Rodinal - uncapped for three weeks...Doh!

[JeffD]

I did a dumb thing, and left my bottle of Rodinal concentrate uncapped for a 3 week or so period. It was about 3/4 full.

Would any one expect this would ruin it or degrade it's power significantly? Maybe I should dump it, and get a fresh bottle before my next developing run....

 

[MMfoto]

You know, usually I would say to dump it. But as this is Rodinal... I would shoot a roll of you favorite film-nothing important-and give 'er a go. I'll bet it's probably fine. Good luck!

 

[Dave Parker]

Hey after evaporation, maybe you have struck upon something!

LOL

 

[Markok765]

it probably will work
i have a 1\2 full bottle that is 10 years old

 

[reellis67]

Given that my currently open bottle is just about as dark as my tea, I would think that you are fine to use it, but if you have something really important, I would test it with a roll of "shootin' around" film first.

- Randy

 

[Andy K]

it probably will work
i have a 1\2 full bottle that is 10 years old

Wow! You were developing film when you were three?

 

[Dave Parker]

Wow! You were developing film when you were three?

Andy, Andy, ....Andy,

Hell I said something like this about 6 months ago to Marko, and you would have thought I was the devil praying on small children.!

LOL



Dave

 

[Markok765]

Andy, Andy, ....Andy,

Hell I said something like this about 6 months ago to Marko, and you would have thought I was the devil praying on small children.!

LOL



Dave

What did you say?

 

[Markok765]

Wow! You were developing film when you were three?

I got it from a photographer.

 

[Dave Parker]

What did you say?

Marko,

I would expect you can read? Or am I mistaken?

 

[Markok765]

Marko,

I would expect you can read? Or am I mistaken?

I think i forgot..

 

[Dave Parker]

I think i forgot..

No Surprise, you forgot and I took the shit for it...

Marko, Marko, ....Marko..

 

[jim appleyard]

Your Rodinal is probably fine, but do a test roll as suggested. I recently finished up a bottle of Rodinal, partially used, that came in a glass bottle and had a rubber cork/stopper. Who knows how old it was? It worked just fine.

 

[Markok765]

No Surprise, you forgot and I took the shit for it...

Marko, Marko, ....Marko..

WHAT WAS IT?!?!?!

Hahahahaha you took the shit for it!

Whatever it was

 

[Dave Parker]

WHAT WAS IT?!?!?!

Hahahahaha you took the shit for it!

Whatever it was

No Problem Marko, I have a VERY good memory...



Dave

 

[Markok765]

No Problem Marko, I have a VERY good memory...



Dave

so, what was it?

 

[Alex Bishop-Thorpe]

It's sort of part of the scenery that you can find some polite banter with Marko about the place huh? part of the charm I'd say.

Have a go with it though! Worst case scenario, interesting-ness never hurt anyone.
And I really should try some Rodinal one day, all I've had a crack at is Xtol and T-Max so far, and Xtol's meant to have terribly keeping properties on prolonged exposure to air from what I've read.

 

[srs5694]

all I've had a crack at is Xtol and T-Max so far, and Xtol's meant to have terribly keeping properties on prolonged exposure to air from what I've read.

Most developers don't do well when exposed to open air for prolonged periods of time. XTOL's real problem is twofold: It sometimes goes bad rapidly, and when it goes bad it doesn't darken or show any other obvious signs to warn you of its "badness."

FWIW, it took me slightly over a year to go through my first (and so far only) 5-liter packet of XTOL. I mixed it and kept it in 1-liter glass bottles, splitting those into smaller bottles whenever I needed to open one. Thus, XTOL can last a good while when properly stored -- but some of the tales of "XTOL sudden failure" relate to problems developing shortly after it's mixed.

 

[Andy K]

I mixed it and kept it in 1-liter glass bottles, splitting those into smaller bottles whenever I needed to open one. Thus, XTOL can last a good while when properly stored --

Just a tip: I find it easier to have a big bag of marbles in the darkroom. As bottles of chemicals get used I drop marbles into them to bring the fluid level to the top of the bottles.

 

[deepcore]

On our school we have a Agfa paper saying that Rodinal lasts 6 months after the bottle has been opened. I don't know if this is true, but I have developed some films with some old Rodinal that was really dark brown, and the negatives did get really muddy tones. But it could be other causes for this though.

 

[reellis67]

Every bottle I have (or have seen) states a 6 month lifespan, but a large number of people either *actually* have old bottles that are still good, or at least no one has stepped in to call them on it if they're lying... Mine is something like 2 years old, stored in the factory bottle the whole time (no marbles, lost 'em long ago) and is now quite dark red, but I can see no difference in the results of what I developed two years and what I developed last night.

- Randy

 

[ajuk]

it probably will work
i have a 1\2 full bottle that is 10 years old

So if my negs have been a bit thin recently is it not likely because my 10 month old bottle of Rodinal has gone off?

 

[Markok765]

Probably, i got thin negatives the last time i used mine, but that always happeds to me with the new\old bottle of rodinal and stand developing.
My old rodinal is almost as black as espresso.

 

[Petzi]

So if my negs have been a bit thin recently is it not likely because my 10 month old bottle of Rodinal has gone off?

I don't think so. 10 months is nothing for Rodinal.