One-shot Liquid Print Developer Concentrate?

F4U

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As for me, I'm a Dektol user and alwayss have been. I'm asking on behalf of a friend who will undoubtedly be a more occasional photographer. Is there a liquid print developer that comes as a liquid concentrate and can be mixed in tray quantities on occasion, where the remaining concentrate doesn't go bad in a few short months after opening the bottle??
 

revdoc

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Back when I was using it, Ilford Multigrade developer lasted a long time, certainly longer than the six months Ilford say. It slowly went brown, then dark brown, then black, but it kept working for well over a year. Your friend will have to decide whether this would be good enough for them.

Another thing to consider: rapid fixer will also die in a few months.

As someone who prints intermittently, I solved all this by mixing my own chemicals. But I know most people don't want to do that.
 

koraks

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F4U said:
Is there a liquid print developer that comes as a liquid concentrate and can be mixed in tray quantities on occasion, where the remaining concentrate doesn't go bad in a few short months after opening the bottle??
Click to expand...
Consider purchasing any concentrate that seemingly fits the bill, then decant the concentrate into smaller glass bottles with a tightly fitting cap (no Vacuvin nonsense, no rubber stoppers etc.) The glass bottles should prevent the concentrate from aerial oxidation. The concentrate should last as well (or slightly better) as in factory packaging.

Alternatively, get some raw chemicals and teach your friend to brew up ID-68, ID-62 etc. so he can mix fresh what he needs, when he needs it. The dry components keep indefinitely if stored dry.
 

ntenny

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Liquidol seems to last forever. I’m a very intermittent printer, so I depend on the concentrate having a shelf life measured in months, and no problems so far. Even as a working solution, it lasts for a couple of days in an open tray.

-NT
 

Paul Howell

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I currently have a tray of Liquidol that seems to be holding up over a few printing sessions. Prior I used Clayton, it works fine but does not last as long as Liquidol. On the expensive side is Edwal TST but is versatile.

Edwal TST Print Developer - 1 Quart

Edwal TST Print Developer - 1 Quart - Most versatile black & white paper developer available. TST Concentrate is accompanied by "Solution B". The use of "B" controls contrast on any paper. Tones ranging from high density cold images to…
www.freestylephoto.com
 

snusmumriken

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I too can recommend re-bottling.

I buy Ilford Multigrade developer in 5 litre containers, and use 100 ml at a time to make 1 litre of 1+9 dilution. I'm not a high-end user, so 5 litres of concentrate lasts me probably a couple of years. On opening, I re-bottle the concentrate into 4 x 1 litre brown glass laboratory bottles (very cheap from an eBay supplier), plus 9 x 100 ml bottles (plus 100 ml for immediate use). I put a squirt of butane gas (for lighters) into the neck of each bottle. It keeps for months like this with zero discolouration. When I run out of 100 ml portions, I start the next 1 litre bottle, again re-bottling the leftover into small bottles.

It doesn't sound like your friend is likely to use large quantities, but a similar system of subdivision into single-use portions would obviously work with any supplied quantity of concentrate.
 
OP
OP

F4U

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Good to know Edwal is still in business. But $75 for a bottle of developer? Not hardly.
 

Paul Howell

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Yeah I know, I think it only product that Edwal is producing, for a number of years I used their Ulta Black, the developer turned black but kept producing once print after another. At this point I may just return to Clayton, I can buy in small bottles, Freestyle sells it as their house brand. What I do miss is FG7, it was fav for LF.
 

Saganich

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Liquidol. I just bottle it up the working solution and reuse until I hit the max number of sheets for the volume I mixed. It keeps well bottled.
 

ic-racer

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All my film procesing is one-shot, and likewise I had searched for a long-lasting one-shot paper developer.
I tried this a few years ago and it is still working out for me.

Not Recommended...But I'm Trying It...

I have recently been exploring the possibility of extending the useful life of Dektol. I can't say I have ever used an entire 3.8Liters of concentrate before it turned almost black. What a waste. With my last few powder packages of Dektol, I have been measuring out the appropriate amount of...
www.photrio.com
 
Last edited:

Don_ih

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ic-racer said:
I tried this a few years ago and it is still working out for me.
Click to expand...

It worked for me while I did it, also.

But I just mix developers from bulk chemicals. Powders last forever. And you don't need to worry about the homogeneity police telling you the branded envelope isn't fully mixed up.
 

ags2mikon

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I mix from bulk chemicals too. I bought small bottles that hold just enough of each chemical to make a enough for a session. I sit down at my scale and make about a dozen "kits" ahead of time and bag the small bottles in ziploc bags. Not as quick as liquid but I always have it because dry chemicals last a very long time. I do this with d-23, dk-50, d-72 and sodium sulfite for wash aid.
 
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