer and magenta coupler work just like the cyan and yellow developers to produce magenta dye that is insoluble and stays in the film.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Wash

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Conditioner

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Prepares the metallic silver for the bleach step.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Bleach

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> (Iron EDTA) Oxidises the metallic silver to silver halide. The bleach must be aerated. The former ferricyanide bleach did not require aeration and did not require a conditioner.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Fix

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Converts the silver halide to soluble compounds which are then dissolved and washed from the film

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Wash

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Washes the fixer out of the film.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Rinse

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Contains a wetting agent to reduce water spots.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Dry

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Dry with hot filtered air to reduce scratches and dust

<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Future of the process
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"> Currently, a group of photographers are attempting to recreate the process