Unmixed Xtol...

[slm]

Hi Everyone, I have 2 packs with an expiry date of 2014-12 and one of 2015-10, do you think they are still good ? I'm really hoping so....

Thanks
Steven

 

[markbarendt]

yes, powders in sealed containers typically last indefinitely.

 

[slm]

great, thanks !

 

[BetterSense]

I have had bad luck with foil packets of Dektol after only a couple years. I think any pinhole leak in the foil is the problem.

 

[Sirius Glass]

yes, powders in sealed containers typically last indefinitely.

What he said.

 

[mgb74]

But I'll take a 30 year old can over an 8-10 year old foil packet.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

But I'll take a 30 year old can over an 8-10 year old foil packet.

+1

 

[slm]

Funny you should mention cans...I also have a small can of Accufine (2.1oz, 61 gms.), looks old, a small can of Kodak Selectol and one of DK-50.
They were all given to me in a box full of "stuff" that I got thown in with a Vivtar enlarger (paid a whole $20 for it).

 

[removed account4]

I have had bad luck with foil packets of Dektol after only a couple years. I think any pinhole leak in the foil is the problem.

same here,
it was a year or 3 out of date, kept in ambient 60º or so area since the day it was bought.
i mixed it up last year, the dektol was black.

if it was xtol i would throw it out. come to think of it, i'd throw it out anyways i don't like that developer.

 

[Ronald Moravec]

WRONG WRONG. That is why Kodak starting putting exp dates on the packs.

I had an undated one and it worked fine 24 hours after mixing, a week later it worked, but around 3 paper grades less. My call to Kodak confirmed this. Be careful

 

[Sirius Glass]

Paper developer, once mixed, has a shorter life than most film developers. Old paper developer that has sat around for years unmixed, I have found can go bad in a day or two.

 

[slm]

Well, my Xtol is still good - I developed 3 rolls with it. Now that its been mixed can I expect the same shelf life from it ?
I store it in a box wine bladder and in the past it has lasted for a really long time (many months)

 

[pentaxuser]

Well, my Xtol is still good - I developed 3 rolls with it. Now that its been mixed can I expect the same shelf life from it ?
I store it in a box wine bladder and in the past it has lasted for a really long time (many months)

Well that has been my experience as well. I mixed 5L into two 3L winebags and it lasted 2 years

pentaxuser

 

[Gerald C Koch]

The problem with bags is that they cannot be as impermeable to air as cans. I have some cans of DK-50 that are over 50 years old and are still fine when I open them. Bags are also damaged by handling which can cause invisible cracks in any of the composite materials.