Kodak XTOL trade concern announcment

[pentaxuser]

She's part-time as well as she also rolls the new 220 Shanghai film as well and needs time to adjust to the light after 12 hours in the total darkness.

pentaxuser

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

She's part-time as well as she also rolls the new 220 Shanghai film as well and needs time to adjust to the light after 12 hours in the total darkness.

pentaxuser

She sure gets around

 

[Donald Qualls]

Well, I got a response from Sino Promise yesterday -- and my email client's threading attached it to one return addressed from ProPaperChem from January 18th. Apparently I missed it because it didn't say "Kodak". Any case, the original, Jan. 18th response suggested mid-February as EDA for the replacement Xtol, but I expect that will have been pushed back at least three weeks by my failure to spot the response in my inbox. The new response from Sino Promise didn't give any time frame. I'm not in a big hurry, I've still got two liters of replenisher and average one or two rolls a week.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Well, I got a response from Sino Promise yesterday -- and my email client's threading attached it to one return addressed from ProPaperChem from January 18th. Apparently I missed it because it didn't say "Kodak". Any case, the original, Jan. 18th response suggested mid-February as EDA for the replacement Xtol, but I expect that will have been pushed back at least three weeks by my failure to spot the response in my inbox. The new response from Sino Promise didn't give any time frame. I'm not in a big hurry, I've still got two liters of replenisher and average one or two rolls a week.

That little old lady is working really hard, getting all those email replies out! LoL!

 

[braxus]

At this point Im not concerned. I have used my batch of Xtol recently and the roll turned out fine, as good as when freshly mixed. I think I'll use the other bag I have as well, as I don't forsee any developing problems based on the first batch. Any bags they send me will be bonus, as I will just store them for future use. Now if only I could replace the 8x10 paper drum I mucked up.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Hello,
Just a quick question:
Has someone mixed one of those "bad xtol" bags, and got good results? Or are all of them bad?
I received today (a friend visiting my hometown) a bag of Xtol and it has precisely the first number included earlier here: 2019/10/07... Bought yesterday in a store in Madrid...
I thought that was happenning in America but not in Europe...
Thanks.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Hello,
Just a quick question:
Has someone mixed one of those "bad xtol" bags, and got good results? Or are all of them bad?
I received today (a friend visiting my hometown) a bag of Xtol and it has precisely the first number included earlier here: 2019/10/07... Bought yesterday in a store in Madrid...
I thought that was happenning in America but not in Europe...
Thanks.

I've posted several times in this thread that I have mixed some up and have been successfully developing film. No worries. It's completely fine.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

I'm sure you won't have any problems. I've been happily developing film for several weeks now with stuff from suspect batch. All is well.

So, to see if at least I understand the situation:
Kodak said avoid these defective xtol batches
And nobody knows the real problem
But some people get weak negatives
And some people don't...

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Thank you, Andrew, you had just made my day a minute ago!

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Well, my dark glass bottles and my distilled water have been waiting for too long... I'll mix it !

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Do a clip test first, just to be sure.

 

[warden]

So, to see if at least I understand the situation:
Kodak said avoid these defective xtol batches
And nobody knows the real problem
But some people get weak negatives
And some people don't...

That’s correct. It appears that some Xtol is good and some Xtol is bad.

 

[Helge]

What was the correct address again?
Or put another way, what address did the people who got responses write?

 

[MattKing]

The bags that I have mixed are from the latest batch(es) and have been fine.
braxus has had the same experience, as has Andrew and others.
braxus, Andrew and I all obtained ours from the same 10 package order that our common supplier brought in at the request of braxus, myself and at least one other. Andrew got his afterwards, but from the same 10 packages.
Obviously some customers have had some problems, or their wouldn't have been a warning posted.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Do a clip test first, just to be sure.

Thank you, Andrew... Yes, I exposed a frame a moment ago, at EI1600 with Tri-X, so I'll check it with that frame: just a short strip of film, and I'll use Kodak's time for it, so negative must be of relatively high contrast if developer is working normally.
Powder A was not white, but veryvery light yellow, or ivory... Part B was white.
After mixing normally, I poured it inside the first bottle, and when developer was up to the top, I saw very small white particles inside the liquid, as if something was not totally dissolved... So I let it sit for a few minutes... I'll stir and see.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

I'm no Xtol expert: three bags in my life, but I don't remember seeing these particles before...
They didn't go, and after waiting and stirring for some time, they didn't go either... Looks like they'll stay.
This is it. I got xtol with sharp white particles. They're very small. Millions of them.

 

[MattKing]

I'm no Xtol expert: three bags in my life, but I don't remember seeing these particles before...
They didn't go, and after waiting and stirring for some time, they didn't go either... Looks like they'll stay.
This is it. I got xtol with sharp white particles. They're very small. Millions of them.

I'm guessing that is an indication that the packages you have are exhibiting the "trade concern".
The email address that is listed on the website and has worked for me in the past is: ProPaperChem@kodakalaris.com

 

[urnem57]

I must have gotten Xtol “Chunky” Every one of them produced thin negatives for me. Legacy Pro has been a very pleasantly surprising replacement. Maybe The big “K” can earn back my trust after 50+ years.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Thank you, Andrew... Yes, I exposed a frame a moment ago, at EI1600 with Tri-X, so I'll check it with that frame: just a short strip of film, and I'll use Kodak's time for it, so negative must be of relatively high contrast if developer is working normally.
Powder A was not white, but veryvery light yellow, or ivory... Part B was white.
After mixing normally, I poured it inside the first bottle, and when developer was up to the top, I saw very small white particles inside the liquid, as if something was not totally dissolved... So I let it sit for a few minutes... I'll stir and see.

Warm the liquid so that particles go into solution.

 

[urnem57]

Use a filter funnel. Ask me how I know.

 

[MattKing]

Use a filter funnel. Ask me how I know.

Be careful with this.
You can end up with developer that lacks the requisite amount of whatever it is that didn't dissolve properly.
And with respect to Sirius' comment, mixing the developer with warmed water - the instructions tell you the acceptable range - does help it dissolve more quickly, but my sense (based on incomplete info) is that the faulty X-Tol may still not dissolve properly, even with warmed water.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I'm no Xtol expert: three bags in my life, but I don't remember seeing these particles before...
They didn't go, and after waiting and stirring for some time, they didn't go either... Looks like they'll stay.
This is it. I got xtol with sharp white particles. They're very small. Millions of them.

Mine had little white particles as well when first mixed up. But I got those years ago too when Kodak was still making Xtol. They tend to just go away eventually. Don't worry about them.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Thanks a lot, Andrew, Matt, everyone...
I bottled it, and it's well stored.
I'll develop that strip first, just to see if I get enough contrast.

 

[MattKing]

It is the "millions" of white particles that are the concern.
If you have a small number of white particles, they usually dissolve. "Millions" of white particles are problematic.

 

[Helge]

What was the correct address again?
Or put another way, what address did the people who got responses write?

Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?