Rodinal: Lo, what fools some mortals be....

[Ronald Moravec]

I just tried some that that I transfered from the plastic bottle to a glass one in 1998. It seemed to work fine, tea colored with sludge on the bottom.

Someone wrote the preservative was changed for envirnmental reasons and will no longer last as long as it once did. No more details.

Some time in the 90`s I tried some that came in a dark glass bottle with the rubber hypodermic needle accesable stopper. It had Altman camera price tag on the glass, $1.15 or such. Altmans went out of business in 1970. It was Chicago`s biggest camera store.

 

[evilhomer78]

I have a 2 oz bottle from the 1940's I be leave. The bottle is still factory sealed. Its pretty much just crystallized sludge at the bottom and the liquid is just above 1/2 full. Anyone dare use it. I know that it was stored in a storage shed for years (very high and very cold temperatures).

 

[fschifano]

I rate rodinol right up there with 65 Dodge Darts and cock roaches for longevity.

I think the '65 Dodge Dart, or at least its slant six engine, might outlast the Rodinal.

 

[Paul Howell]

I bought a bottle when I returned from Italy in 1986, it is now about about 1/2 full, very dark color. But last time I used it for a roll of EFKE 25 worked just fine at 1:50. When Afga bellied up I bought a new bottle which is still unopened. As I shoot very little EFKE or Pan F may take a decade or two to see how well it ages.

 

[erikg]

Hey Paul, it's not just for slow stuff anymore!

 

[nworth]

The color of Rodinal and its clones depends on the quality of the p-aminophenol used and age. Agfa always used the technical grade, and the color was usually a substantial brown, even an opaque dark brown. With reagent grade developing agent, it may be a dark straw to light brown. The color darkens with age. The developer has an extraordinary life. I have heard of people using Rodinal that was 20 years old (in concentrate), and it still worked fine. The color doesn't seem to have any effect on the results.

 

[John Bragg]

Even if Rodinal is not your usual developer of choice, it is comforting to have some in reserve. Whilst it is in the darkroom cupboard, the extraordinary keeping properties mean that there is no excuse for running out of film developer. If the other stuff has gone off, reach for the Rodinal !!!!