Old Photoflow?

I seem to get a couple years of darkroom play before life takes a turn and "a little while" becomes a decade. (When I last packed, Kodak made B&W paper and Polaroid made film.)

Well, it is unpacking time again. That includes the chemistry that I thought was waiting a couple months, not 10-11 years, mostly in hot spaces (San Jose garage followed by an Ohio self-storage locker).

One of the things I found I still have is an opened bottle of Photoflow 200. It is gin clear, even consistency and smells like nothing. Would it still be good?

I'm asking more out of curiosity than out of cheapness. It occurs to me that, while I know what Photoflow does, I have no clue what it is.

Do not substitute PhotoFlo for Gin! It will make you all bubbly. :rolleyes:

If I remember correctly, PhotoFlo lasts like about forever in the undiluted form.

Steve

Sirius Glass said:

Do not substitute PhotoFlo for Gin! It will make you all bubbly.

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Judging by the hideously underexposed negatives I've unpacked, drinking the Photoflow could only improve my work. I have a lot of bad habits to unlearn, bit I enjoy the process. Its just good I don't buy the groceries this way.

Undiluted Photoflo is ok. It's really nothing more than a surfactant, similar to detergent. Maybe it even can be classified as a detergent. Once diluted, bacteria can grow in it, so it isn't wise to save diluted Photoflo for re-use.

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If the solution doesnt run off your negs, it is exhausted. I have some Agepon that i have had forever - still going strong. I just mix a new lot when it no longer drains down my negs. Best suggestion is to test it first; would be very suprised if it didnt still work.

I recently unpacked my darkroom equipment after a 23 year hiatus. There was some developer and fixer in unopened packages but the packages were stained so I tossed them. The glacial acetic acid and photoflo survived the decades and I'm now using them.