Will 5L Xtol dissolve in 1 Gal of water?

[craigclu]

Does anyone have experience with this? I've used Xtol clones, etc but never the actual developer and was thinking about using it in some collapsing dispenser rigs that have been sitting around.

 

[Barry S]

Yep, that's exactly how I mix a stock solution of XTOL and I haven't had any problems getting it into solution. It may take a little persistence to get it all dissolved, but it goes into solution just fine.

 

[Domin]

Actually 5l xtol will dissolve even in 2.5l of water. I've done that several times. Easier to store and likely to have longer shelf life.

 

[john_s]

It will dissolve in 2.5Litre of water (even 2L, but it takes a while).

Part A has to be completely dissolved first. That's what the instructions say, but sometimes we cut corners. It really has to be fully dissolved first.

 

[fschifano]

I don't do that, but I'm confident that it can be done. As long as the powder is completely dissolved, you should have no problem. Just remember that you'll have an extra-concentrated stock solution which will need more than the usual amount of water to make the working strength of your choice. XTOL is an excellent developer, and I think you'll like it.

I would also like to caution you against these collapsible containers. I have a couple of them sitting around too, and find them to be next to useless. They don't seal well, are made of the wrong kind of plastic, HDPE, and are unstable when full. PETE plastics, the kind soda pop bottles are made from, are much better for this application. I've been using recycled soda bottles for years and have not been let down by them.

 

[srs5694]

Part A has to be completely dissolved first. That's what the instructions say, but sometimes we cut corners. It really has to be fully dissolved first.

I seem to recall hearing that Kodak changed its XTOL packaging about a year or two ago, basically shuffling ingredients between the Part A and Part B packets. I don't know if this change would affect the ability to make or procedures for making an extra-concentrated XTOL solution, but I thought I'd mention it in case it might be relevant.

 

[Christiaan Phleger]

Yeah, Kodak did change it a bit, seemed to balance out the Sodium Sulfite so each bag of A+B is roughly the same, no difference in results although Part A does seem slightly easier to fully dissolve. I used to mix 2 bags of 5ltr into 5ltr, thus doubling the mix, storing in 1ltr brown jars lasted a long long time, just be sure to properly label '2X' so you remember to dilute correctly. I have no idea why Kodak didn't do this, shelf life of the extra strong mix seems to last a very long time.

 

[fschifano]

Maybe they did try it and decided that the benefits did not outweigh the inconvenience of it being harder to dissolve. After all, the stuff lasts at least six months if stored properly, and I'm pretty sure a lot of folks will use up 5L in that amount of time.