Mixing XTOL Question

DougVaughn

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This may be a really stupid question but I've never claimed to be a chemist or very knowledgable about chemicals. In fact, I tend to be afraid of them. I only develop my own film because it's cheaper and I can see the results more quickly.

When you buy XTOL in it's powder form and mix it, you need 5 liters (going from memory), somewhat more than a gallon for sure. This is a hassle for mixing and storage because I can't just use a gallon container.

Is is possible to mix with half the water for storage, then rather than diluting 1+1 (I don't use it stock), dilute 1+3? Is it unstable for storage at a higher concentration, or are there other reasons a person shouldn't attempt something like that?
 

MattKing

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It is easy to mix to 4 litres of "strong" stock instead, which is convenient as I like to use distilled water, which is sold in 4 litre jugs up here in Canada.
From there, it is a good idea to split the 4 litres into smaller bottles - e.g. three 1 litre bottles and two half litre bottles. Just remember that you will need to dilute it further for use: 1 litre "strong" stock becomes 1.25 litres "normal" stock. 0.25 litres "strong" stock becomes 0.625 litres "normal" 1+1.
Alternatively, you could put the 4 litres into a wine bag type storage and dispensing system.
I believe I have seen posts from people mixing it to a smaller quantity/stronger dilution, but I'm not positive.
It can be a bit challenging to dissolve everything into the initial ~4 litres (as the instructions prescribe) so I expect it will be an even greater challenge to dissolve it into less water.
 

abruzzi

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As Matt said the biggest concern would be can the reduced amount fully dissolve the powder. That easy enough to test—rather than starting with 4l starts with 2.5l, if it doesn’t dissolve, add another 1.5l.

OTOH, the very popular method around here (it’s what I do) is to find a 5l box of wine, dump out the wine (or drink it) and refill with Xtol. The additional benefit is unlike a rigid bottle, the wine bag shrinks as you use it, and no additional air makes its way in to oxidize the chemicals.
 
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DougVaughn

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I like the 4 litre "strong" idea. Yes, I have 1 litre dark glass bottles and would still split it up. Thanks for the suggestion.
 

MattKing

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DougVaughn said:
I like the 4 litre "strong" idea. Yes, I have 1 litre dark glass bottles and would still split it up. Thanks for the suggestion.
Click to expand...
You are welcome.
I'd suggest labelling the "strong" stock with the (further) dilution instructions.
Not that I think you might forget, but ....
 

cjbecker

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If it makes it easier, i use a 5 gal bucket to mix the 5L up and divy it up into 1L amber glass containers.
 

pentaxuser

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If 5 L is too much then at some point in the not too distant future, Adox equivalent in a 1L pack will presumably be easily available to US consumers and represent an alternative

pentaxuser
 

Sirius Glass

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Mixing partial bags of dry chemicals can lead to problems because the powders are not uniformly distributed. I follow the instructions and put each liter in a bladder container that lets me squeeze the air completely out. I have stored XTOL for over a year without a problem.
 

Maris

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Xtol will last for years if it is stored in bottles that are full to the top - no air space. My 5 litre mix of Xtol goes into ten 500ml bottles which means that as the Xtol is used up only one bottle has air space and then only for a relatively short time.

The problem with a huge 5 litre bottle is that it is heavy, awkward to handle, and always has an increasing air space in it that kills Xtol (or any other developer) via oxidation.

Xtol used in replenisher mode is the cheapest developer I have discovered: about 30 cents a film at the prices I pay.
 

Rowreidr

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I can confirm that the new 2021 xtol will dissolve in 1 gallon of water. Just made a batch yesterday. I microwaved the bottle for 4 mins to get the temp up. Part B did take a some manual squishing to get the last of the tiny clumps. I was more curious if it would work, as I still diluted to 5L.
 
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