Extending glycin lifespan

Papa Tango · Dec 9, 2006

Does anyone have any experience with refrigerating or freezing glycin? Have a chance to get a quantity on the cheap, but know that it does not store long without mixing it into a preparation. Any thoughts?

PhotoJim · Dec 9, 2006

The stock solutions tend to keep a long time (especially ones like Ansco 130). So mix it up.

Within reason, cooler and darker = longer life. You need to keep air away from it; that's the most important thing.

galyons · Dec 9, 2006

Firstly, I make sure it is freshly compounded. (I trust Photographers' Formulary!) Secondly, I mix my stock soup in fairly big batches. The shelf life of stock solutions is, as previously stated, very long. Thirdly, I vacuum seal the reaming and freeze. It has always come out light and fluffy. I buy 100 gram bottles. This quantity lasts me, at most, about a year. I would guess that the vacuum sealing and freezing would provide even longer life at the light and fluffy stage.

I just keep doing steps 2 & 3 until it is time for step 1 again!

Cheers,
Geary

Robert Hall · Dec 10, 2006

I have bought quite a bit from the formulary. Mine has lasted well over a year in a half full plastic canister they sent it in.

It has gotten a little brown, but still performs just peachy.

(no, the formulary is skeptical as well. lol)

I buy it a pound at a time.

juan · Dec 10, 2006

I bought fresh glycine from PF about two and a half years ago. I kept it in the freezer still in the original PF plastic bottle and enclosed that in a regular freezer bag. I recently finished the bottle by mixing a film developer which contained only glycine as a developing agent. The film developed just as expected.

Based on this experience, I would say that freezing glycine and keeping it in the dark significantly extend its life. Perhaps a real chemist would have a comment.
juan

Thomas Bertilsson · Oct 5, 2008

I know I'm reviving an old thread here. I've got a kit of FX-2 developer kit that was given to me, so I don't know how old it is. The glycin is about dark brown, and doesn't really dissolve in 90 degree water. Is this a dead sure sign that the glycin has gone kaput, or is it still usable?

Thankful for help.

- Thomas

Photo Engineer · Oct 5, 2008

If it turns red, it is really starting to spoil though. It still is usable, but at higher levels. I have had brown glycin that dissolves and works just fine. I guess it depends on how brown. IDK.

All of the above is good advice.

PE

jim appleyard · Oct 5, 2008

I've used glycin that was dark brown, about the color of Hershey's milk powder, and it did not work well. I used it for prints only in the Ansco 130 formula. It gave the prints a slight brown tint, useful for some images, but not others; almost a slight sepia look.

BTW, freezing does seem to help long-term storage.

dpurdy · Oct 5, 2008

I had a jar that had turned to light brown and I loved the way it gaves slightly warmer paper base. I bought a new large jar from the Formulary and it was bright white and I didn't like it as well as the light brown stuff so I let it sit around for a few months and it started to turn. I put it in the freezer and keep it there and hopefully the color will stay as it is.
DP

Thomas Bertilsson · Oct 5, 2008

Tell you what, chocolate brown glycin doesn't work... I decided to sacrifice a test roll of film to find out. Plus-X, 18 minutes in this batch of FX-2, and it was not pretty... I actually went as far as the stop bath where I could see what was going on, but I didn't want to destroy my fixer as clumps of glycin refused to dissolve... I'm actually glad this happened, because now I only have a bottle of HC-110 and two bags of D76 to go through before I can continue on my merry way with Pyrocat and Rodinal. But I hate to throw stuff away, that's why I tried.
- Thomas

CBG · Oct 6, 2008

juan said:
I bought fresh glycine ... contained only glycine a ... freezing glycine and ...

Just a note since this keeps coming up again and again. I have do desire to be going around correcting everyone but this error keeps tripping people up.

The developing agent is "GLYCIN" with no e at the end. Unfortunately, there is another chemical spelled glycine - don't put glycine in your developer. Glycine with an e is NOT a photographic developing agent. It confuses lots of people when the spelling gets mixed up.

C

hka · Oct 6, 2008

Thanks for warning us again and again...

PhotoJim · Oct 6, 2008

I don't mind the reminders. Calling glycin "glycine" creates ambiguity.

I'm a bit anal about ounces and gallons for the same reason. US and Imperial measures are different (particularly the gallons, although the ounces are different too). Using the wrong one will make a noticeable difference in the result.

Here, buying "glycine" for a glycin developer would cause catastrophic failure, I suspect, and it would be an easy mistake to make.

Saganich · Oct 6, 2008

I fill my bottles of FX-2 with glass beads to eliminate air space. I also use small 250 ml bottles for stock. The solution seems to discolor quickly when there is a lot of air space. I never thought of freezing the stuff.

john_s · Oct 10, 2008

Some info at Ryuji Suzuki's web site:

Dead Link Removed

I have some glycin on order and do not at this stage accept R.S.'s comments that other more easily available devloping agents can be a complete substitute.

dancqu · Oct 11, 2008

Saganich said:
I fill my bottles of FX-2 with glass beads to eliminate
air space. I also use small 250 ml bottles for stock.

Do Crawley more justice. A practice he used; even smaller
bottles. I often split larger size bottles of stock down to one
ounce. FX-2 is a one-shot developer. Use amber glass Boston
Rounds with Polycone or Polyseal caps. They are a standard
for chemical storage; very low cost. Buy by the dozen. Via
Google or from eBay. Dan

bogeyes · Oct 13, 2008

I have kept glycin in the freezer for over a year wrapped in 2 polythene sandwich bags with as much air squeezed out as possible, then wrapped in silver cooking foil. It looks and performs as good as new.

OpticsGuy · Aug 10, 2014

Freezing in water seems to work

I buy glycin in 100 gram packages and break it down
(UNDER A HOOD!) into 4 lots of 22 grams for the
Ansco 130 formula (2 liter stock), and
1 lot of 11 grams for a 1 liter stock batch.

I put each batch into TAPERED small freezer jars
and add boiled, then cooled, distilled water
leaving room for expansion, cap and then freeze.

Thaw before freezing, add to the in-process 130 mixture
and add water** to make the final quantity.

**Use the final required water (to make the 2L or 1 L)
to rinse the glycin out of the jars ... it does
not dissolve in the original pure water.

I have tested frozen 2 year old jars against new
glycin and see no difference in the developer.

Extending glycin lifespan

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