Developer Life

[ColColt]

I've had some ID-11 mixed in an accordion container since mid August. Do you suppose it's still good?

 

[Gerald C Koch]

I've had some ID-11 mixed in an accordion container since mid August. Do you suppose it's still good?

Accordion containers are the worst possible choice of plastic for developer storage. They are made of either polyethylene or polypropylene which have higher rates of oxygen diffusion than other plastics like PET.

The rated life of ID-11 (D-76) is six months so your developer is just on the edge. Do a snip test before using it.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I use replenished XTOL and I keep some of it in an accordion bottle. Usually it is ok, but sometimes it lets air in and expands. I test it with a film strip. Only once did I just dump it because it had not been used in 9 months and the bottle expanded.

 

[Anon Ymous]

I've had some ID-11 mixed in an accordion container since mid August. Do you suppose it's still good?

If it hadn't been in an accordion bottle, then I'd say it's fine. I have used two years old D76 that was in far better bottles and it worked fine. It only showed a tiny bit of yellowing. I'd say the six months stock solution life in full bottles is a very pessimistic, but also very safe estimate.

 

[pentaxuser]

Do a test on the leader for the time that you'd normally develop the film. Give it a quick wash and fix then hold it up to a clear incandescent bulb. The film should be black and appear totally opaque in normal light but you should see the incandescent wire as a single orange strip. If the wire appears much brighter than I have described then the developer may be on its way out

pentaxuser

 

[David Lyga]

Breathing bottles: 6 months
PET plastic or glass (both filled to the brim): forever. - David Lyga

 

[Xmas]

Rodinal plastic bottle 1/4 full 25 years still ok.

 

[Rick A]

One year old D-76 stock in clear PET, no air, showed crystal clear just like fresh mixed, dead as could be.

 

[ColColt]

I had bought new accordion containers from Freestyle as my old ones looked pretty rough so, I don't know what sort of plastic is being used today to manufacture these types of containers. Normally I don't keep developer that long as I use it up but have been using HC-110 and Rodinal more these days so the container for ID-11 was half full but pushed down so there was little to no air and then capped. I may just dump it.

 

[Roger Cole]

If it hadn't been in an accordion bottle, then I'd say it's fine. I have used two years old D76 that was in far better bottles and it worked fine. It only showed a tiny bit of yellowing. I'd say the six months stock solution life in full bottles is a very pessimistic, but also very safe estimate.

Yes. Kodak is VERY conservative about solution life. Unless it was left uncapped or something it's fine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk and 100% recycled electrons - because I care.

 

[Roger Cole]

One year old D-76 stock in clear PET, no air, showed crystal clear just like fresh mixed, dead as could be.

Hmm. Odd. I've used it older than a year with no problems whatsoever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk and 100% recycled electrons - because I care.

 

[fotch]

I normally would dump after 4 months. Film is expensive & time spent getting good photos can be priceless. JMHO

 

[Rick A]

Hmm. Odd. I've used it older than a year with no problems whatsoever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk and 100% recycled electrons - because I care.

I have too in the past, used a second bottle and had same results, so I tossed all remaining and mixed fresh. Fortunately, I was only running some tests on a new camera. It freaked me a bit at first, thought I bought a POS from Japan, then I souped a roll in PMK and all was fine.

 

[ColColt]

D-76, and I assume ID-11 as well, is chocked full of Sodium Sulfite, which should preserve it for a good six months.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Home-brewed D-76d (the 'd' variant is the self-buffering version that keeps well over longer periods) in poly-cone sealed brown glass bottles. Filled to the edge with almost no residual air, those bottles worked fine after one year unopened. Partially full bottles with the Dust-Off gas blanketing step, 9-10 months without a visible problem. Always mixed using distilled water.

Ken

 

[Sirius Glass]

I had bought new accordion containers from Freestyle as my old ones looked pretty rough so, I don't know what sort of plastic is being used today to manufacture these types of containers. Normally I don't keep developer that long as I use it up but have been using HC-110 and Rodinal more these days so the container for ID-11 was half full but pushed down so there was little to no air and then capped. I may just dump it.

If the FreeStyle bottles do not seal completely, FreeStyle will exchange them.

 

[ColColt]

The air vac bottles I got from them do fine. I just decided to can the old ones I bought from back in the 80's in favor of new ones from them.

 

[amateur_trombonist]

Try storing your developers in glass bottles that have mouths the same size as soft drink bottles. Purchase a Swissmar Epivac system which includes the vacuum pump and special plugs. If your bottle is not completely full of liquid then insert a plug in the mouth and the suck out all the air with the pump. I'm using developer mixed about 5 months ago and it is still good. (I float a sheet of styrofoam on the developer when its in the tray and only uncover it long enough the insert and remove an exposed sheet). I've lost track of how many sheets I've processed in the same developer.

 

[pentaxuser]

So have you tested the developer as I suggested, coltcolt and if so how did it turn out? We all have opinions on developer life and different containers but all that matters is whether there is still life in your developer and your container.

pentaxuser

 

[Gerald C Koch]

I had bought new accordion containers from Freestyle as my old ones looked pretty rough so, I don't know what sort of plastic is being used today to manufacture these types of containers. Normally I don't keep developer that long as I use it up but have been using HC-110 and Rodinal more these days so the container for ID-11 was half full but pushed down so there was little to no air and then capped. I may just dump it.

The recycle code (type of plastic) is given in a triangle on the bottom of the container. Avoid codes 2 and especially 4 for developer storage. They have high permeabilities to oxygen.

 

[ColColt]

I decided to wait a bit longer to see how it withstood the test of time...now six months. It didn't fair so well. I poured out a bit and it was as yellow as stop bath using the Freestyle accordion container...code 2.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Glass is your friend...

Ken

 

[ColColt]

The one problem with glass is once you have a given developer up to the top in the bottle and begin using it it gets depleted to the point next thing you know it's only half full. You have a choice at that moment to add marbles to bring the level back up close to the top or go to smaller bottles. Then it repeats the scenario once you start using that.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

The best way to keep your developer fresh is to take lots of photos. It's intended to be used not grace a corner of your darkroom.

 

[Arvee]

The one problem with glass is once you have a given developer up to the top in the bottle and begin using it it gets depleted to the point next thing you know it's only half full. You have a choice at that moment to add marbles to bring the level back up close to the top or go to smaller bottles. Then it repeats the scenario once you start using that.

I've found that using brown Boston rounds in 500ml, 250ml and 125ml is the perfect solution. Mix stock and store in completely full 500ml bottles. If I need 250ml, I pour the unused 250ml into a 250 bottle. If I need 125ml, I store the unused into a 125. This way I always have completely full glass bottles no matter what quantity I need. The developer keeps very well using this system.