C41 and RA expiration and disposal

[Pinecreekboy]

Hello,
I have been offered a large quantity of C41 and RA chemicals. I'm assuming that they're mostly expired and I'm unaware of the storage conditions.. Are both safe to use past their expiration? If so is there any compensation needed?

Assuming that I'm not able to use all of this what is the proper way to dispose of these chemicals?
Thanks,
Terry

 

[BMbikerider]

If there is no discolouration of any of the chemicals apart from a pale to mid straw colour then they are probably OK to use. Most brands lable the bottles differently so to say that if bottle 'A' is discoloured may not have any bearing on the rest, just use the suggestion as a yardstick to judge if they are OK. I have found that generally speaking it is the active developer is the one that deteriorates long before the others.

As you are in the US I cannot give any guidance on the disposal of unused chemicals, but here in UK we make contact with the local authority, tell them what there is and they will collect and dispose of them for you (for a small charge of course)

 

[Rudeofus]

Colour developer and fixer will likely be the first components to go bad, whereas stop bath and bleach will last for a very long time. Since colour chems are expensive, and test strips are dirt cheap, I'd say give these chems a try and see whether they still work. You know what the leader of properly developed C-41 film looks like, so you could develop the leader (one half fully exposed, other half unexposed) of some test roll and see how it turns out. Bad fixer is easy to detect by its yellow precipitate and possible yellowing milkiness, and you could replace fixer concentrate with TF-5 from Formulary in case.

Care to tell us which brand chems you are about to get?

 

[pentaxpete]

Wish someone would give ME C41 and RA4 chemicals -- I'm about out of C41 and the wholesalers I use have gone over completely to Digital -- no more 'traditional chemicals' and I doubt if the man who used to make them is still in business. ('CPAC' Chemistry).

 

[Pinecreekboy]

Thanks for your help! Much appreciated.