Ilfotec HC mixing and shelf life

[Hassasin]

I've never used Ilfotec HC, but am willing/ thinking of giving it a try. Problem is that Ilford recommends using up entire 1 ltr bottle to make stock solution (I can see why, easy to rinse out entire content with water, no guessing how much is left over, but not an issue really), with stock solution shelf life of max 24 months. Given my current film volume, and routine use of Rodinal, this HC stock may end up partly wasted before fully used.

Concentrate is stated as indefinite shelf life, in full and tightly closed bottle.

Has anyone tried to mix stock from say half the concentrate and how the left over concentrate survived the test of time?

 

[Hassasin]

And to further my original post, are results from Ilfotec LC29 virtually same as from HC ) given "same HC technology used in creating the LC29)?

 

[NB23]

Use 1:31, which is roughly 15ml syrup into 500ml water.
The syrup will keep indefinitely.

 

[radialMelt]

I am still working through a bottle of HC concentrate that's got to be years old by now. I wouldn't mix up the whole thing into a working solution. Like NB23, I mix up 1:31 working solution and use it one shot.

 

[Ulophot]

Note that you can divide your liter into however smaller bottles you like, filled to the brim, such as 8 oz. or equivalent brown glass bottles with tightly fitting cone caps. (When I was using it years ago, I similarly mixed it 1:31 for one-shot use; 1:47 for Delta 100 at normal to slightly high contrast (e.g., posed ballet dancers in multiple strobe lighting), which produced gorgeous results.) I do that sometimes with my stock developers now when the volume drops a certain amount. Before that I use this Private Preserve Wine Preserver to keep down oxidation. You can get 3 cans on Amazon or a discount; there are many other solutions.

 

[Hassasin]

There is concentrate, stock and working steps. Looks like some of you are using it similarly to Rodinal, not how Ilford actually recommends it. I won't be experimenting with different solutions, but surely these work for you so I can accept that, thanks. And yes, looking at one-shot approach too.

How thick is the concentrate , similar to Rodinal or thicker?

 

[MattKing]

Most likely Harman recommends mixing up Ilfotec HC by converting the entire bottle into a stock solution because the product was originally intended for use in high volume/commercial labs. It is for the same reason that the instructions for Kodak HC-110 never mentioned one-shot use.

 

[Ballinderry-Michael]

If you're concerned about getting through a bottle before it goes off, there's always Bellini's Euro HC. It comes in a smaller bottle and you can give it the same times and dilutions as Ilfotec HC (or HC-110, come to that). Ilfotec HC was my one-shot default developer for years and I'm now using the Bellini.

 

[Hassasin]

If you're concerned about getting through a bottle before it goes off, there's always Bellini's Euro HC. It comes in a smaller bottle and you can give it the same times and dilutions as Ilfotec HC (or HC-110, come to that). Ilfotec HC was my one-shot default developer for years and I'm now using the Bellini.

Do you use Bellini as one-shot?

 

[Ballinderry-Michael]

Do you use Bellini as one-shot?

Yes, always.