Paterson Acutol - how long does it last ?

Peter Jones · Jan 27, 2007

Hi, Just acquired some darkroom gear, enlargers etc., only need a few bits now, and among the stuff are a couple of bottles of Paterson Acutol developer and Acufix fixer. These are in sealed (unopened) bottles, no idea of age. Do darkroom chems have a "shelf life" ?

OK to use or should I bin it and buy some fresh ?

dynachrome · Jan 27, 2007

Acutol shelf life

Nine of the Paterson developers had a very long shelf life. They made up for this by not costing too much. The exception was FX-50 which was expensive. The Paterson chemistry which was sold in th U.S. did come with a date on it. Test it before you use it for anything even slightly important. If it's yellow or pale brown just throw it away.

dynachrome · Jan 27, 2007

Make than none, not nine!

gainer · Jan 27, 2007

In a previous article we described Mr. Blank as "a detective in the police farce". That was a typo that should have read "Mr. Blank is a defective in the police force".

Peter Jones · Jan 28, 2007

I reckon I'll bin it and get some fresh chems once i've got everything i need.

Cheers, Dynachrome.

pauldc · Jan 28, 2007

Peter, don't bin it just yet! Firstly Acutol is not currently available and is a fantastic developer so it would be a shame to see it go. When you open the bottle if the liquid is clear then it is very likely to be ok. If it has gone to a yellow colour in anyway then it has gone off. I have had good experience storing both Acutol and Aculux2 in small glass bottles for over 1 1/2 years.

What I would do is (if the liquid is still clear) is make a working solution (1+9) and put a piece of film leader in it and see if it goes black fairly quickly (up to 5 mins). If so it would suggest the developer is active.

Peter Jones · Jan 28, 2007

Cheers, I'll keep hold of it and test it as described.

Tom Stanworth · Jan 28, 2007

I have used aculux when it is pale yellow (and 4 months old in partially full bottle) and it has worked just fine......I keep hearing how a developer is off when it hase gone pale yellow or from pale yellow to amber but this is not allways the case. Crumbs, as we speak I am testing some 5 month old Xtol on film leader and it is just fine. It has been in a 1/4 full bottle for two months! I am not saying that this Acutol is not off, only that one should not make assumptions. Seeing as it is not currently available, there is little point in using it as what you learn from your first use cannot be put to good use getting even better results next time. use something where you can learn and improve and for that it must be currently available.

FrankB · Jan 28, 2007

Tom Stanworth said:
Seeing as it is not currently available, there is little point in using it as what you learn from your first use cannot be put to good use getting even better results next time. use something where you can learn and improve and for that it must be currently available.

According to a notice on their website the ACU range is coming back in about a month's time - Dead Link Removed

There's a thread about it here - (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

I'd give it a (cautious) whirl as described above.

Tom Stanworth · Jan 29, 2007

FrankB said:
According to a notice on their website the ACU range is coming back in about a month's time - Dead Link Removed

There's a thread about it here - (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

I'd give it a (cautious) whirl as described above.

This is very good news. I heard it was coming back but had no idea it would be so soon. I was a real fan of Aculux 2. However, now that I have found that the big packs of Xtol last so long once mixed I might, maybe, stick to that. I mean 3 months in full plastic bottles followed by 2 in mostly empty bottles is very good indeed. Even Kodak only say one month in partially full bottles. I developed the actual negs alast night after testing on a leader and the negs are spot on. The reappearance of FX-39 would be the real boon for me as this is on seriously sharp dev for when one either does not want to use a pyro type dev. It also delivers excellent speed! I am also glad for Paterson showing ongoing committment as I can envisage a time when Kodak throws the towel in and Xtol aint there any more.

FrankB · Jan 29, 2007

Unofficial word on the thread is that Aculux 2 is being replaced by an 'improved' version (Aculux 3?) which has some optimisations for scanning.

Whether this is true and, if so, what impact it will have is unknown...

Paterson Acutol - how long does it last ?

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