Old Rodinal and Photo-Flo

What About Bob · Dec 16, 2023

I found some goodies in my old storage. The Rodinal I think is about 22 years old and the Photo-Flo I believe is from the 90s!

My knowledge is fuzzy. I don't recall ever opening this bottle of Rodinal and using any of the solution but from the slight staining it would seem to show otherwise. This is a great find but one problem: "I can't get the darn cap off!" It must be crusted on. Will running a narrow stream of hot water dislodge the cap?

I moved the Rodinal bottle all around and didn't hear anything solid moving in it. I feel like I just hit gold! I'm guessing the Photo-Flo should still be all right to use?

Sirius Glass · Dec 16, 2023

Unused properly sealed PhotoFlo seems to last forever. Even decades. Mix some of the PhotoFlo according to the directions, not throwing a cap full in a bucket of water, and see how it flows and later dries on a piece of film.

Chuck1 · Dec 16, 2023

Earlier this weekI went to break into a 500ml bottle and felt a thud, I was crushed. I'll probably see if it does anything...

guangong · Dec 16, 2023

When Agfa discontinued Rodinal I bought a lifetime supply. Just developed several rolls from opened bottle and still have three bottles left. Now considering that perhaps I may have bought more than a lifetime supply.

mshchem · Dec 16, 2023

guangong said:
When Agfa discontinued Rodinal I bought a lifetime supply. Just developed several rolls from opened bottle and still have three bottles left. Now considering that perhaps I may have bought more than a lifetime supply.

I hope so! May you live long and your Rodinal too.

mshchem · Dec 16, 2023

The Rodinal box and bottle are gold even if the developer is kaput. I've not used Rodinal that old but properly stored Photoflo concentrate lasts forever.

Helios 1984 · Dec 16, 2023

Chuck1 said:
Earlier this weekI went to break into a 500ml bottle and felt a thud, I was crushed. I'll probably see if it does anything...

My 30-something-years-old bottle of the stuff has a lot of sediment pebbles, at the bottom, yet the juice works fine.

MattKing · Dec 17, 2023

If the bottle of Rodinal - or for that matter the bottle of Photo-flo - isn't a glass bottle, it doesn't truly qualify to be called "old"

.

mshchem · Dec 17, 2023

I remember when Kodak changed to plastic bottles for Photo flo. The change from a metal cap to plastic cap threw me for a loop when measuring a "half of a cap"

Philippe-Georges · Dec 17, 2023

If Photo-Flo is about the same product as AGEPON, then it will last as long Rodinal does, it just will discolour and become yellowish.

BTW, a colleague and friend found on the flea market a glass bottle of pre WW2 Rodinal (with a label on the back in Gothic fonds) and for fun she developed a roll of Tri-X in it, with perfect results.
There was a lot of sediment (Natrium crystals?) sticking on the bottum of the bottle, but apparently it was still good, I think you should disregard these sediments...

bripriuk · Dec 17, 2023

I still use a bottle Photoflo 500 which was bought in 1981, and is still clear and working perfectly.
The Rodinal will also be working perfectly.

Brian

What About Bob · Dec 17, 2023

The cap is welded on there good. I tried hot water soaks and also tried using a channel grip but wasn't able to get a good hold on the cap.. I carefully tried going under the cap with a flat-head. Cap will not budge. I can sort of see through the cap and there is a brownish tint where the threads are. So the solution got caked into there. I had thought about using an acid to go a little inside and around that area in the cap but that might not play well, having even a tiny amount might get into the bottle.

Anyone have any dynamite?

Philippe-Georges · Dec 17, 2023

What About Bob said:
The cap is welded on there good. I tried hot water soaks and also tried using a channel grip but wasn't able to get a good hold on the cap.. I carefully tried going under the cap with a flat-head. Cap will not budge. I can sort of see through the cap and there is a brownish tint where the threads are. So the solution got caked into there. I had thought about using an acid to go a little inside and around that area in the cap but that might not play well, having even a tiny amount might get into the bottle.

Anyone have any dynamite?

Drill a hole in the cap, from above, of about the same diameter of the bottle's opening, then with pliers pull of the rest of the cap which is still around the bottle's neck. You will have to find a new cap...

What About Bob · Dec 17, 2023

Philippe-Georges said:
Drill a hole in the cap, from above, of about the same diameter of the bottle's opening, then with pliers pull of the rest of the cap which is still around the bottle's neck. You will have to find a new cap...

I found my drill but no idea where the charger is. I might have to order a replacement. I could probably use one of the caps from a spare storage bottle. Size looks about right. It will be a black cap.

Thanks Philippe

guangong · Dec 17, 2023

I can't remember when I bought my large sized bottle of PhotoFlo. I pour into a smaller "one cap to a liter" bottle. At my user rate, this will outlive my Rodinal. Same goes for my Kodak Lens Cleaner.

npl · Dec 17, 2023

If you have an empty glass bottle lying around, you could just cut the top of the original bottle and transfert the rodinal into it.

MattKing · Dec 17, 2023

I still have this bottle:

I keep it nearby in the medium sized bin with my other my film developing chemicals. I use an ounce at a time to make up 8.5 oz of my intermediate Photo-flo stock solution, as described in my Resource on the subject.
When the bottle is empty, I refill it from the modern half litre plastic bottle of Photo-flo 200 that resides in the larger bin kept in a slightly less accessible storage area.

Chuck1 · Dec 17, 2023

Good to know sediment is not necessarily a death knell, I'll still do some testing before committing to shots I don't want messed up.

Helios 1984 · Dec 17, 2023

Chuck1 said:
Good to know sediment is not necessarily a death knell, I'll still do some testing before committing to shots I don't want messed up.

Here's a bottle from back when Agfa was part of I.G Farbenindustrie (1927 - 1945). If I remember correctly, the fellow who bought the bottle had to drill through the sediment layer. And yes, the juice was still good.

Anon Ymous · Dec 17, 2023

Does anyone know what the sediment is composed of?

What About Bob · Dec 17, 2023

MattKing said:
I still have this bottle:

View attachment 357052

I keep it nearby in the medium sized bin with my other my film developing chemicals. I use an ounce at a time to make up 8.5 oz of my intermediate Photo-flo stock solution, as described in my Resource on the subject.
When the bottle is empty, I refill it from the modern half litre plastic bottle of Photo-flo 200 that resides in the larger bin kept in a slightly less accessible storage area.

Do you have the date of that bottle? Very nice.

What About Bob · Dec 17, 2023

Helios 1984 said:
Here's a bottle from back when Agfa was part of I.G Farbenindustrie (1927 - 1945). If I remember correctly, the fellow who bought the bottle had to drill through the sediment layer. And yes, the juice was still good.

At first I thought that was a bottle of hot sauce, lol. Now that is a keeper! Amazing how long this stuff will last.

MattKing · Dec 17, 2023

What About Bob said:
Do you have the date of that bottle? Very nice.

I don't.
But I believe it is the same bottle as I had in 1967 .

koraks · Dec 18, 2023

Anon Ymous said:
Does anyone know what the sediment is composed of?

Must be mostly sodium sulfite.

Old Rodinal and Photo-Flo

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