Freezing X-TOL stock

I only occasionally use X-TOL. Mixing up 5L results in discarding around half the stock due to age. Has anyone decanted stock X-TOL into smaller brown glass bottles and frozen the liquid?

Thanks, Lyn Arnold

Never froze it. probably would not.

I just left it in 1 liter bottles filled to the top.

Never had a problem even a few months later.

I can't comment on freezing. Kodak officially says that XTOL lasts up to 6 months in sealed bottles, and most people report the practical limit is likely to be greater than this (probably a year or more), but XTOL doesn't change color when it goes bad, so keeping it for a long time can be risky.

If you like XTOL but you can't use 5 liters of it in 6-12 months, you might consider using a mix-it-yourself XTOL-like developer, such as Mytol. You can then mix it in whatever quantity you like -- even fresh from raw chemicals for a single roll. (You might need to prepare a stock solution of phenidone in propylene glycol to make it practical to measure the small quantities of phenidone you'd need for this, though.) Of course, the mix-it-yourself approach will require you to buy some raw ingredients (Mytol requires five, plus water) and a scale. If you buy a few more ingredients you'll be able to experiment with other mix-it-yourself developers, though.

From what I've heard, freezing any developer isn't a particularly good idea. I'd suggest putting it in five individual 1 litre bottles, it'll last a lot better that way. I always seem to end up with the last litre or so being a bit suspect, so I should probably follow my own advice here too.

Freezing stock solutions is not recommended, developers and fixers alike. Chemicals may precipitate out, even if only refrigerated. I have had my XTOL last 9 months before I used up the entire stock. Make sure you squeeze out any air if possible and it will last longer. As an added tip for obsessive types, use distilled water for making the stock solution and boil it to get out as much as the air dissolved in the water. Most oxidation of developers is the result of dissolved oxygen.

Lyn Arnold said:

I only occasionally use X-TOL. Mixing up 5L results in discarding around half the stock due to age. Has anyone decanted stock X-TOL into smaller brown glass bottles and frozen the liquid?

Thanks, Lyn Arnold

Click to expand...

Try Instant Mytol - no freezing or special storage needed.

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Once again, thanks to all for responding and sharing your knowledge and experience. I'll go with the Mytol formula.

Lyn

You can mix a 5L pack of Xtol in 2.5L. If put into small bottles with very little air space it will last longer. Then just dilute it to the required strength.