Rodinal version with best shelf life

[dcy]

Last year I found a bottle of ORWO R09 (the East German equivalent) from the 80s among my dad's old photo things. It sat in the attic for over 30 years, under an uninsulated roof which means it got cold in the winter and hot in the summer which I'd expect would be more likely to kill it than just the passage of time. But it works perfectly fine. It's very dark but doesn't even have any crystals or sediment on the bottom. Indestructible stuff.

View attachment 404176

I am convinced that there are only three things that will survive the nuclear apocalypse: cockroaches, 1960s refrigerators, and Rodinal.

 

[baachitraka]

They have a long shelf life, so I will be developing using the last bottle that was opened 7 years ago.

 

[Pseudodionizy]

Thank you all again for your replies, I appreciate them a lot! I also wanted to ask, do you have any ideas what kind of creative things I could do with that exhausted/semi-exhausted Rodinal? It would be a shame to just get rid of it, perhaps there's something experimental I could use it for? I know I could try to develop prints in it, but currently I don't make prints.

 

[dcy]

Thank you all again for your replies, I appreciate them a lot! I also wanted to ask, do you have any ideas what kind of creative things I could do with that exhausted/semi-exhausted Rodinal? It would be a shame to just get rid of it, perhaps there's something experimental I could use it for? I know I could try to develop prints in it, but currently I don't make prints.

My own experience with exhausted developers is that they are a world of frustration and pain. In my case it was an exhausted paper developer. I don't know to what extent my experience applies to film, but here it is:

I kept getting horrible muddy prints. As I've moved to better, commercial and fresh developers, my time in the darkroom has only gotten easier. A bad developer will just not develop properly, meaning that the shadows won't get as dark as they're supposed to. If you try to compensate by developing longer, you just make the highlights darker without making the shadows darker and the whole thing becomes muddy. Nothing really creative about that. Your time and energy is worth more than the $14 it takes to buy a new bottle of Adox Rodinal.

 

[thinkbrown]

I am convinced that there are only three things that will survive the nuclear apocalypse: cockroaches, 1960s refrigerators, and Rodinal.

Don't forget the Volvo 240

 

[thinkbrown]

Fwiw, I recently purchased a sealed glass bottle of rodinal on eBay with a date from 1976 written on the box. Works exactly like my modern bottle of R09.

Rodinal is vulnerable to oxidation if stored in partially empty bottles, but sealed the shelf life seems to be indefinite

 

[Model71]

Is there a method for testing chemicals for validity prior to using the chemicals? The idea of loosing film roll(s) during development due to "stale" chemicals sounds like russian roulette to me. Am I missing something obvious?

 

[dcy]

Is there a method for testing chemicals for validity prior to using the chemicals? The idea of loosing film roll(s) during development due to "stale" chemicals sounds like russian roulette to me. Am I missing something obvious?

You can test whether or not the developer is completely dead by grabbing a piece of film leader (so it's been fully exposed to room light), developing it, and then fixing it. If the developer worked, the fixer should not clear the image.

But this test will not tell you if the developer is partially dead. For that, the only test that I can think of is to designate a sacrificial roll of film and develop it properly: Grab a roll of film, put it in your camera, and spend all 36 shots on the exact same test scene. Then store that somewhere safe. When you want to test a developer, go to a dark room or use a dark bag, grab about 2 inches of film, put it in your Patterson or Jobo tank, and develop it normally. If the developer is still good, you will see your test scene. For extra points, develop the scene when you first open the developer and save it so you have a stable point of comparison.

EDIT:

For what it's worth, I don't do any of this myself. I have three film developers: Two that have long shelf lives (PC-TEA and Rodinal) and one that I make myself in small batches that I know I will use quickly (D-23).

I believe most developers will "warn" you when they're going bad because the Dmax decreases gradually. But that's not true for all developers. XTOL is infamous for its "sudden death syndrome".

 

[MattKing]

Many of us who do their own developing also use bulk film, so short, test rolls are available and perfect for the task.

 

[koraks]

what kind of creative things I could do with that exhausted/semi-exhausted Rodinal?

You could unclog a very small drain with it.

 

[Helinophoto]

Was just about to open a thread on this myself.
Adox Adonal died on me (sudden death), some crystallization and color of the concentrate was like dark tea, not more than a couple of years old.
(I had split the original bottle when I got it, into smaller brown glass bottles to keep the oxygen away from most of it as long as I could).

There are several reports online about Adox Adonal suddenly not working anymore, creating blank (completely blank) negatives.

No idea if it was an issue with the batches, or if it really does die, once residue starts to form on the bottom of the bottle.
I have used some kind of r09 (Agfa/Adox??) in the past, that bottle lasted for more than 7 years, black as coffee and was full of residue in the bottom of the bottle and it still worked fine.

I think they have done something to the formula for Adox Adonal, perhaps people use their stuff so quickly it has no time to die?

I got a new bottle now, and I am keeping the liquid in the original bottle, squeezing out as much air as possible between use, still has a light reddish hue and it still works just fine.
Time will tell how long it actually lasts, but be aware.
If you are a very low volume shooter (yes, we exist, what shall we do? Buy a pouch of D76 every time we need to develop something?)
If you switch between HC110 and Rodinal, so that you really use very little over a long period, there are confirmed reports of the Adox Adonal developer dying quickly once it goes black with residue.

 

[Helinophoto]

You can test whether or not the developer is completely dead by grabbing a piece of film leader (so it's been fully exposed to room light), developing it, and then fixing it. If the developer worked, the fixer should not clear the image.

