Developer shelf life

Melinda Stanley · May 20, 2017

I see that Ilford ID-11 lasts 6 months in a full tightly capped bottle but only 1 month in a half full tightly capped bottle.

Does anyone split the batch into two half litres when mixing the stock solution in order to get more shelf life out of it?

petersandford · May 20, 2017

I normally just use it for about 10-14 rolls then discard and then mix up a new batch when needed. With only being just over a fiver a box, i normally stock up.

removed account4 · May 20, 2017

i melinda i have heard of people doing that with other developers, im not sure why it wouldn't work for ID-11, i think it is an "air contact" sort of thing.
i've also read ( not done this myself ) about people filling the 1/2 or 1/3 or 4/6 empty bottle with marbles to raise the liquid level so there is no air too ..
i sometimes use sprint film developer, which is a 1L slug of stock liquid concentrate and i squeeze the bottle and raise the liquid level before puttng the cap on
kind of like those accordion bottles that never work.

have fun!
john

Gerald C Koch · May 20, 2017

A high sulfite developer like ID-11/D-76 is protected by the sulfite content. However it is always best to follow Ilford's advice as to shelf life.

bvy · May 20, 2017

It's a good strategy, one that I now follow with all of my stock developers. Actually I take it further. For example, I buy Ilford PQ (paper developer) in a 500ml bottle. When it arrives, I decant the stock solution into eight 60ml bottles. The 60ml size is exactly what I use to make 600ml of working solution (at 1+9) for any print session. I use glass bottles with polyseal caps from Specialty Bottle, and fill the bottles to capacity so there's no air space. Developer keeps much longer this way than constantly trying to displace air from the larger (plastic) stock bottle.

Melinda Stanley · May 20, 2017

Thanks for the replies, everyone! Great info about splitting the solution and the marbles is also a really interesting idea!

MattKing · May 20, 2017

Melinda Stanley said:
Thanks for the replies, everyone! Great info about splitting the solution and the marbles is also a really interesting idea!

If you are considering the marble idea, be warned that they can be quite heavy.
They are better if you use them to "top up" an almost full bottle than if you use them to make a difference with a half full bottle.
Your concerns respecting developer life are why I use HC-110 and Kodak Polymax T.

mehguy · May 20, 2017

If you are concerned about shelf life, you might want to check out Rodinal or HC110.

They last forever no matter how much is left in the bottle.

Mick Fagan · May 20, 2017

Melinda Stanley said:
Thanks for the replies, everyone! Great info about splitting the solution and the marbles is also a really interesting idea!

I've been using marbles for the last 35-40 years. Picked up a swag load at a place selling them cheap just to try them out. They have been in constant use since...

I pretty much only use ID-11/D76

Mick.

Harry Stevens · May 20, 2017

I use the few marbles I have in my 250ml bottle of concentrated paper developer that I keep topped up, they are a useful tool.

darkroommike · May 22, 2017

I make a gallon at a time and decant into four brown glass 1 liter bottles, three are completely full (less a tiny bit of headspace) and the fourth bottle is the one I use. I use ID-11/D-76 one shot diluted 1:1. The 6 month recommendation, in my experience, with my tap water, is very conservative, I have used stock solution that was a year old with no problems.

Petraio Prime · May 22, 2017

Keeping the solution under refrigeration can slow oxidation. Use at room temperature, of course.

Dali · May 22, 2017

I use 1 liter, 1/2 liter and 1/4 liter PET bottles.

When prepared, I store my stock solution in the 1 liter bottle. As I use 1/4 liter of stock solution each time I develop films, I then juggle both 1/2 and 1/4 bottles to store the remaining stock solution. This way I always keep my stock solution is full bottles.

Saganich · May 22, 2017

I do that routinely with most chemistry. I also use glass marbles in the bottles to offset the air gap. Both methods work fine.

Chris

Logan Becker · May 22, 2017

jnanian said:
i squeeze the bottle and raise the liquid level before puttng the cap on
kind of like those accordion bottles that never work.

This works pretty well in normal bottles the first few times you use it. After it gets below about 3/4 full you're squeezing the bottle fairly thin, to me it becomes more problematic than productive. If it gets to be that low I'd use a spray of Tetenal To push the oxygen out of the top of the container.
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/105193-Tetenal-Protectan-Spray-400ml

Developer shelf life

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