I was beginning to suspect my methods... Too bad, Rodinal was a trusted companion for decades. Maybe better start mixing my own.About a year after first opening a bottle, my negatives started coming out noticably thinner. This is not what one expects from Rodinal.
The history of Rodinal is a complex thing indeed.
R09 is equivalent to just one of several (relatively similar) versions of developer that have been given the name Rodinal over the decades.
Some of those versions have shown extremely long life, although the nature and quality of the bottle may have played a part in that.
You're right, of course, I always considered Rodinal being an exception. Fomadon bottle in question was bought 2-3 years ago and been open a bit over a year. In the past I've used over five years old Rodinal with perfect results. Luckily, this was a test film.I believe bottle material matters a lot. Also, if youre not using a lot then Adox sells Rodinal in a 100ml bottle as well.
These are very affordable developers, and personally I dont see the point in trying to milk more than 2 years out of a bottle of anything.
It's simply not worth the risk of ruined film to me personally.
My first bottle, inherited from someone else, was one like that. I used it for several years without any sign of loss of activity. I have also seen many claims from people who say they've had Rodinal sitting for decades in almost empty bottles, where it's turned almost pitch black but is still working perfectly. Which seems to suggest it's not affected by oxidation. R09 clearly seems to be different in that respect, and I wonder what it is in the formulation that causes the difference.origianl Rodinal was in a glass bottle, with a rubber stopper. I never trust Plastic bottles.
In my experience: poor. Maybe in entirely full, glass and well-stopped bottles it'll last. I don't know, and I don't see reason to risk it.This may be slightly off topic, but does anybody here have any experience or opinion regarding the keeping properties of parodinal?
You're right, of course. My question has more to do with curiosity about differences in formulation that could affect longevtiy, than about practical use. Still, it's less convenient to brew small quantities (less than say 100ml) at a time. That amount is enough to develop 20 rolls of 35mm, which I seldom reach in six months, so I won't be using it optimally. I know this sounds cheap of me, but it's not so much about the cost — I'm just anal about efficiency and optimal utilisation!Just curious. If you're going to brew and use PaRodinal, why should you worry about a shelf-life longer than, say, six months? Its ingredients are always available and you can brew, whenever you want, the volume you're going to use in the next six months.
As I said, Rodinal is unobtainable over here and impossible to order from overseas, so I have to look for a viable alternative.In my experience: poor. Maybe in entirely full, glass and well-stopped bottles it'll last. I don't know, and I don't see reason to risk it.
Are you using the original Mytol recipe or one of the Instant Mytols? And how do you find it compares to Xtol?Personally I prefer other developers though. I'm fond of mytol at the moment.
Yes, I know that page and I'm just waiting for my Dimezone to arrive before trying DS-10 — would rather not use Phenidone because of the possible problems he mentions. Again taking Xtol as a benchmark, how well do you think DS-10 holds up to it?The 'DS' series of developers are worth looking at. I have been using DS-10 and DS-2/12 with success recently. Alongside DS-14 for prints.
Link: https://web.archive.org/web/2008093...er_Recommendations#DS-10_Fine_grain_developer
Instant, with a minor modification so I can use ascorbic acid instead of ascorbate. As to how it compares, all I know is that development times listed for xtol give me good negatives that print easily, with fine grain and good tonality. I haven't done any side by side comparisons.Are you using the original Mytol recipe or one of the Instant Mytols? And how do you find it compares to Xtol?
Again taking Xtol as a benchmark, how well do you think DS-10 holds up to it?
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