Does LPD *ever* die?

[semi-ambivalent]

Since rebuilding my darkroom I've been using LPD at 1:1. In the old days I always used Dektol. I have a plastic 1 gal. milk jug with about a quart of used 1:1 LPD in it. I used it yet again yesterday and, even though it is piss yellow and throws a greenish gray sediment in the tray, it still appears to work fine. The first signs of an image still come up in about twenty seconds, the blacks are still deep black even before toning and the grays are all there. It doesn't even stink. I'm really loving it.

At what point does this stuff die? How can I first tell? Is using it at this age and with this appearance injurious to the longevity of the prints?


s-a

 

[markbarendt]

The only time it died formewas when I killed it by contamination, inadvertently mixed a bit of fix in.

 

[brian steinberger]

I would think at 1:1 or undiluted you could use the stuff until the blacks become weak. I regularly use it 1:3 and 1:4 and use it one-shot. If I re-used a working solution it would be 1:1 or undiluted. Just keep using it until you don't get good blacks anymore!

 

[semi-ambivalent]

Thanks to both of you. I'll take the advice and let the blacks judge. Initially I balked at the price of a can but at this rate it's turning out to be dang cheap.

s-a

 

[markbarendt]

I actually store my stock LPD in a recycled wine box. I keep a one liter bottle of working solution, 1+2 ish.

At the end of a session I pour back from the tray through a strainer and then top up the bottle. I seem to lose about 6-7ml per 8x10, ~10ml for each 11x14.

So if I do 10-11x14s, about 100ml is carried off by the paper, I'll add about 35ml of fresh stock and top the bottle off with water.

This ensures there is very little air in the system and there is always some through put of fresh chemicals.

It has been super reliable.