Using old chemicals - is it safe?

[anni]

Hi there,

I am just setting up a darkroom, finally, at home and have some old chemicals that I have stored (not in ideal conditions) for quite a few years. Is it safe to use these or should I dispose of them? Common sense tells me I should but I was wondering, if they are I safe to use I might get some interesting, unexpected results by using them. So basically I am asking from a safety perspective not a technical one.

thanks
anni

 

[dnk512]

All I have heard about old chemicals is that their potency weakens. My experience/qualification are minimal/zero. I will advice that if you do go ahead and use them, do so in an open air space and avoid contact. Also, you may wish to list the specific chemicals you have access to. If we do not hear from you later on, we should know before hand what you did use

 

[PhotoJim]

Liquids, likely dead. (Exceptions: Kodak HC-110, PMK, and Agfa Rodinal are very very long-lived. Liquid fixers might be ok; check to see if they have floating particles in them and if they do, discard.) Stop baths should keep for years, though.

Powders - might be fine, might not be - but more likely to be fine than with liquids. Developers in particular can degrade in storage. Mix and test. If the developer is very dark, it may be bad, but some developers are dark even when fresh.

 

[anni]

Thanks for the quick replies.
They are liquids. One is Rodinal so I will try that. The other is Ilfospeed Multigrade paper developer. It is about 2 years old.
I'll let you know how I go.

 

[Sparky]

Check to see how brown the paper developer is... if it's still kind of syrupy looking - it should be fine...

 

[bdial]

The Rodinal should be fine, if the paper developer is sealed it's probably ok, otherwise it might be ok, but there is no harm in testing it. Any developer that's a mixed stock or working solution is probably toast. If fixer has a white precipitate it's probably no good, unless it happens to be P. Formulary TF-4.
From a safety perspective, there is no worry.
If you're interest is in experimentation, there is no harm in trying this stuff out, if your goal is actually developing negs and making prints, it would be best to discard and start over with everything except for the Rodinal.

 

[Monophoto]

Its not a matter of safety. Instead, the problem is that the effectiveness of old chemicals is suspect. If you are just starting (or restarting) in the darkroom, you want to eliminate as many variables as possible. So dump the old stuff and get new chemicals.

 

[fotch]

Hi Anni, welcome to APUG.

 

[CBG]

Dump the chems? Nahhh.

Rodinal will be fine way after cockroaches are extinct and nuclear waste is safe to eat. Two year old liquid concentrates stored in original sealed containers should be fine. Rodinal tightly sealed is almost always fine no matter what color it has turned. It is a very rugged formula. The liquid paper developer should be fine if it is clear or a very light brown. I'm currently going through old bottles of various liquid paper developers. All looked somewhat suspect. All have been fine.

The best way to test the paper developer is to put a totally exposed strip of enlarging paper in a small quantity of your developer, diluted according to the directions on the package. It should turn totally black in a couple of minutes with agitation like one would use to process prints. If it takes a lot more time, or won't turn the paper black at all, it's toast.

 

[Brandon D.]

You could use an indicator stop bath, and you can use Hypo Check to test fixer.

 

[anni]

Hi Anni, welcome to APUG.

Thanks fotch

 

[andrewkirkby]

I've got a huge bunch of Technidol sachets. Hopefully they aren't dead when i go to process my first two 120 rolls of Tech Pan next week :S