Expired Chemicals

wjlapier · Oct 23, 2020

I'm giving B&W another try Kodak with fresh TriX 400 and some expired Ilford HP5. My chemicals I have are some old Rodinal, and some dry Kodak D76 ( exp 2018 ), dry Kodak Fixer ( exp 2017 ), and dry Kodak Hypo ( exp 2012 ). Are the dry chemicals OK still? It's been a couple of years since I used the Rodinal as a stand developer with some Rollei 400 70mm film. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Anon Ymous · Oct 23, 2020

Dry chemicals are generally ok, as long as the packs are intact. Rodinal should also be ok, but it's very easy to do a snip test anyway.

Andrew O'Neill · Oct 23, 2020

Clip off a bit of the film leader, and stick it in Rodinal. Then fix it. The dry fix should be okay. I've used a bag of same fix that was 20 years old. If the leader comes out black, and unexposed emulsion clears in the fixer, all is good.

PhotoJim · Oct 23, 2020

"dry Kodak Hypo"

Do you mean Hypo Clearing Agent? "Hypo" is sodium thiosulfate fixer. Hypo Clearing Agent gets rid of hypo (fixer) residue on film.

DeletedAcct1 · Oct 23, 2020

wjlapier said:
I'm giving B&W another try Kodak with fresh TriX 400 and some expired Ilford HP5. My chemicals I have are some old Rodinal, and some dry Kodak D76 ( exp 2018 ), dry Kodak Fixer ( exp 2017 ), and dry Kodak Hypo ( exp 2012 ). Are the dry chemicals OK still? It's been a couple of years since I used the Rodinal as a stand developer with some Rollei 400 70mm film. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I wouldn't gamble on expired chemicals.

Tom Kershaw · Oct 23, 2020

I would suspect dry chemical packages are most likely to be safe. A couple of years ago I opened a 2010 use-by date package of XTOL that I'd forgotten about and found it worked perfectly. Obviously changes in packaging and storage environments may all impact potential success...

MattKing · Oct 23, 2020

The "expiry" date is as likely to be related to the integrity of the packaging as it is to the contents.
And some chemicals are more susceptible to age related problems than others - developers vs. Hypo Clearing Agent being a good example.
If the powders are loose and flow well and are not discoloured, they are likely to be fine.
Film developer and film fixer are two examples of chemicals that I would check with a test film before relying on them heavily.

wjlapier · Oct 23, 2020

All sounds good. I've never tested film in chemicals to see if it'll work.

Sirius Glass · Oct 23, 2020

As long as the bags are intact and nothing has gotten in or out, the chemicals are probably still good.

PhotoJim · Oct 23, 2020

I mixed up some 2014-expired D-76 a few weeks ago and it's working great.

More surprising to me was that my 2002 (I think) bottle of Rodinal and my 2007-mixed PMK stock solutions were also good.

My fixer was bad though.

koraks · Oct 24, 2020

Alessandro Serrao said:
I wouldn't gamble on expired chemicals.

Send them to me

Powdered chemicals generally last a long time, often up to decades, if stored dark and dry. There are only a few exceptions and they're not very common in b&w photography (eg amidol).

R.Gould · Oct 24, 2020

Ilford ID11, which is the same basic formula as D76, states that powder chemicals in original packing will keep indefinably, I have used Rodinal that was in glass bottles, must have been 50+ years old black as tar, developed film fine,

DeletedAcct1 · Oct 24, 2020

koraks said:
Send them to me

I generally don't have the accumulation syndrome for b&w chemicals. I buy only what I need. Sorry.
However for powders there's the ol' saying: if it's white, it's alright. if it's brown, throw it down.

wjlapier · Oct 30, 2020

PhotoJim said:
"dry Kodak Hypo"

Do you mean Hypo Clearing Agent? "Hypo" is sodium thiosulfate fixer. Hypo Clearing Agent gets rid of hypo (fixer) residue on film.

Yes, Hypo Clearing Agent.

wjlapier · Oct 30, 2020

So, I finally got around to developing a roll of 120 TriX 400. I used the expired D76 this time around and the negatives look great so far while they are hanging.

I did come across some solids in the D76 after mixing it. I used a coffee filter in a strainer to get my 600mL for my tank, but I don't remember seeing solids in my D76. I just mixed it in a gallon jug of distilled water I bought at the grocery store.

wjlapier · Oct 30, 2020

I think the chemicals worked fine.

Voigtlander Perkeo II w/ Kodak Trix 400.

Expired Chemicals

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