Thanks for replying df.
I'm planning to buy some B/W film on the cheap to experiment without real loss if the film gets messed up.
Wil post result of my tests with a +-14 yr old studional dev after that.
rhmimac
A lot of the time you can visually get a feel before committing it to solution.
If the opened package prior to mixing has all sorts of little black bits in it, those were the grains of developing agent that have partially or totally oxidized while in storage.
I have mixed up almost black developers, and used them in a pinch but don't expect stellar results.