D76/!D-11 storage question.

[Chris Douglas]

to answer Bruce's question

I started out home brewing D76 using the traditional formula and experienced increased activity with time. After reading about it in various places I went to a buffered version that uses more borax and boric acid, which works great. I haven't used it more than 6 months after mixing because it is gone by then. Some say that the stuff you buy from Kodak is the buffered version, but who knows.

 

[fschifano]

I started out home brewing D76 using the traditional formula and experienced increased activity with time. After reading about it in various places I went to a buffered version that uses more borax and boric acid, which works great. I haven't used it more than 6 months after mixing because it is gone by then. Some say that the stuff you buy from Kodak is the buffered version, but who knows.

I'm sure the Kodak branded version is buffered. I use a lot of D-76, and while I always wait 24 hours after mixing to use a new batch, I've never seen an increase in activity followed by a tapering off. The stuff is remarkably consistent over time, that is of course if you store it well.

 

[Usagi]

I started out home brewing D76 using the traditional formula and experienced increased activity with time. After reading about it in various places I went to a buffered version that uses more borax and boric acid, which works great. I haven't used it more than 6 months after mixing because it is gone by then. Some say that the stuff you buy from Kodak is the buffered version, but who knows.

Is the formula this one?

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[youngrichard]

Does anyone have any idea if D76/ID-11 will keep for any period of time in tight full bottle.

I process inividual sheets with a small amount of chemistry but have many small bottles [100ml/ about 3 oz] that I can decant the developer into for storage.

That way I reduce the risk of oxidation on a larger volume of developer.

Any thoughts from practical experience?

I am not a prolific photographer, 10 - 15 35mm cassettes a year and some 120 films, over the last 35 years. I make up 5L of ID11 stock and use it diluted 1:1 as a one-shot. That develops 33 35mm cassettes or 20 120 rolls and lasts me a couple of years at least. I keep it in a 5L container (ex-MG developer) in my cellar darkroom at 16 -20 C (it never gets higher than 20 C). That means that as I get towards the end of a batch there is a large air-bubble above the liquid. I don't have any concertina bottles. I have just finished a batch, which was quite brown - it darkens steadily with time. If there is a difference in activity I can't be sure; if anything there is less contrast but I am happy with the results.
Years ago I had a batch of stock which after a couple of years, probably longer, developed a black precipitate like thin tea leaves which hung in suspension - that was gone bad, I tried it and it wrecked a film. That is the only time I have thrown stock solution away.

Similarly I buy 5L containers of Ilford MG developer and Hypam. I re-bottle the diluted MG developer and only throw it away when it is so brown I can hardly see the image coming up - well not quite but it does seem to go on for ever.

And I re-bottle diluted Hypam, but always test it on a scrap of undeveloped film before using it again; when it takes more than 30 seconds to clear the film it goes down the sink; the one thing I do not want to do is under-fix a print or film, because I won't find out it is under-fixed for months or years and it will be too late to do anything about it. In practice I usually replace the working developer when I discard the working fixer.

Richard