@Donald Qualls Sounds like the plan I will do. We go through a lot of 1 L club soda bottles in our house. Those are squeezable so I can eliminate all the air. I like the idea of using a dedicated funnel. Another application for my Dymo Labelmaker printer.For just the mixing, you could use any old gallon jug or pitcher (actual capacity isn't terribly critical and it needn't even be marked as long as it'll hold about a gallon), then divide the result equally into five one liter bottles and make up all to the same (full liter) volume -- then ideally squeeze all the air out of each before tightening the cap. An actual one liter graduate would be helpful for the making up step, but dividing equally can be done by eye if the bottles are all the same (say, one liter beverage bottles, which I buy with store brand club soda in them for 69 cents).
I use a collapsible (for easy storage) silicone funnel that I bought for the purpose for filling smaller bottles and returning chemicals to the storage bottle, but any plastic funnel will work fine -- just mark it for darkroom use only so it doesn't get used to fill up the Koolaid jug in the fridge.
@mshchem I do like to be careful, which is why I'm working out all my question before I start development, but I am not a fanatic. In any case my initial film development project is these 64 rolls of Plus-X and Tri-X, shot in the late 70s, and sitti0ing in the freezer ever since. I wouldn't be surprised if there is some base fog or other image deterioration.The mixing temperature is indicated on the package it's warmer than room temperature. I have a luxury set up, a lab variable speed mixer with a stainless steel propeller. I found a nice German made plastic 5 L beaker with a handle that I use.
If you are a fanatic, which is completely unnecessary with XTOL you can float a hydrometer (at the exact temperature ) and dilute until you get the exact specific gravity, along the same lines you can use a old Ohaus solution balance ie (5000mL)(sp.gr)=target weight, again totally unnecessary.
Years back I bought a cheap commercial food bucket and measured out 5 x 1000mL and drew a calibration line, the lines on the container were way off.
Get a sturdy stirring paddle and keep the powder moving, dissolves easily.
One additional question. Do you mix up Xtol at room temperature or with hot water. I have read some threads were people said they mix up Xtol with hot water.
I have kept unexposed TMY Tmax 400 for 20 years, always refrigerated without any (to my eye base fog)@mshchem I do like to be careful, which is why I'm working out all my question before I start development, but I am not a fanatic. In any case my initial film development project is these 64 rolls of Plus-X and Tri-X, shot in the late 70s, and sitti0ing in the freezer ever since. I wouldn't be surprised if there is some base fog or other image deterioration.
If your mixing 5L packets, then you'll need a bigger vessel than a 1 gallon jug (US gallon = 3.8L)
For mixing I bought a new white plastic paint bucket and used a marker to mark 1 liter, 2 liter, 3 liter, 1 gallon and 5 liters. This allows me to put in the very warm water to mix solution A until I can see that there are no XTOL particles floating around. Once I have carefully checked for those particles, I add solution B and mix. Finally I top off the water to 5 liters. Mix some more and then port off 1 liter quantities into bladders pushing all the air out of each bladder.
I bought a bunch of refillable 1L 'wine bladders' some years ago but have yet to try them out (the theory being, fill and expel all air). The longest I've used some from the 'long term' bottle was a bit over a year but I'd recommend a leader test before committing to a full film older 'stock'). I write on my darkroom white-board when I mix it so I know just how old it is.
maybe the ability to heat while mixing?
I use this.
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