Potential ID-11 problem

[Thanasis]

I mixed up a stock batch of 5 litres of Ilford ID-11 this afternoon. This is the first time I have used a powder developer. I noticed, when mixing the contents of satchel A, browny clumps of scum that eventually dissolved. When I mixed in Satchel B, there were grains at the bottom of the bucket that I was mixing it in. But after about two minutes and adding the cold water to make up the full 5 litres, it all seemed to dissolve nicely.

Now my query is this: I have them developer in two 2.5 accordion bottles and I noticed that some of the spillage on the bathroom floor and on the tops of the bottles has evaporated and left a fine white powder. I assume this is normal and is simply whats left over after the evaporation of the water but can anyone who has experience with this product tell me if this is normal? Or do i chuck it out and start again?

Thanks and regards,
Thanasis.

 

[Ian Grant]

Perfectly normal.

Ian

 

[Bob F.]

As Ian says, that is as you would expect. Wipe it off with a damp paper towel as you do not want the chemical dust getting airborne.

However, something else occurs to me: how long are you expecting to keep the developer in those accordion bottles? I'm not sure they are the best option as they have something of a reputation for not being very good for long-term storage. I have stored ID-11 in fizzy-pop bottles for well over a year with no problems, kept in the dark and full to the brim.

Bob.

 

[gainer]

I have only ever used one, which I no longer use. They can be compressed only so much, so don't bother unless you are using it for something you return to the bottle and want to make up for solution loss. I'm not convinced they are even truly trusrworthy for that. Glass marbles are better and a number of small single use bottles better yet.

 

[Thanasis]

As Ian says, that is as you would expect. Wipe it off with a damp paper towel as you do not want the chemical dust getting airborne.

However, something else occurs to me: how long are you expecting to keep the developer in those accordion bottles? I'm not sure they are the best option as they have something of a reputation for not being very good for long-term storage. I have stored ID-11 in fizzy-pop bottles for well over a year with no problems, kept in the dark and full to the brim.

Bob.

Thanks for the response Ian, Bob and gainer. I was hoping to try and keep the developer in these bottles for about 5 months max unless i run out sooner. Im only doing 35mm film dev at this stage in two single reel tanks. About 600ml each time if I use it stock or 300ml at 1:1. I'll see which gives better and more controllable results for Tri-X.

I'm not planning on replenishing after each use. I figure its cheap enough (for me) to use diluted once and then get rid of it. Once these bottles can't compress far enough i'll transfer the contents to single use bottles. Opaque bottles are necessary for this right?

 

[Bob F.]

I can only say that I would not trust the accordion bottles for that length of time, but I've never tried it so cannot say for sure. Many people seem to prefer green or brown glass bottles (called "Winchester" bottles in the UK & "Boston Rounds" in the US I believe) but I do not know where they store them - in or out of the light.

My own experience of keeping developer for an extended time is limited to the aforementioned transparent cola bottles and small Winchester bottles stored in a closed cupboard. I find that this works well. You can squeeze the cola bottles down to about 1/2 to 2/3rds of their original volume as the developer is used and decant into small bottles below that (or use marbles as suggested but you will be AMAZED at how many marbles you will need! )... I also never replenish or re-use film developer so agree with your intentions there.

Have fun, Bob.

 

[Kilgallb]

I have used the accordian bottles for a few years and they work fine for keeping D76 or ID11 for a few months, but not much more. I also use it to keep diluted Dektol for a day or two if I do not feel like throwing it out after only a few prints. They work well for XTOL too, but I am scared to reuse XTOL beyond once or twice.

There is a little air leakage however as dilute Dektol will oxidize in a little over three days in the accordian bottles.

 

[fschifano]

For me those accordion bottles are the biggest rip off in the business. I have two - used a couple of times and then promptly forgotten. The caps do not seal well at all. They are unstable when completely full. Soda pop bottles, on the other hand, are a gift from above. I use the 1L size for all my developer stock solutions. The caps seal well; and when they start to wear, replacement bottles are easy to come by. There is no need to displace air with marbles. That's such a PITA anyway. Displace the air in partially full bottles with a heavier than air inert gas. Tetenal's Proctectan is made expressly for this application. Rumor has it that it's nothing more than overpriced butane. I use propane from a plumber's soldering torch, which works just as well. The amount you need to use is very small and poses no particular danger as long as you observe some precautions about no open flames or sparks in the vicinity.

 

[Thanasis]

I've just done a bit of a search on these pages about these accordion bottles and it seems that there aren't too many people who like them here. Live and learn, I guess. I'll see how i go with them but I may end up buying smaller glass bottles or opaque PET bottles where i can store the developer in single one shot volumes. Thanks to all who responded.

Kind regards,
Thanasis

 

[srs5694]

FWIW, Ryuji Suzuki has a page describing the characteristics of various plastics and what they're good for, in terms of photochemical storage. The accordion bottles I've seen use HDPE plastic, which is highly permeable. The bottles might still be useful for storing acids, though (stop bath or fixer).

 

[Ondrej1]

One more vote for PET soda pop bottles. I use them for ID-11 and squeeze them as needed and ID-11 works for one year.