Dumb developer question

winger · Mar 27, 2006

I opened a small bottle of Ilford Ilfosol S in late September and only used a little bit (I think I just did 2 rolls of 35mm). What's left is brownish. It's now bad, right?

timpppa · Mar 27, 2006

According to "manual" which came with the bottle it stays good 4 months after opening the bottle, if it's airtight.

Gerald Koch · Mar 27, 2006

As Shakespeare once remarked "Aye there's the rub." Ilford bottles are just not very good. The caps are notorious for splitting if one tightens them too much. I hope that the new Ilford products come in better ones.

winger · Mar 27, 2006

Well, the cap isn't cracked, but there's air in the bottle from having used some when I first opened it. I wish stuff like this shipped in squishable bottles.

rbarker · Mar 27, 2006

My guess is that you may be near, or somewhat beyond the optimal storage-after-opening period. You could try developing a short test roll to see if the developer is still good. Or, to be safe, just dump it.

jim appleyard · Mar 27, 2006

Yes, a test roll is the only way to be sure. It also might not matter if it was packaged in squishable bottles as most plastic is air-permeable anyway. The best way to handle this in the future is to use up the dev quickly or decant into smaller glass bottles and fill up the air space with glass marbles.

RGyori · Mar 28, 2006

A bit of a curiosity... at least to me! Most liquid developers to my knowledge come packaged from the factory in "HDPE" containers that are gas permeable. I would think that over a sufficient period a developer would deteriorate less if stored in "PETE" plastic containers that for all practical purposes are impermeable.

I've just started using PETE containers for my TMax RS (stock solution) and have not yet been able to determine any benefits to the change. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks,

Bob

dxphoto · Mar 28, 2006

RGyori said:
A bit of a curiosity... at least to me! Most liquid developers to my knowledge come packaged from the factory in "HDPE" containers that are gas permeable. I would think that over a sufficient period a developer would deteriorate less if stored in "PETE" plastic containers that for all practical purposes are impermeable.

I've just started using PETE containers for my TMax RS (stock solution) and have not yet been able to determine any benefits to the change. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks,

Bob

Most of those bottles are HDPE. I bought two KALT chemical bottles and they are HDPE. I guess the best bet is glasses. Someone uses wine bottles and air stoppers. Soda bottles are PETE. Maybe you can go to your local drug store and ask for those 8oz bottles for liquid.

My had somewhat 5-6 oz ilford rapid fixer left in the original ILford bottle (500ml) and I always tried to squeeze the air out before I tight the cap. Still after almost a year (i know it has been too long) the fixer were cloudy. I am thinking of those bottles with a bellow that you can push the air out. Anyone tried those things yet?

Gerald Koch · Mar 28, 2006

In general, the container materials good for developers are poor for stop baths and fixers. PETE and PVC are good for developers.

digiconvert · Mar 28, 2006

Given the price of a new bottle (I pay £2.99) it hardly seems worth risking a test roll. I'd suggest buying a new bottle. if you want to stick with Ilford but are not using a lot of developer ILFORD LC29 has a supposedly longer shelf life so this may be worth trying (it costs twice as much but there is less chance of spoiling).
Cheers CJB

winger · Mar 28, 2006

Yeah, getting a new bottle is safest - it just means driving the opposite way from work than home and when the photo store is open.

and HDPE = high density polyethylene, PETE = polyethylene teraphalate, so I wouldn't expect a huge difference between the two. Glass would be the way to go. I think I'm going to look for a decent bottle and some glass marbles (good idea, Jim).

dancqu · Mar 28, 2006

dxphoto said:
I am thinking of those bottles with a bellow that you can
push the air out. Anyone tried those things yet?

I bought one and immediately put it in the don't use it
box. Opaque, bellows, who knows what evil lurks within.

Clear fully transparent Glass Boston Rounds, amber or
colorless are the way to go. Be sure you've the Polyseal
or Polycone screw caps with insert corks for the bottles.
I suggest a dozen each of the 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, and 1/32
liter sizes. The 1/32 is actually a little over size.

I've spent the last couple of evenings cleaning my shelf
of some 1 ounce bottles of one year old working
strength Ansco 120 print developer. All OK.

I use a splits method of dividing up concentrate, stock,
and working strength chemistry. All bottles are always
full. Known dilutions by addition of H2O preclude the
use of other bottle fillers. Dan

Wade D · Mar 28, 2006

I use 1 gallon brown glass bottles. You can get them free or very cheaply from a pharmacy. Most liquid medicines are shipped this way and then dispensed in much smaller amounts.The empty bottles are usually trashed or recycled. I got a couple dozen this way at no cost and after a thorough wash they are great. Potassium Ferracyanide (if used carefully) is a good cleaning agent and removes all traces of the former contents.
Oh I almost forgot. Before you seal the bottle use a plastic tube and blow your breath into the air space in the bottle. The carbon dioxide displaces the oxygen and helps the chemical last longer.

Dumb developer question

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