Really old Dektol

Tobywan · Feb 23, 2014

A friend gave me 2 cans(yes,cans) of Kodak Dektol powder dated 1972. I just mixed one up and it seems to work fine! It's a little darker than I remember so I'll do some more testing and let everyone know how it works.

Mark Crabtree · Feb 23, 2014

Use it up; no reason it shouldn't be good. The cans generally keep amazingly well, even much older ones than you have, usually showing just a little color as you noticed. The foil packages from a little later are much more hit or miss. I've got a bunch of Selectol in those and would be very surprised if 50 percent are good.

PhotoJim · Feb 23, 2014

It's a risk but chances are it's fine. At least, with photographic paper, you're not taking a major chance like you would developing film in really old film developer.

Photo Engineer · Feb 23, 2014

Use it at your own risk.

PE

Tom1956 · Feb 23, 2014

I wouldn't have opened it. I have a 1 gal of Microdol X in a can from about 1970. Keep them as decorative knick-knacks. Besides, some day if there's a zombie apocalypse, you'll have some supplies stashed back.

DanielStone · Feb 23, 2014

I have 1/2 a case of these cans, a mixture of D-76, Dektol and Selectol Soft. I keep em in the garage, for the same reason as Tom1956(zombie apocalypse ). I've used a few cans of the D-76, despite them being rusty and more of a "knick knack status". Worked perfectly fine.

-Dan

Tom1956 · Feb 23, 2014

Reminds me of a question I have.

I've got this half-used bottle of Photo-Flo, maybe 10 years old or so that I still use. Just takes a drop in the film tank of water after washing, to do the trick. Anyway, When I take the top off the bottle, it has an ammonia-ish sort of smell that will burn your eyes. When it was new, it didn't smell like anything. But now, it's as dangerous to take a whiff of as sticking your nose up to a bottle of glacial acetic acid and pulling in a big sniff. (well, maybe not THAT bad). BTW--for any dummies reading, never put your nose up to a bottle of glacial acetic acid. You'd probably be better off in the gas chamber when the cyanide pellets fall in the bucket. GAA will kill you if you snort it. Mean stuff.

dorff · Feb 24, 2014

Tom1956 said:
GAA will kill you if you snort it. Mean stuff.

No, it just makes you wish you were dead. You can decide which is worse.

RalphLambrecht · Feb 24, 2014

Tobywan said:
A friend gave me 2 cans(yes,cans) of Kodak Dektol powder dated 1972. I just mixed one up and it seems to work fine! It's a little darker than I remember so I'll do some more testing and let everyone know how it works.

it most likely will work just fine unless the powder has turned dark brown over time.the keeping properties of canned Dektoland D76 are amazing .Kodak should not have changed that

removed account4 · Feb 24, 2014

Tobywan said:
A friend gave me 2 cans(yes,cans) of Kodak Dektol powder dated 1972. I just mixed one up and it seems to work fine! It's a little darker than I remember so I'll do some more testing and let everyone know how it works.

years ago i used old cans of developer and it was terrible for me ..
not because the developer went bad but because the developer
was no longer made, and the formula lost ... it was one of the, if not the best developer
i had used ... so who knows if you like THIS dektol
it may end up being your white whale
and you'll be searching for this particular formula
age, bouquet and oxidation/ rust level for a long time ...

have fun

Tobywan · Feb 24, 2014

Worked Great!

I ran my test negative today at the same settings(1:2 dilution, 60 second exposure, f:8, 90 second development) and it came out a little lighter than my standard print. Increasing the development to 100 seconds gave me an excellent print. I may keep the second can for after the zombie apocalypse or other emergency. My friend also gave me a box of Agfa paper that was browner than a paper bag. It got pitched.

DannL. · Feb 24, 2014

About 9 years ago I purchased a large stash of Armed Forces D-76 in cans, each packaged in 1964 or 62. When a can is opened they appear to be polished brass on the inside. The chemistry is enclosed in a plastic bag with a simple twist-tie at the top. I've been using it ever since. Good stuff. I figured it would take me at least 20 years to use it all.

bsdunek · Feb 24, 2014

I have quite a stash of Microdol-X from the 70's that was in my Dad's darkroom. Every so often I use it, mostly for Minox film, and it works fine. This is in the yellow envelopes, not a can, which, I would think, wouldn't be as good as cans. I'd say use it. You might want to test each batch on some non-important film first if you're worried.

Thomas Bertilsson · Feb 24, 2014

I was given about ten cans of Kodak DK-50 by a photographer friend in 2011, and I used some of it. I estimate the cans were from the 1960s. The inside of the can had two compartments with a paper divider in between. The developer worked very well, yielded a very interesting grain, and looked really wonderful with Kodak Plus-X, which is what I mostly used it with.
I gave the rest away, because I was using Xtol at the time, and didn't want to change it up.

Old cans can be a bit of a crap shoot. But usually it works just fine.

Really old Dektol

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency