D-11 for $.50/gal?

[jim appleyard]

I recently aquired some old Kodak chemistry in cans at an estate sale. One price tag for a gallon of D-11 was for $.50, yup, four bits. Does anyone know how old this stuff is? Perhaps I should ask, when was this stuff $.50?

 

[dpurdy]

Sounds like you might want to ask the Antique Roadshow!
Dennis

 

[fschifano]

About 50 years old or so is what I figure. Maybe longer. I found a 1 quart can of Microdol-X with a price tag of $.79 that I bought in the late 1960's.

 

[jim appleyard]

Thank you, Frank. I should have known you'd have a clue. 50 years might be right. This photographer worked for Defender after WWII and then started his own biz around 1959.

BTW, the color is just a bit off on the D-11, a tad brown, so I've been using it as a paper dev; just contact sheets and trial prints.

 

[fschifano]

So, how does it work?

 

[jim appleyard]

Works ok, not great, but ok. Life expectancy isn't long, one session, but the stuff was free and I have no other use for D-11; if I really need it in the future, I'll mix from scratch.