Shelf life of replenished Adox XT-3 (XTOL)

cerber0s

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Hey!

What are your experiences with the shelf life of replenished XTOL? I developed Fomapan 400 yesterday in replenished XTOL, and the entire roll came out very thin. The developer has bern stored in a plastic (Sodastream) bottle for… maybe 4-5 months. Last time I used it was maybe two months ago.
 

koraks

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Have you developed this film in this developer earlier and established a suitable development time? I.e. could you reasonably expect a better result?

cerber0s said:
plastic (Sodastream) bottle for… maybe 4-5 months
Click to expand...

How long do your Sodastream bottles hold pressure? I'm asking because we've got three of these that we use for our sparkling water. They hold pressure for 2-3 days, max. By that time most of the carbon dioxide has dissipated from the water. I don't think they're very suitable for storing XTOL, especially not for such a long time. Just use PET lemonade/soda bottles or glass bottles with a regular screw cap.
 
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cerber0s

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koraks said:
Have you developed this film in this developer earlier and established a suitable development time?
Click to expand...
Yes, the 7 minutes from Massive Dev chart usually produce denser negatives.
koraks said:
How long do your Sodastream bottles hold pressure?
Click to expand...
About the same as yours. I’ll discard it and start a new batch. Thanks!
 

miha

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Ever since I started using glass bottles for storing developers (either decanted or mixed from powders) the shelf life increased enormously. My choice is Schott Duran with some Tetenal Protectan spray to top it off when not full to the brim:

 

john_s

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These are an initial investment, but excellent in the long term. Good caps. There are other makes that seem identical and can be cheaper, e.g. Simax

The only downside is breakability on a concrete floor.
 

npl

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My replenished working solution of XTOL was once left untouched for 9 month in a glass amber bottle filled to the brim and was still working fine when I finally used it again.

Side note, 7min is the time given by foma for developping fomapan 400 in a stock solution of XTOL. A seasoned solution will get a bit weaker and the times are usually closer to the 1+1 times. A thing to keep in mind If you don't get the density you want after some time with your new batch.
 

Sirius Glass

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Properly sealed I have had stock XTOL and replenished XTOL last for years, usually more than 2 years.
 
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cerber0s

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I thought the purpose of replenishing was to bring the developer back to stock dilution by replenishing the developer that is spent? And that it could then be treated as a stock dilution?

I’ll discard my replenished batch before I develop my next roll. When should I start treating the new batch as “seasoned”?
 

MattKing

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The purpose of replenishing is to maintain the working strength developer at a seasoned and consistent level of activity.
Fresh, unseasoned developer will inevitably be more active than seasoned developer, but it will also change its activity with use, requiring changing development times.
Seasoned and properly replenished developer will be less active and require longer development times, but those times will be consistent over many rolls, with unchanged development times.
 

Sirius Glass

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No, one uses the replenished XTOL, then 70ml of stock XTOL is added to the replenished bottle, and the remained of the tank is put back in the replenished bottle and the excess is discarded. Replenished [seasoned] XTOL can be used for years this way. The longer the replenished XTOL is used, be better the acutance and tonality [to a limit].
 

K-G

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I started my replenished Xtol over six years ago and it still works fine. This is what I do :

1. I always mix fresh developer with demineralized water.
2. I store the replenished solution in a 10 l jar made out of heavy duty plastic. A large volume gives a better volume/surface relationship and decreases the risk for oxidation.
3. When I fill the jar, I I let it bleed over a bit before closing so there won't be any trace of air bubbles.
4. I keep it in the dark.

All these points together have worked fine with the Xtol, and I suppose the same will go for XT-3 .

I may even mention the Xtol-jar in my last will.

Karl-Gustaf
 
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