Also, anyone else from Canada able to source from places that will actually ship here?
I don't know if it's because of covid, or because the digital ra-4 industry is dying (?) but there seems to be fewer ra-4 chemicals available these days.
I don't know if there are any restrictions or duties if one were to drive across the border and pick up their chem somewhere nearby here.
the misconception that RA4 is somewhow on a downward slide in America
One of the things I sure miss now that I'm retired is that I no longer have a full Receiving Dept and industrial loading dock at my fingertips.
That made a significant difference in the cost and ease of hazmat shipments. Sometimes we handled entire cargo containers of such things for West Coast military branches and defense contractors. But even the expense of twice daily contracted UPS and Fedex services was a fraction of what it is for an individual occasionally shipping something. A significant amount of what I myself pay for RA4 chemicals here is due to HazMat label ad-on fees. The actual packaging is really anything different at all; all the bottles are in virtually unbreakable polyethylene anyway.
Argentix.ca sells ra4 chemicals.
Thanks to Don and Bob for answering the Op's question!flic films I believe in Alberta supply us with C41 and RA4 chems if we need.
Matt - If my reply didn't directly match the OP's question, it should at least furnish a valuable clue. There must be some kind of cross-border trucker in his area he could arrange to receive and transport materials if necessary. Of course, when someone is just starting out and experimenting with very small volumes, ordinary retailers and parcel shippers are hard to get around. But at a certain point, some kind of networking option might be the only way to keep costs down. Trading favors, so to speak.
flic film is shutting down their retail operation
The online store at Film Experience has shut down. Of course the chemicals are available elsewhere.
I understand the predicament, Matt. My own ancestors had to break out of jail and stow away aboard a ship around 1650 due to some silly commodity boundary technicality, like merely poaching sheep on Crown land. If they were due to be hanged for that, I can't imagine what kind of penalty would be imposed for smuggling RA4 chemistry.
True - but where?
True - but where?
Beau Photo, for one, has a bunch of Flic Film chemicals on their website, but no RA4 chemicals of any brand.
The same applies to Kerrisdale Cameras, the only other local (to BC) retailer known to me that sells a few different photographic chemicals.
A look at The Camera Store (Calgary) website shows some photo chemicals, but nothing for RA4.
The same applies to Don's Photo in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
I used to buy Tetenal 5L kits from Downtown Camera but they no longer stock them. There's a company called Lite Imaging in Toronto and I've bought Champion chems from them, although I think it only comes in 60L for dev and 40L for blix. Argentix has had the Bellini kits in and out of stock, Beau sometimes carries the Arista kits. Could be missing someone but AFAIK those are the only ra4 retailers in Canada.
Unique Photo in NJ has told me they can ship Fuji chemicals to Canada, wasn't sure if that was possible because of chemical restrictions but I'll take them at their word, may try that in the future.
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