Unopened Ilford B&W Chemistry post covid

wallacjm

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A school was getting rid of it darkroom and they allowed me to take everything for my school.

Under the enlargers in locked cabinets were Ilford chemicals and paper most unopened. Are any of these worth keeping and using, if they are unopened:
  1. Ilford Ifosol S film developer: Can't find any information it anywhere.
  2. Ilford Hypam Fixer
  3. Ilford Multgrade paper developer
  4. Ilford stopbath
  5. different brands of unopend RC/F paper from 8x10 to poster size
 

retina_restoration

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To be honest, the only way to know if the stuff is usable is to test it. Odds are, it's still good.
 

Kino

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Yes, I have 20 year old Ilford FB paper that prints just fine and have been using well expired packets of Kodak D-76 with no issues. As long as the bottles/packets/boxes are well sealed, most of it should work.
 

Sirius Glass

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I have rarely had a problem with old chemicals or paper as long as the packages were well sealed. Even if the packages were not well sealed, I have generally had good luck. However, test every thing before using to develop a roll of film, as an example.
 

Nicholas Lindan

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If the developer has turned brown then it is expired. Ditto if the fixer has thrown yellow sulfur deposits. As for the paper, try it and see.

With current prices I wouldn't chuck anything without testing it first.
 

koraks

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wallacjm said:
  1. Ilford Ifosol S film developer: Can't find any information it anywhere.
  2. Ilford Hypam Fixer
  3. Ilford Multgrade paper developer
  4. Ilford stopbath
  5. different brands of unopend RC/F paper from 8x10 to poster size
Click to expand...

Could it be Ilfosol 3, not S?
Both developers you'll have to test, but there's a reasonable chance they're still OK. Observe the color of the concentrate; if it's dark, it's not a good sign.
The stop bath and the fixer will be fine.
The paper depends a lot on brand, storage conditions and age. Test for fogging and decide if you like the results; some people are ok using mildly fogged paper.
 

rcphoto

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If it’s sealed I’d try it. Ilfosol S is now Ilfosol 3 if I’m not mistaken.
 

cmacd123

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I will say that my experience with the ilford developers in plastic bottles is that they don't have as good a shelf life as the powders. Fairly easy to test.

looks like their was a thread here about Ilfosol 3 vs ilfosol S a decade ago..

Ilfosol S versus Ilfosol 3

I was a big fan of Ilfosol S and reckon it was under-rated, even by Ilford! Marketed as a convenience developer... it actually seemed to compete very well against most others that I tried for FP4+ and similar films. The lack of shelf life was the one pain - I have had more than one completely...
www.photrio.com
 

MattKing

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Thanks David.
 
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wallacjm

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Thanks everyone. The paper developer and hypam worked wonderfully after 12 years or more. The paper was in great shape as well. There was some crust around the paper developer, but it was good. I am going to test the Ifosol S on some bulk film I have here that is old too.

I will let you know.
 
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wallacjm

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Milwaukee, WI
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All the B&W chemicals I received were purchased around that time. The paper developer, fixer and photographic paper worked just fine. I am going to test the developer on some new film and see what happens. If it is in working condition, I am going to use it.
 
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