residue in replenished XTOL

[herb]

I have been using replenished XTOL for about a year, quite happy with it. The other day my big jug of it fell over on the sink and shook loose some gray granular material, which for all the world looks like very fine (powdery) silver. It is so small my filter funnel won't catch it. I left a gallon beaker full of it for about six hours, and it did not settle out. That evidently takes a long time.

I have not noticed any problems, but can only imagine that small spots will result. Is it necessary to filter this stuff out, or just start over with a new batch?

 

[snederhiser]

Hello Herb;
I use replenished D-76 in the same manner. This is the residue from the developing process. I usually mix new chemicals every six months or when ever I feel that the developer is too murky. Just a matter of personal preference, Steven.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

You don't have to do anything; the residue is not harmful to your process. And please don't mix a new batch just because of residue. Xtol replenished is stable indefinitely if you just replenish enough, and the processing 'leftovers' are what makes the replenished soup so good!

However, if you must, the best way to get rid of the residue within the bottle is to empty all of the developer into a different container. Then take some cleaned pea gravel, about a handful, and put it into the bottle along with some a cup of warm water, and just shake the bottle. This breaks up most of the gunk that's stuck on the walls of the container.
Then you clean the bottle out carefully, take the gravel out (obviously), and pour your developer back in through a wet coffee filter.

I've used my Xtol for over three years without having to mix a new batch. I've probably gone through about ten 5-liter kits, and it's still the original batch.

I have been using replenished XTOL for about a year, quite happy with it. The other day my big jug of it fell over on the sink and shook loose some gray granular material, which for all the world looks like very fine (powdery) silver. It is so small my filter funnel won't catch it. I left a gallon beaker full of it for about six hours, and it did not settle out. That evidently takes a long time.

I have not noticed any problems, but can only imagine that small spots will result. Is it necessary to filter this stuff out, or just start over with a new batch?

 

[presspass]

Sorry this wasn't up last night. I just dumped a liter of grey Xtol - replenished - and decided to go with 1:1 to avoid the 'problem.' Now I'll have to decide whether to start a new bottle of replenished, or just stay with 1:1.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Sorry this wasn't up last night. I just dumped a liter of grey Xtol - replenished - and decided to go with 1:1 to avoid the 'problem.' Now I'll have to decide whether to start a new bottle of replenished, or just stay with 1:1.

I guess you'll have to decide for yourself whether you like the replenished Xtol negatives well enough to start a new batch or not.

Replenished:
Pros: Sharper, less grain, less straight film curve, economy
Cons: Lose 1/2 stop, less straight film curve

To me they're almost like two different developers. Both equally powerful, but different.

 

[Sirius Glass]

You don't have to do anything; the residue is not harmful to your process. And please don't mix a new batch just because of residue. Xtol replenished is stable indefinitely if you just replenish enough, and the processing 'leftovers' are what makes the replenished soup so good!

However, if you must, the best way to get rid of the residue within the bottle is to empty all of the developer into a different container. Then take some cleaned pea gravel, about a handful, and put it into the bottle along with some a cup of warm water, and just shake the bottle. This breaks up most of the gunk that's stuck on the walls of the container.
Then you clean the bottle out carefully, take the gravel out (obviously), and pour your developer back in through a wet coffee filter.

I've used my Xtol for over three years without having to mix a new batch. I've probably gone through about ten 5-liter kits, and it's still the original batch.

Yeah, what he said.

 

[jordanstarr]

I used some less than satisfactory stainless steel rods that left almost a glitter-type reside on my film. I use a seasoned HC-110 developer, not xtol, but the same idea. I ran it through a coffee filter (well....about 3 of them) that I put in a funnel over another container and everything is fine now. It took me about 30 minutes to do it that way, through a 5 gallon tank (I think that's the size for the big rubber 8x10 tanks). I even used white coffee filters *gasp*. Didn't harm my developing at all. Ran a test strip of film after to make sure it solved the problem and now it's free of residue and I have that piece of mind that the only glitter that's going to get on my film will be from my 3 and 7 year old nieces on the other side of the house.

However....I think the bigger picture here is...if it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it's not on your film, why bother?

 

[brucemuir]

The lose 1/2 stop is the only thing that has me dragging my feet.
I recently been shooting a ton of Neopan 400 and it's the first film I actually can live with at box speed in D76 1:1.
It even pushes to 800 pretty dang easy with livable shadow detail.

Maybe it is because I was used to D76 straight in my neophyte days and the 1:1 of D76 gives a bit more speed?
That, coupled with a realistic box rating compared to most Kodak offerings.

I can't get anywhere close to box speed with any Kodak films no matter what I do.

 

[Ryuji]

The grey stuff is sensitizing dye that came off from the emulsion. The dye initially colors the developer solution but when they coalesce in the developer, they precipitate. As you observed, they are too fine to filter out by regular filter paper. Silver sometimes make silvering on the inner surface of the container, but not common to precipitate as fine dust.