But this test will not tell you if the developer is partially dead. For that, the only test that I can think of is to designate a sacrificial roll of film and develop it properly: Grab a roll of film, put it in your camera, and spend all 36 shots on the exact same test scene. Then store that somewhere safe. When you want to test a developer, go to a dark room or use a dark bag, grab about 2 inches of film, put it in your Patterson or Jobo tank, and develop it normally. If the developer is still good, you will see your test scene. For extra points, develop the scene when you first open the developer and save it so you have a stable point of comparison.

EDIT:

For what it's worth, I don't do any of this myself. I have three film developers: Two that have long shelf lives (PC-TEA and Rodinal) and one that I make myself in small batches that I know I will use quickly (D-23).

I believe most developers will "warn" you when they're going bad because the Dmax decreases gradually. But that's not true for all developers. XTOL is infamous for its "sudden death syndrome".

Isn't the ease of a clip test to produce the purest black you can produce?
Anything which is semi opaque indicates developer exhaustion.

A fully exposed film-leader, should go completely black when developed.
If we are dealing with concentrate vs working solution, the clip test should be done with the working solution, for as long as the film requires, to reflect real life situation.

At least that is how I learned it back in the day.

 

[retina_restoration]

Was just about to open a thread on this myself.
Adox Adonal died on me (sudden death), some crystallization and color of the concentrate was like dark tea, not more than a couple of years old.

I used to use Adonal and R09 years ago, and found both of these "flavors" did not last more than about 18 months once the bottle was opened, so I stopped buying them.
I currently use Adox Rodinal and the bottles I have are 3 years old now, half full and still working as well as when new. It seems the Adox Rodinal version is far more stable, based on my limited experience.

 

[brbo]

I opened my Adox Rodinal 500ml bottle in 2021 and developed film a few weeks ago. I keep it in the original bottle. It's now only half empty and has some crystals but works about as good as when I first used it.

The R09 that I had before did die after a couple of years. I thought that the Adox version was supposed to be better in that regard, but I'm obviously pushing my luck...

 

[lungovw]

My developers are all home made, including the Parodinal that is similar to Rodinal. With all of them I fraction the batch in small 5ml glasses, fully loaded, and in this way they are open just once. The same procedure can be done with purchased developers, just fraction it as soon as you have it and the shelf life of mini glass bottle will be the longest you can get. I made a video and more detailed written description about the procedure: Video, Page

 

[Adam W]

Don't forget the Volvo 240

+1

And the Honda Super Cub.

 

[Helinophoto]

I used to use Adonal and R09 years ago, and found both of these "flavors" did not last more than about 18 months once the bottle was opened, so I stopped buying them.
I currently use Adox Rodinal and the bottles I have are 3 years old now, half full and still working as well as when new. It seems the Adox Rodinal version is far more stable, based on my limited experience.

I think Adox Adonal and Adox Rodinal is the same product (just named differently for different markets). At least I cannot find anything else than Adox Adonal in fotoimpex these days.


Or wait, they have both???? Still, they say Adox Adonal (Rodinal) on the Adonal bottle.
Adonal:

ADOX ADONAL (Rodinal) 500 ml conc. - fotoimpex.com analogue photography

Acutance enhancing film developer ADONAL is produced acording to Agfa Leverkusen´s latest Rodinal* formula from 2004. It does not get more Rodinal than this. ADOX works ...

www.fotoimpex.com

Rodinal (they say it has been replaced, but it is still in stock?)

ADOX Rodinal 500 ml conc. - fotoimpex.com analogue photography

Agfa Rodinal has now been replaced by Adox Rodinal. The formulation and developing times are exactly the same - only the packaging has changed! Acutance enhancing film ...

www.fotoimpex.com

Why can’t they just make one juice, the good one, the one that just keeps kicking butt??

What’s next? Adox Adonal R09 (Rodinal)???

This is worse than all the bullshit related to the death of Bruce Lee

 

[retina_restoration]

I think Adox Adonal and Adox Rodinal is the same product (just named differently for different markets). At least I cannot find anything else than Adox Adonal in fotoimpex these days.

I did some research and it appears you may be right.
It's been years since I bought R09, and now that I think about it, what I bought was likely under the branding of Rollei/Compard R09 One Shot. That stuff did NOT last.

 

[brbo]

Adox Adonal is the same stuff as Adox Rodinal. R09 is not.

 

[dcy]

Isn't the ease of a clip test to produce the purest black you can produce?
Anything which is semi opaque indicates developer exhaustion.

A fully exposed film-leader, should go completely black when developed.
If we are dealing with concentrate vs working solution, the clip test should be done with the working solution, for as long as the film requires, to reflect real life situation.

At least that is how I learned it back in the day.

I hadn't thought of that. It makes sense.

 

[Sidd]

I just developed some film in my old mostly full bottle of Agfa rodinal that was last used in 2008. Worked as normal. It is in the white agfa bottle.

 

[Sidd]

Last year I found a bottle of ORWO R09 (the East German equivalent) from the 80s among my dad's old photo things. It sat in the attic for over 30 years, under an uninsulated roof which means it got cold in the winter and hot in the summer which I'd expect would be more likely to kill it than just the passage of time. But it works perfectly fine. It's very dark but doesn't even have any crystals or sediment on the bottom. Indestructible stuff.

View attachment 404176

These are mythology!

 

[miha]

Still, a reality for some.

 

[Rayt]

I have used the last drops of Adox Rodinal stored in it’s original plastic bottle after filtering the chunks of crystals with no issues.